Boschendal Jean Le Long Prestige Cuvee MCC Sparkling Chardonnay 2012

The journey to make a truly memorable CapClassique is long and demanding, requiring exacting patience and commitment from the winemaker. It starts with whole-bunch pressing of the grapes in separate lots, with only the first 500 litres per ton of the best juice extracted. After the first fermentation, the tank was filled and left on the primary lees up until blending. Only the best quality Chardonnay components were selected for the final blend of the base wine that was then stabilised and filtered. The addition of the ‘liqueur de tirage’ (yeast) signals the start of the second fermentation in the bottle where the millions of tiny MCC bubbles form that give this style its mesmerizing allure. The final phase consists of a minimum of 96-months on lees before being riddled, and another 24-months before disgorging, totalling to 120-months on the lees. Followed by a further minimum period of 12 months on cork, for crystal clear definition of flavours and exceptional complexity.