Snakes & Ladders

Oysters, Goats Cheese, Grilled Fish, Creamy Pasta Dish

The vineyards for Smakes & Ladders are far north and on the Atlantic west coast of the Cape, perched on the escarpment between the Atlantic coastal plain and the Olifantsrivier valley. This is a wild and pure landscape. The wine's name is inspired by the extremes of this area and the highs and lows of farming it. Deep, red, sandy soils and cool Atlantic breezes temper an otherwise unforgiving climate. This is an incomparable appellation for Sauvignon blanc and one in which we feel texture, structure and complexity are key to what we can create here. We vinify the wines with respect for the wild places where they are grown. Native yeast ferment, old French oak barrels and a light touch in the cellar allow a very pure expression of the terroir.

We have stuck to our winemaking basics here, leaving primary fruit behind in favour of the deeper characteristics of wines. The grapes are whole-bunch pressed in our old Vaslin basket press with no SO2 or other additions. The juice is then wild-fermented in a mix of 225, 300 and 500 litre old oak barrels where the wines remain on their gross lees for 9-10 months before blending and bottling. We favour malolactic fermentation over early additions of sulphur dioxide, and the wines only see a first addition of SO2 in the early winter. We are looking for wines that show tension without losing their suppleness and core, and wines that will reward time in the cellar.

Thorne and Daughters is a Western Cape wine producer founded by John and Tasha Seccombe in 2012. Working with old vineyard parcels and distinctive Cape varieties, the range is known for honest, gently made wines that bring old-school simplicity, modern detail and a strong sense of place.