JC Le Roux Scintilla 2008

The grapes are sourced from two prime vineyard blocks of the noble varieties, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, specially chosen for this signature Méthode Cap Classique based on their consistent quality over the years. Only the best grapes are hand-picked from the low-trellised Chardonnay block situated in Robertson and Pinot Noir block in Stellenbosch. 

The grapes were harvested at 18-20º Balling in January 2001. The yield of between 8-12 tons per hectare was carefully placed in small baskets to prevent bruising.

The House of J.C. Le Roux, the first cellar dedicated entirely to the craft of making sparkling wine in South Africa, is located in the heart of picturesque Devon Valley on the outskirts of Stellenbosch, the cellar is the country's leading sparkling wine producer and is recognised for its craftsmanship and expertise to make the finest Méthode Cap Classiques. These premier vintage Cap Classiques are created in the state-of-the-art cellar in the time-honoured French method of secondary bottle fermentation, known as Méthode Champenoise.

In the cellar, the juice settled overnight at 10ºC and the clear juice was racked the following morning and inoculated with Prisse de Mousse yeast, a French yeast strain, which results in the typical yeasty character of a fi ne Méthode Champenoise-style sparkling wine. The wine was fermented at 16-17ºC and the base wine underwent malolactic fermentation. Thereafter the wine was blended in a proportion of 75% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir, stabilised and bottled. Secondary fermentation took place in the cool controlled climate of the maturation cellar. The wine was matured for a further minimum of 84 months on the lees and the sediment removed by the traditional method of remuage and disgorgement.