Silverthorn Jewel Box

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.