in the vineyard : Meticulous care has gone into the production of JC le Roux Pinot noir 1996 - care which began in the vineyard. The Pinot Noir grapes were harvested from low-trellised vineyards, situated in the Stellenbosch district. The vineyards were planted from 1986 - 2000, at a density of 3 333 or 3 367 vine per ha. The vines are found at altitudes of between 35 and 320 m above sea-level and face southwest and north and south east. The soils vary from sandy, weathered granite on light clay subsoil and yellow/brown clay loam soil on a clay subsoil. These soils possess excellent water-retention properties.
The winter before the vintage season was cold with average rainfall. 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. The average day temperature during the ripening season was 27,6°C, slightly higher than the 27,4°C long-term average. The average night temperature was 14,6°C. The mean day/night temperature was 22,4°C, and the long-term average 21,2°C. 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 picked by hand from mid January to mid February, at 18,5 – 20° 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 grapes were crushed and destemmed, the juice was settled overnight and racked the next morning. The yeast strain Prisse de Mousse was used. The wine was fermented cold for 14 days at a temperature of 14-16°C. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation. 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 6 years. The sediment which developed during this time was removed by the 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 3 months bottle-maturation before release.