Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge: Top of the pops
BEST OVERALL AND BEST BLANC de BLANCS:
Simonsig Cuveé Royale 2005
When the late Frans Malan returned from a trip to the Champagne region in France with his wife Liza in 1969, the seeds were firmly planted that would grow into what is arguably the most vibrant sector of the local wine industry, the Champagne-style Méthode Cap Classique.
“They went back the following year (Dad loved to travel!), and upon his return, he resolved to make something quite different. His first consideration was the limited number of grape varieties in South Africa at the time – there was little or no Pinot Noir or Chardonnay – so he decided to use Chenin Blanc grapes and made a Loire-style Blanc de Blancs,” reminisces Johan Malan, cellarmaster at Simonsig, and so the iconic Kaapse Vonkel was born.
The first vintage, made in 1971, was released in 1972 at R36 per 12-bottle case, which was considered expensive at the time. “We were selling our Steen at R3 per bottle at the time,” says Johan, but the bar had been set.
After completing his studies at Stellenbosch, Johan started working on the farm in 1982, and decided to take the bynow- iconic Kaapse Vonkel to the next level – by using the same grapes from which the real thing was made – so he planted Chardonnay vines on Simonsig.
By 1984, the press cellar had been upgraded and whole bunch pressing, one of the most crucial steps in the Méthode Cap Classique process accor ding to Johan, was introduced, and in the same year the use of Chenin Blanc grapes in Kaapse Vonkel was phased out.
During a 1990 trip to Champagne, Johan tasted a number of base wines at Moët & Chandon, an experience that led him to a significant conclusion – base wine does not have to be featureless. “You normally taste the finished product when you visit Champagne, but I discovered that their base wines were actually beautifully expressive of natural fruit flavours,” he says. “I decided to relook base-wine production, and started to pick a bit riper – 19.5 to 20.5 Balling – to get more fruit expression. We have far more sunshine than they do in France, and we need to.get more sunshine into our wine, which means more fruit expression.” Johan notes that picking riper has.a trade-off. “You have to keep an eye.on your alcohol level which, if too high, will make.secondary bottle fermentation (prise de mousse) difficult.”
But, as successful as Kaapse Vonkel was, Johan yearned to make something really special, and the idea of Simonsig Cuvée Royale Blanc de Blancs was born. The 2005 vintage is this year’s Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge overall winner and best Blanc de Blancs.
The first vintage, made 20 years ago in.1991 strictly according to the Méthode Cap Classique techniques, was released only in 1999. “A classic Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs takes a long time to mature and to show the evolution that you need. On its own, Chardonnay can be.quite linear, almost steely, so you.need to start with something that is.of really high quality. The top houses in France use Chardonnay from Grand Cru villages only,” explains Johan.
This linearity led Johan to introduce barrel fermentation, and the 2005 vintage had 38% fermented in old French oak barrels, to provide depth and width to the base wine which, with high acidity and low Ph, can be quite understated. “But we don’t want any oak flavours,” cautions Johan, hence the use of barrels up to nine years old. The balance of the base wine is fermented in stainlesssteel tanks, and Johan points out that fermentation can be tricky. “You want a yeast that will run through alcoholic fermentation as smoothly as possible without adding any flavours and esters to the base wine, so it tends to be a quick and warm ferment (20 to 21ºC), over in 12 days or so,” says Johan. The base wine in barrels also undergoes malolactic fermentation, to soften the acidity and to introduce a hint of butteriness, but getting that secondary fermentation going can be tricky with the high acidity and low Ph, both of which are necessary to make a good base wine. The best barrels were then selected during May and June (tasting about 100 barrel samples can be quite challenging!) for blending with the base wine in tank, during July. The blended base wine is bottled, a sugar solution, specialised yeast and yeast nutrient is added to kickstart bottle fermentation, which provides the jaw-dropping pressure of.six.atmospheres.
The wine then slumbers under a crown cap, on its side for a minimum of five years (66 months for the 2005 vintage), which gives the extend lees contact necessary for developing the familiar yeasty, buttery toasted brioche and warm bread characteristics so sought after in a classic Blanc de Blancs.
Interestingly, the final steps, riddling (which moves the yeast cells into the neck of the inverted bottle) and disgorgement (removal of the yeast cells and topping up) and corking, take place in batches each year. “Yeast is very reductive, which slows down the wine’s development. Remove the yeast and put in the cork, and you remove the reductive engine. On cork, the wine develops at a much quicker rate,” explains Johan, which explains why a bottle of 2005 Cuvée Royale Blanc de Blancs bought today, and drunk in a year’s time, will taste quite different from a bottle bought and drunk in a year’s time. “We disgorged and corked a thousand bottles [of the 2005] last week.
“The bubbles are extremely small – tiny – and they form a beautiful necklace around the edge of the glass,” says Johan describing the 2005 vintage Cuvée Royale Blanc de Blancs. “The nose shows a beautiful array of Chardonnay aromas. Lemon cream, lemon meringue, citrus flavours and some of that brioche and warm, fresh bread and toasted almonds on the palate, from the length of time on lees, in the bottle. The mousse is persistent, but the big surprise is the absolute youthfulness and freshness, characteristic of Blanc de Blancs, underpinned by the acid structure that runs like a golden thread through the palate.”
Other winners:
BEST ROSÉ
Graham Beck Brut Rosé NV
Pieter (Bubbles) Ferreira recalls the very first edition of Wine magazine. Why? “Because it had a feature on MCC, and I was on the cover,” he says, so it is entirely fitting that, 18 years later, he features yet again, in an MCC feature, with his 375ml Graham Beck Brut Rosé NV taking the honours for Best Rosé in this year’s Wine magazine Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge (see page 96).
