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.

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.

WINEMAKING

The Green Man was hand harvested in mid-January 2017 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.

FOOD PAIRING

Scrambled eggs with salmon and truffle

A charcuterie board with prosciutto and speck

Rich mushroom risotto

ANALYSIS: Alc – 12.0%   |   RS – 5.9g/l   |   pH – 3.19   |   TA – 6.0g/l