Pieter’s love affair with MCC style sparkling wines started early on in his winemaking career. The bubbly bug bit hard and wouldn’t let go as his innate admiration for the universal charm of this challenging style of wine took hold. He credits his microbiology and plant science background with helping him to understand and appreciate the finer nuances of crafting Cap Classique. Numerous vintages in Champagne France and other top wine producing regions across the globe have provided plenty of opportunities for Pieter to hone his natural affinity for this specialized and exacting craft.

 VINEYARDS & SOILS 

The Chardonnay grapes exclusively used for this Blanc de Blancs were selected from a range of vineyards in the famous Robertson wine region, some 160km east of Cape Town, to ensure distinctive terroir expression in the Cap Classique. The Robertson appellation has a unique terroir as a result of the calcareous limestone soils as well as a dramatic variation of diurnal temperature. This environment ensures Chardonnay grapes of vivid regional expression and the balanced chemistry required for the crafting of excellent Cap Classique sparkling wines. 

WINEMAKER’S COMMENTS 

Grapes are hand-picked in the coolness of early morning, whereafter each bunch undergoes a thorough selection process ensuring only the finest and healthiest fruit is approved to partake in the magical journey of Cap Classique crafting. Whole-bunch press separates the cuvée from the taille, with only the pure, unblemished cuvée portion used to further the process. After settling, most of the beautiful clear juice is fermented in stainless steel tanks, with a small portion set aside to undergo fermentation in traditional French oak barrels from Tonnellerie Artisanale de Champagne (Pièce Champenoise). This oaked component offers complexity and depth, as well as the focus point required to establish the wine’s exceptional status. The various individual parcels are then selected by means of a through tasting process to make individual sections for the Blanc de Blancs. After the initial fermentation, the wine is prepared for secondary fermentation in the bottle. Here the wine is allowed to live on the lees for six years, drawing structure, palate-weight and, of course, creating the millions of magical bubbles. The sediment is removed through the traditional process of remuage and dégorgement, after which the bottles are corked and laid down for six months cork maturation.