“My approach to MCC is pretty much like Champagne philosophy, where you have a non-vintage portfolio that keeps its identity and maintains a house style,” says Pieter, adding that being nonvintage allows one to bring in a component from earlier vintages, which is sometimes desirable.
Hand-selected in the vineyard, the grapes are usually in cellar and being processed within 20 minutes of picking. “That way we avoid drawing out phenolics, which can result in bitterness because effervescence can magnify a characteristic up to four times,” says Pieter, adding that like all Graham Beck MCCs, the Brut Rosé NV is made strictly according to the classic method. The base wines are vinified separately and by March or April the blend is assembled, after which the wine undergoes bottle fermentation and spends a minimum of 12 months on the lees under crown cap. Disgoring, dosage and corking follow, and after a three to four-week rest, the bottles are labelled and released. “And then we can have a party,” says Pieter.
“The wine is pale silver-pink in colour. The nose offers aromas of raspberries and cherries, with secondary whiffs of minerality. The mousse is lively but fine in the mouth, with subtle red berry flavours lifted by bright acidity. The palate shows hints of oyster shell and fresh lavender. Flirtatious and fun, yet elegant and structured, it’s perfect for all seasons and settings,” concludes Pieter.
BEST NON-VINTAGE
Pongrácz Brut NV
Elunda Basson, cellarmaster at JC Le Roux, reckons that consistency is the secret of producing a non-vintage MCC. She should know, because, for the second year running, she’s scooped the prize for the best non-vintage MCC in the Wine magazine Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge, with her Pongrácz Brut Méthode Cap Classique NV.
“It’s about consistency of style, and that comes from consistency of grapes sourced from areas that will give consistency of balance between Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Then there’s consistency of blending practices, and in-bottle maturation, with time on lees also being critical to the style,” she says, adding that Pongrácz is made strictly according to the Méthode Cap Classique.
Pongrácz Brut NV is made at the Bergkelder Cellar, where grapes carefully selected by viticulturist Bennie Liebenberg are whole-bunch pressed. The grapes come from growers who have long-standing relationships with JC Le Roux, and whose viticultural practices meet the strict standards set by Elunda and Benny. “That way, I know that my grape growers will grow exactly what I want them to grow,” says Elunda.
Alcoholic fermentation in tank is followed by malolactic fermentation, which Elunda also considers critical to the style. “It adds volume, depth, character and a lovely butteriness to the final blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay,” she says, “which means we don’t have to use wood.”
After bottling and dosage, the wine lies on the lees under crown cap for 24 months. “That gives us the lees contact we need which is so critical to our house style.” After disgorgement and corking, the bottles rest for a further three months, before labelling and release to market.
Sadly, like so many other MCC producers, most of the previously labourintensive processes like riddling are now automated, but, says Elunda, the bottles are still soft-handled by real people, from one part of the process to the other.
“At the end of the day, it’s worth it to produce a quality product, which provides great value, recognised by consumers. That justifi es all the time, love and attention we lavish on it.”
And what does Elunda say of the wine? “This is a timeless Cap Classique with great elegance and complexity. Delicate yeasty tones, layered with toast and ripe fruit, are enlivened by a firm mousse and persistent bead that make it particularly attractive. It imparts a wonderful foamy mouthful of black fruit flavours with a long, lingering aftertaste. It is perfect for any occasion and is superb with chicken, seafood and oysters.”
BEST VINTAGE
Boschendal Grande Cuvée Brut 2007
Although it constitutes only a tiny 2% of Boschendal’s total annual production, the Grande Cuvée Brut has great significance for winemaker Lizelle Gerber, whose 2007 vintage took the prize for the Best Vintage MCC at this year’s Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge.
Harvested from vineyards on the slopes of the mountain overlooking the estate, the base wine of 54% Chardonnay 46% Pinot Noir blend draws concentration and balance from the 15-year-old vines. “Younger vineyards show well initially, then decline over time, whereas older vineyards produce fruit that retains its balance and concentration for longer,” she maintains. “The vines are in shadow quite early in the afternoon, and they get less direct sunlight than the vines on the valley floor. This makes for longer ripening and hanging times, which contributes to concentration.”
Made strictly according to the classic method, the grapes are whole-bunch pressed, and only the cuvée of free-run juice, 500 litres per tonne, is used. After 48 hours cold stabilisation, the juice is racked off the sediment and inoculated with special Champagne yeast and fermented at 16ºC. “We use yeast that is relatively neutral, that will give us a smooth fermentation,” she explains. “After fermentation, the wine is left in tank on primary lees until blending in June or July, which extracts additional flavour dimensions, after which it is bottled under crown cap in August. No sulphur is added at this point. The 2007 vintage was actually bottled at the beginning of October.”
The wine undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle and lies on the lees for three years, after which it is disgorged and corked. It slumbers for a further three months to overcome the shock of bottling, after which it is labelled and released to market.
“Boschendal does not farm organically, but it is very environment friendly,” explains Lizelle. “For instance, a cover crop is planted, which adds nitrogen naturally into the soil. The focus is on building up the organic matter between the vineyard rows. We also only irrigate when we have to.
“I love bubbles, because they make me bubbly,” says Lizelle. “If I had my way, it’s all I’d drink.”
And the wine? “What I like about it is the lovely yellow and green apples, almond biscotti and the slight hint of citrus. The mousse is fine, and it has a mineral finish, which cleans up nicely, what I call coated acidity. At 7.8g/l it is nonetheless in harmony with the rest of the wine. A seamless finish, which is the aim with all our products here at Boschendal,” she concludes.
