.: MENU visits the Karoo and the Garden Route 21. Silverthorn, Bonnievale

Our next appointment was at Silverthorn in Bonnievale. Warmly welcomed by John and Karen Loubser, we were so impressed with what they have done to the farm in the two years since we last visited. The tasting room, which they were still decorating and fitting when we were there before, is now so comfortable and relaxing. How did the farm get its name? "In the middle of winter, when the vines have shed the last of their amber leaves and roots are drawing their strength for summer; when the grey-green veld sparkles after the rain and the tallest peaks of the Riviersonderend Mountains are dusted in snow, it is the Karoo Acacia, with its profusion of dazzling white thorns, that commands attention. It is this image of one of the Karoo’s most prolific thorn trees that inspired the name Silverthorn Wines"

A waterlily in the small pond at the tasting room door

You can also have a tasting in the lovely riverside garden, watching the Breede river flow strongly past the farm

We tasted through their range of excellent and rather special Cap Classique wines. This is John’s passion

We love the Green Man on the wood burning stove which will keep the tasting room cosy on cold winter days. It adds a bit of country magic to the farm. "The Green Man is an ancient mythical figure representing the spirit of the forest, the continuous regeneration of life and the interdependence of all things. He has appeared throughout the ages from as far afield as ancient Babylon, India, Borneo and Nepal, to abbeys and cathedrals all over Europe"

They have a superb collection of things found in the vineyard and in the area
From fossils, prehistoric stone tools, minerals, sculls, shells and so much more

The Robertson and Bonnievale valleys are famous for their limestone and shale soils
which pay a huge part in the quality of the wines
The area was once under the sea and has kimmeridgian chalk similar to that of Champagne,
perfect for the production of similar style sparkling wines

The 38 year old Colombard vineyard nearest the cellar
John decided to leave this established vineyard and has made very worthy wine from it, called River Dragon
There is a hint of dragons on the farm, protecting it from harm

Trees growing at the edge of a vineyard

Thanks to the wonderfully wet winter we have had, the leiwater is running clean and fast in the canals
and everything is looking so lush and green

The wine cellar was a “coming soon” project and now stands proud, built by John. Those days studying architecture seem to have paid off. As John is passionate about making good Cap Classique wines, this is a specialised cellar. Silverthorn is a member of the Cap Classique Association, an independent organisation which collectively supports and markets Cap Classique wines, and John is a member of the prestigious Cape Winemakers Guild. He is one of the driving forces behind the new Cap Classique route in Robertson

John sets up for our tasting

He has had an interesting and successful career. He first studied architecture. and then went diamond diving off the Skeleton Coast in Namibia. He qualified in oenology at Elsenburg, graduating in 1995 as the Dux student

After working at Môreson in Franschhoek for a couple of years, John decided he needed to be closer to the family farm in Bonnievale and spent two years at de Wetshof in Robertson and a further two years working at Graham Beck's Robertson cellar with Pieter Ferreira. In 2001, he was offered the position of Cellarmaster at Steenberg, taking on the added responsibility of general manager in 2007. He was there for 15 years. He won the prestigious ‘Diners Club Wine Maker of the Year’ in 2003 for the Constantia Uitsig Semillon Reserve 2002. He left Steenberg in 2017 to devote himself full-time to Silverthorn, his family’s boutique estate in Robertson. Karen’s family purchased the farm in 1976 and John and Karen officially took it over in 1999. Karen is a very valuable member of the family team; she handles sales and marketing as well as all the administration

He made the River Dragon from the 38-year-old Colombard vines at their door. It was wild fermented in acacia barrels, then spent 12 months on the lees. When we tasted the 2020, it had only been disgorged 3 weeks before. Sherry hints with rose on the nose, with apricot & leaves, it has an initial dash of sweetness, then good crisp fruit, zingy purple plums and greengage on the palate, a good mousse and a long finish. We bought the first vintage without tasting it and we love it. It pairs well with food

The last time we were here, John and Karen were busy sanding down these lovely old windows, getting them ready for painting. On the table in front is the 2018 Green Man MCC made from 100% Chardonnay with a small amount in barrel. Crisp and exciting, with brioche and white peach on the nose. Sharp tingle on the palate with green Granny Smith apple, pear, quince, it’s crisp to the end, with a fine mousse. This is the wine to drink with oysters, caviar and smoked salmon. 2020 was a good harvest and John predicts a good 2021 vintage too

John talking about the fossils
The soils in Robertson are 400-million years old, which means they pre-date the age of dinosaurs

This fossil clearly shows the shells and sea creatures that were embedded in the sea sand that became fossilised rock
Lynne, who has studied gemmology seriously, is very envious

The Genie was the first Silverthorn wine he made in 2017. It is a pink jewel made from a 21 year old block of Shiraz - John broke the rules, no Pinot Noir in this beautiful MCC. Rosewater, raspberries and Turkish delight notes on the nose, with long fruit flavours of raspberry and cherry on the lovely satisfying palate with a good mousse. Drink with strawberries all summer long and with rich complex dishes in the winter

John and Karen and the family are steeped in nature and have a huge respect for it

Chats and tasting, discovering the mystery of what is in the mind of the winemaker and in the bottle
A superb tasting

The Jewel Box 2017, made from 71% Chardonnay, 50% of which is barrel fermented, and 29% unwooded Pinot Noir from Darling. It spent 48 months on the lees. John's inspiration for this wine was Krug and Bollinger champagnes, John's favourites

Lean and clean on the nose with hints of almond, it is a lovely expression of its style. Lean, dry and creamy on the palate with hints of lime and strawberry. The next vintage is an 85/15% blend. "Named after one of the finest open clusters in the Milky Way galaxy, which was discovered by Nicolas Louis Lacaille, in South Africa, in 1751. Kappa Crucis took its nickname, “Jewel Box”, from noted English astronomer Sir John Herschel, who plotted the southern skies on a four-year visit to Cape Town in the 1830s. He referred to it as “a casket of variously coloured precious stones”

To sit and taste their fine wine with Karen and John at their long table, made from beautiful old roof beams, is special

Inside the warehouse, an order being processed

The Silverthorn Acacia trees, which gave it the farm its name

Inside the spotlessly clean cellar

Specially wrapped cooling tanks and the grape press

The latest in a line of the family's friendly Rottweilers. Dogs have always formed an integral part of their family and none more so than Roc, their amazing Rottweiler. He was big, boisterous, a total clown, unquestionably loyal and above all the best ‘family friend’ they had ever had. Sadly he died at the age of seven from bone cancer. In honour of Roc, John decided to dedicate a very special Cap Classique to him. It was made for the Cape Winemakers Guild Auction and the Big Dog II Cap Classique 2011 was sold for a record price of R7 000 per case in 2017