The South African Trophy Wine Show 2002 - Bronze
JC le Roux Pinot noir 1990 has a bright golden colour. It has a steady mousse of fine beads. The wine has warm toasty and nutty aromas and typical flavours of biscuit and honey. On the palate, the wine is elegant with delicate red grape characteristics. A rich, full bodied and complex wine, lively with hints of fruit in the background with a long, lingering finish. The Méthode Cap Classique is impressive and elegant, a long-runner, and a New World sparkler in a class of its own.
in the vineyard : Meticulous care has gone into the production of JC le Roux Pinot noir 1990 - care which began in the vineyard. The vineyards were planted from 1977 to 1981, at a density of 3 333 or 3 367 vine per ha. The vines are found at altitudes of between 35 and 320 mm above sea-level and face southwest and north. The soils vary from sandy, weathered granite on light clay subsiol and yellow/brown clay loam soil on a clay subsoil. These soils possess excellent water-retention properties. The vines were propagated from the clone PN5 and grafted onto rootstock Richter 99.
The winter before the vintage season was mild and fairly dry, with below average rainfall of 304 mm. The long-term average for this period is 509 mm. During the growing season, from September to December, wet and cool conditions prevailed, while the ripening season, from December to March, was warm and dry, but saw a January which was hotter than usual. The average day temperature during the ripening season was 28,6°C, slightly higher than the 27,4°C long-term average. The average night temperature was 15,6°C, slightly higher than the long-term average of 15°C. The mean day/night temperature was 22,4°C, and the long-term average 21,2°C. The average rainfall for the period August to February was 304 mm, while the long-term average for the same period is 269 mm.
The Pinot noir vineyards were cultivated under dryland conditions, except for some supplementary irrigation on sandy soils.
about the harvest: The Pinot Noir grapes were harvested from two low-trellised vineyards of 1,98 and 7,10 ha respectively, situated in the Helderberg and Firgrove districts.
The Pinot noir grapes were picked by hand from 21 January to 8 February, at 18,5–19,5° Balling. The yield of 7 - 9 tons per ha was carefully placed in small baskets to prevent bruising. Great care was taken to pick the grapes in the cool morning, so as to ensure their crispness and freshness.
in the cellar : In the cellar, the juice was given no skin contact, and the yeast strain Prisse de Mousse was used. The wine was fermented cold for 14 days at a temperature of 14-16°C. It remained on the fine lees for 6 months and underwent malolactic fermentation. The wine consists out of 100% Pinot noir.
After bottling, the wine underwent bottle-fermentation in the cool, controlled climate of the cellar - a process which ensure the typical yeasty flavour and minute bubbles which seem to rise inexhaustibly.
The Pinot noir was left to mature in the bottle for about eight years. The sediment which developed during this time was removed by the time-honoured method of "remuage". This entails placing bottles neck-downwards and constantly turning them until they are standing completely upside down. The sediment in the necks can then be frozen and ejected (a process called "degorgement"). After "degorgement", the bottles were corked and laid down for a further 6 months bottle-maturation before release.