Snakes & Ladders 2024

Thorne & Daughters, teknisk ark/fact sheet (thorneanddaughters.com – linket fra thorneanddaughters.com, hentet 2026-10-18): 2024 Thorne & Daughters Snakes & Ladders; druer: Sauvignon Blanc; alkohol 14%. Producentens noter (engelsk): About the wine: THE W INE Lots of rain fell during the latter part of 2023. It was really heartening to see old springs on Oudam gushing water after so many dry years. January 2024 was a completely different story and we kicked off with an incredibly hot and dry month that pushed our early varietal picks forward by a week or so. The 2024 picks at Arbeidsend, Oudam and Rietvallei were challenging due to the heat and the speed that we had to get grapes off. Yields were moderate and we definitely felt the inf luence of colder, wetter weather during f lowering. That said, I think we did a great job getting to everything just in time and 2024 has produced some outstanding wines. The grapes skins were very thick and full of f lavour which has translated into a big concentration of aromatics and texture in the wines. This is a “region of compulsion” for me as I just can’t turn down the opportunity to work with grapes from this area. I think compulsion is what allows me to push through the work of sourcing grapes from this remote area. It remains logistically challenging, but those long harvest days fade away as we assess the wines in barrel. I’m continually delighted to see the kind of complexity and texture that Sauvignon blanc can deliver on the right sites, showing itself to be one of the World’s classic grape varieties. We have stuck to our winemaking basics here, leaving primary fruit behind in favour of the deeper characteristics of the 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. Th o r n e & D a u g h t e r s hello@thorneanddaughters.com • www.thorneanddaughters.com Raising our handcrafted wines along with our two Daughters