Boschendal Grande Cuvée Brut 2016

Our cool climate sites are hand selected based on the topographical information for each specific vineyard block. Our Grand Cuvee is selected from our two most prestigious Elgin sites, our one block lies at an altitude of 225m and our other site is at a startling 390m above sea level. The high altitude from our Elgin sites combined with the less severe fluctuations between night and day temperatures ensure a cool and slow ripening of the beautiful bunches - ensuring concentration of flavour and acid. Shale soils also assist in the development and encapsulation of the minerality we so deeply appreciate from our Elgin terroir. The grapes were harvested early at lower sugar levels to achieve the bracing freshness required for the making of base wine for a classic Méthode Cap Classique. Grapes were handpicked in the cool dawn and placed in small lug boxes to ensure the fruit was not damaged during transportation to the cellar. Grapes were then whole-bunch pressed. Only premium cuvée juice was used, which means that only the first 500 litres per ton were extracted for this beautiful wine. The juice was cold settled for 48 hours. The clear juice was racked from the lees and fermented at 16°C. With fermentation complete, the tank was filled and left on the primary lees up until blending. The premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay base wines were then selected to become part of this harmonious blend. The final base wine was then stabilised and filtered. The sugar level of the wine was adjusted by the addition of the liqueur de tirage - part of the wine blend that contains the yeast - activating the second fermentation in the bottle and the magic behind the MCC bubble. This resulted in the very fine mousse that our Méthode Cap Classique is so well known for. The wine then matured on the lees for 48 months before being riddled and spent a total of 56 months on lees before being disgorged.