Boschendal Methode Cap Classique Brut Rosé Michael Olivier

Boschendal Méthode Cap Classique Brut Rosé nv

Boschendal was one of the early pioneers in the field of Methode Cap Classique, back in the 1980s, when a young French Champagne maker Jean Louis Denois, did a stage in the Cellar. It was at the same time that the now iconic Boschendal Blanc de Noir was released into the market. The grapes used in the Boschendal Méthode Cap Classique Brut Rosé nv are Pinot Noir 93%, Pinotage 6%, and Chardonnay 1%. The Pinotage, a child of a crossing of Pinot Noir and Hermitage was carefully selected to complement the elegant structure of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with luscious fruit. The grapes were selected from Boschendal’s finest vineyards and harvested in the crisp, quiet hours before dawn at the perfect sugar levels to achieve the mouth-watering freshness required for the making of base wine for a classical Méthode Cap Classique.

Boschendal Cellarmaster Jacques Viljoen

Once in the cellar, the grapes were hand sorted, destemmed and crushed and allowed a short time on the skins for the red grapes to give up a bit of colour. The red grape juices were then blended with the Chardonnay juice and co-fermentation took place to make the base wine. Once fermented dry, the wine is then prepared for bottling to undergo the second fermentation under crown cork, the magical process where the Cap Classique’s seemingly never-ending stream of fine bubbles are allowed to develop. After fermentation, the wine lies on its lees for 12 months before being degorged and closed with natural cork and the little wire muzzle.

Comfortable wine tastings in the Boschendal Manor House

Pour
From a tradition Champagne shaped bottle. The livery is classical and totally appropriate for a wine of this stature. In the glass, the wine is a delicate coral pink with a mass of tiny bubbles rushing to the surface where they form a little crown round the edges. The whiffs coming off are pure red berries, tart cherries, fraises des bois and raspberries. From entry the bubbles enliven the palate and prepare it for the fruit, the tingling bubbles and the generous mid palate flavours. Good long aftertaste. So, a perfect food wine.

Jane-Anne Hobbs’s Prawn & Asparagus Salad with Verjuice Dressing & Mayo

Pair
I really hope that the Boschendal Méthode Cap Classique Brut Rosé nv would be a wine which you would drink at any time, and not wait for a special occasion. It works well with goat cheese or smoked trout or chicken salads. It is just so good with Jane-Anne Hobbs’s Prawn & Asparagus Salad with Verjuice Dressing & Mayo. Click HERE for the recipe.

Jane-Anne Hobbs, food person par excellence