THE GREEN MAN
In honour of our interconnectedness with nature.
Half human, half nature, 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. He manifests in many forms, most commonly as a semi-human, foliate head, representing the fusion of man and nature. In his modern guise, The Green Man has appeared under a new name – Ecology. It is this spirit, as well as the delicate green hue of Silverthorn’s Chardonnay Cap Classique, that inspired winemaker John Loubser to break with the traditional name ‘Blanc de Blancs’ and personify the wine with the name The Green Man.
The Green Man (2021)
The Green Man was hand harvested in end-January 2021 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 500 litres per ton – this ensures that no bitter tannins are extracted. Fermentation took place in a stainless steel tank at 15 degrees Celsius and 40% was barrel fermented and aged to enhance complexity. Secondary fermentation occurred in the bottle and the wine spent a minimum time of 21 months on the lees after which it was manually riddled and degorged. Total production – 11037 bottles (750ml).
Cultivar: Chardonnay (100%)
Colour/appearance: Vibrant green/yellow hue – fine twirling bead of bubbles.
Nose: Aromas of baked apple backed up by subtle hints of minerality and whiffs of roasted almonds.
Palate: Well balanced with an elegant structure, fine mousse which imparts a gentle explosion of bubbles on the palate and a long finish.
Alc – 11.58% | RS – 6.8g/l | pH – 3.19 | TA – 6.1g/l
Freshly shucked Namibian oysters
Salmon tartar with a zesty lime salsa
Beluga caviar and blini.
The Green Man Magnum (2018)
The Green Man was hand harvested in mid-January 2018 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 500 litres per ton – this ensures that no bitter tannins are extracted. Fermentation took place in a stainless steel tank at 15 degrees Celsius and a small portion was barrel fermented to enhance complexity. Secondary fermentation occurred in the bottle and the wine spent 61 months on the lees after which it was manually riddled and degorged. Total production – 520 magnums.
Cultivar: Chardonnay (100%)
Colour/appearance: Vibrant green/yellow hue – fine twirling bead of bubbles.
Nose: Aromas of baked apple backed up by subtle hints of minerality and whiffs of roasted almonds.
Palate: Well balanced with an elegant structure, fine mousse which imparts a gentle explosion of bubbles on the palate and a long finish.
Alc – 12.0% | RS – 5.9g/l | pH – 3.19 | TA – 6.0g/l
Scrambled eggs with salmon and truffle
A charcuterie board with prosciutto and speck
Rich mushroom risotto
The Green Man Magnum (2018)
The Green Man was hand harvested in mid-January 2018 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 500 litres per ton – this ensures that no bitter tannins are extracted. Fermentation took place in a stainless steel tank at 15 degrees Celsius and a small portion was barrel fermented to enhance complexity. Secondary fermentation occurred in the bottle and the wine spent 61 months on the lees after which it was manually riddled and degorged. Total production – 520 magnums.
Cultivar: Chardonnay (100%)
Colour/appearance: Vibrant green/yellow hue – fine twirling bead of bubbles.
Nose: Aromas of baked apple backed up by subtle hints of minerality and whiffs of roasted almonds.
Palate: Well balanced with an elegant structure, fine mousse which imparts a gentle explosion of bubbles on the palate and a long finish.
Alc – 12.0% | RS – 5.9g/l | pH – 3.19 | TA – 6.0g/l
Scrambled eggs with salmon and truffle
A charcuterie board with prosciutto and speck
Rich mushroom risotto