Blanc de Blancs Vintage Magnum in Gift Box

Seared Tuna with Wasabi Sauce.

In their pursuit of the perfect bubble, Graham Beck consistently raises the bar in terms of quality and distinction and has firmly established themselves as one of the world’s leading sparkling wine brands, devoted to quality and consistency. Since the launch of their maiden Méthode Cap Classique in 1991 these sought after, much lauded sparkling wines have not only been the celebratory toasts of international icons such as Mandela and Obama, but also garnered some of the industry’s most prestigious global accolades. Situated in the breathtaking Robertson Wine Valley (located a mere 140km from Cape Town in South Africa’s spectacular Western Cape Winelands), Graham Beck focuses on minimal intervention, allowing the authentic essence of the fruit and terroir to shine through. The unique climate of the region, combined with the rich limestone soils, produce wines which have become popular across the globe for their authenticity, versatility and elegance. At their state-of-the-art Cap Classique cellar the team crafts a range of internationally acclaimed Méthode Champenoise style wines, widely regarded as benchmarks in the industry.

The grapes for this exceptional Cap Classique were specially selected from our oldest and very best quality vineyard blocks on our estate in Robertson. The soils in which these vineyards grow have a rich natural limestone content with high concentrations of calcareous deposits. These fruit parcels represent a selection of 5 different Chardonnay clones, each contributing a unique aroma and flavour compound, resulting in the extraordinary complexity and minerality of the base wines.

The grapes were hand-harvested during the early morning hours from 12-15 January 2019, then transferred to fruit bins and transported immediately to our cellar. Here the whole bunches were tipped into the presses where they underwent a gentle, whole-bunch pressing cycle to ensure the juice was extracted as slowly and softly as possible. Whole bunch pressing ensures fractional recovery. The juice was separated into two quality fractions, of which only the premium quality juice (cuvée fraction) was used for our Blanc de Blancs. 50% of the base wine was fermented in old 205L Pièce Champenoise and 500L French oak barrels, as well as 2000L Foudres. The use of old or “neutral” oak contributes very little in terms of aromas but imparts complexity and richness on the palate. After 5 months of ageing in the barrels on the primary lees, the wine was racked out and blended with the selected stainless steel-fermented portions. It was then stabilised and clarified after which it was bottled for the secondary fermentation and maturation in bottle. The wine rested on the lees in the bottle for 65 months before disgorgement.