21 November 2019
In
Winemaking
The Genie was hand harvested in mid-February 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 550 litres per ton – this ensures that no bitter tannins are extracted and leaves the juice with a beautiful light purple colour. The colour gradually evolves into a salmon pink. Fermentation took place in a stainless steel tank at 15 degrees Celsius. Secondary fermentation occurred in the bottle and the wine spent a minimum time of 15 months on the lees after which it was manually riddled and degorged.
Total production – 13 900 bottles.
Food pairing
Salmon gravadlax on crisp rye toast – Parma ham and red figs – Strawberries macerated with black pepper.
7 November 2019
In
Winemaking
In order to complete our trio, the aim with Jewel Box was to create a wine with emphasis on richness, opulence and complexity. The inspiration for this style would be two of my all-time favourite Champagnes namely, Krug and Bollinger. The grapes were hand harvested in mid-January 2013 and gently whole bunch pressed to recover a maximum of only 550 litres per ton. Fermentation of the Chardonnay was split between stainless steel and old French oak barrels while the Pinot Noir was only fermented in stainless steel. This creates the basis of complex building blocks which are critical when it comes to the final blending. A further technique of using a reserve portion of Chardonnay which has spent 12 months in old French barrels also adds a very interesting blending component. The final blend consists of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir. The wine spends a minimum of 42 months on the lees in order to develop the optimum complexity. Only 3,300 bottles were produced.
Food pairing
Grilled game fish with rich mayo aioli – roasted quail with Champagne risotto and wild mushrooms.
7 November 2019
In
Winemaking
The Green Man was hand harvested in mid-January 2015 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 600 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 a minimum time of 24 months on the lees after which it was manually riddled and degorged.
Total production – 11400 bottles.
Food pairing
Freshly shucked Namibian oysters – salmon tartar with a zesty lime salsa – Beluga caviar and blini.
