Label for Silverthorn Wines River Dragon MCC
Dragons exist in the realm of magic, but their origins are grounded by our collective fascination and curiosity in nature. Perhaps inspired by dinosaurs, there is a rich and ancient history of dragons throughout the world. Draco Africanus, the majestic African Dragon, is alleged to have spent its time whimsically flying and “skywriting” with smoke. Benevolent, wise and powerful, the ‘River Dragon’ of Silverthorn appears eternally silhouetted against the River Without End Mountains.
River Dragon was hand harvested towards the end of February 2019 in the early hours of the morning at 19 degrees balling. The grapes were whole bunch pressed with a very low recovery rate of only 600 litres per ton – this ensures that no bitter tannins are extracted. Wild fermentation took place in old Acacia 500 litre barrels to enhance complexity. Secondary fermentation occurred in the bottle and the wine spent 12 months on the lees after which it was manually riddled and disgorged. Total production – 2766 bottles.
