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Thorne & Daughters

2022

‘Wanderer’s Heart’

Cape Red Blend   |   Western Cape - South Africa
Shelf Talker Spec Sheet Wine Label Bottle Image

About

In the middle of 2016, John & Tasha commissioned a friend to write a series of short children’s stories about growing up on the Cape and used those stories as the inspiration for the names for their red wines. This blend showcases the diversity across the Cape and the 2022 vintage again is a GSM blend with a small portion of Carignan. John makes the call for when to pick mostly on acidity, and this wine really highlights that, with plenty of freshness and vitality. Over the past few years, he has slowly dialed up the Syrah component in this wine to take advantage of these wonderful dark, peppery wines that compliment the other components so well. Grenache expresses place so well and delivers gritty tannins, Mourvèdre produces wild and idiosyncratic wines with a gentle generosity, and Carignan adds craggy tannins and an ever-so-slight umami note.

Each site is hand-picked and fermented separately. The grapes were fermented 100% whole cluster in 2-ton open top stainless steel tanks, with the exception of Carignan which was entirely de-stemmed. After 30-40 days on skins, the grapes were pressed to barrel. Post-ML the blends were trialed and finalized, and then racked back to barrel. After ten months in total it was racked to tank to be bottled without fining and with a gentle cross-flow filtration and a small addition of sulfur.

Stats

  • Grapes: 45% Syrah - 33% Grenache - 13% Carignan - 9% Mourvèdre
  • Vineyard: Gabrielskloof (Syrah & Mourvèdre) - Olifantsberg (Syrah, Grenache & Carignan)
  • Vine Age: Syrah (8-14-years-old) - Grenache (8-years-old) - Mourvèdre (15-years-old) - Carignan (10-years-old)
  • Soil Type: Both vineyards have shale soils
  • Viticulture: Sustainable
  • Fermentation: Native – stainless-steel (100% whole cluster except for Carignan which is 100% de-stemmed)
  • Skin Contact: 30-40 days
  • Aging: 10 months in older 500-600L oak barrels
  • Alcohol: 13.5%
  • pH: 3.45
  • Total Acidity: 5.6 g/L
  • Total SO2: 59 ppm
  • Total Production: 500 cases
  • UPC: 606110152402

Tasting Note

The wine is focused, with blackberry, black forest cake and crushed gravel on the nose. The tannins are finely-grained and integrated into a savory palate of black olive brine, white pepper and wild strawberries.

Press & Reviews

Vinous

91

"The 2022 Wanderer's Heart is a Rhône blend from Olifantsberg and Gabrielskloof, made with partial whole clusters and matured in large format used barrels. This is quite closed at first, a little reductive, unfolding with dark berry fruit, briar, and a touch of Provençal herbs. Fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied and slightly peppery with pliant tannins, cohesive with a slightly introverted but engaging finish. This is an old-school Rhône blend that will unfold over the coming years."

- Neal Martin

Tim Atkin, MW

91

"Gabriëlskloof and Olifantsberg supply the grapes for this assemblage of Grenache, 36% Syrah, 11% Carignan and 8% Mourvèdre. Savoury, grippy and a little stemmy, with evident whole-bunch notes and damson, cranberry and mountain herb flavours. Needs more time in bottle."

- Tim Atkin, MW

Wine Advocate

91+

"The 2022 Wanderer's Heart Cape Red is composed of 45% Syrah, 33% Grenache Noir, 13% Carignan and 9% Mourvèdre and made with almost all whole-cluster grapes. The style of this bottling has evolved to showcase more Syrah and a greater use of whole-cluster fermentation, which is true in this vintage. The wine exhibits bright floral notes and maintains the same mineral tension with fine-grained tannins. The wine is spicy and has a bright, food-friendly, lingering finish. A total of 4,800 bottles were produced."

- Anthony Mueller
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Producer


Thorne & Daughters

Region


Western Cape

Country


South Africa

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