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Graham Beck Artisan Collection Extended Lees Ageing 2009

The Extended Lees Ageing shows outstanding development and is bright and deep gold in colour. Abundant aromas of ripe citrus, lemon curd, peach, golden delicious apple and toasted almond nuttiness unfold in the glass, while the generous palate delivers an initial soft creamy entry of liquorice, sweet spice and lovely yellow stone fruit, followed by indulgent layers of butterscotch and fresh brioche. The complex texture, vibrant acidity, superb tertiary aromas, and well-integrated notes of oak are harmoniously balanced and rounded off with a delicate mousse.

variety : Chardonnay [ Chardonnay 80%, Pinot Noir 20% ]
winery : Graham Beck
winemaker : Pieter Ferreira
wine of origin : Western Cape
analysis : alc : 12.15 % vol  rs : 3 g/l  pH : 3.37  ta : 5.9 g/l  
type : Cap_Classique  style : Dry  body : Full  
pack : 0  size : 750ml  closure : 0  

The Extended Lees Ageing Cap Classique forms part of the creative and niche tier within the Graham Beck Range – the Artisan Collection. This innovative and exciting range is the creative playground of Graham Beck`s Cap Classique craftsmen, presenting them with a blank canvas to reveal their artistic ingenuity to elevate and innovate and to produce something magnificently memorable from a specific vintage.

The Extended Lees Ageing underwent a very lengthy maturation in the coolest parts of the cellar prior to disgorgement and is a richly nuanced and niched Cap Classique that delights with all the heady freshness of a recently disgorged wine and the exceptional complexity of an older vintage.

This extraordinary Cap Classique expresses remarkable boldness, complexity, and greatness and offers an utterly unique and all-encompassing experience. With its beautiful aromatic potential and astonishing brilliance, it has undoubtedly achieved all the fundamental prerequisites of extended lees ageing - perfected by time.
about the harvest: Both varietals are hand-picked. Chardonnay is harvested at 19.5˚B to enhance the fruit-forward flavours and refined elegance of the variety. Pinot Noir is harvested 20˚B in order to maximise the complexity and length of flavour.
in the cellar : In the cellar, both the hand-harvested Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes are whole bunch pressed separately. Only the highest quality juice (tête de cuvée) was settled overnight and then fermented in stainless steel at 16˚C, with a small portion of Chardonnay fermented in specific Piece Champenoise (205 L) oak barrels. After fermentation, the best portions were selected to show the minerality, elegance and finesse. It was then bottled for the secondary bottle fermentation and left on the lees in the coolest part of the cellar for 134 months prior to disgorgement.

Only 720 bottles produced and numbered by hand
Date of Bottling: July 2009
Date of Disgorgement: September 2020
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Graham Beck Artisan Collection Extended Lees Ageing 2009
Chardonnay