Carrol Boyes and her brother John Boyes, in conjunction with wine maker Hendrik Snyman, have created this Carrol Boyes Collection Limited Edition Sparkling Wine. Produced in South Africa by Barnardt Boyes in a limited edition of 1000 bottles, the finest wine making has now truly become an art. This Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2011 Méthode Cap Classique sparkling wine features beautiful, rich flavours of lime, pear, apple and vanilla, with a deep, delicate taste of exotic fruit and a lingering palate. The fine bubbles, due to a long secondary fermentation, ensure the optimum balance of a world-class Méthode Cap Classique.
Only premium bunches of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes are selected and hand-picked early in the morning to preserve their freshness, then carefully pressed in whole bunches to extract the optimum essence from the grapes. Once the grape juice has been fermented in French oak barrels and expertly blended it is bottled with yeast and sugar. The secondary fermentation process then begins, which is considered 'the birth of the bubble'. During this period, the yeast slowly uses the sugar and creates extra alcohol as well as releasing carbon dioxide, which then dissolves into the wine, forming elegant tiny bubbles. Once the secondary fermentation is complete, the bottles undergo 'remuage', a process of collecting the sediment created during the fermentation process, at the tip of the bottle, after which the tips of the bottles are frozen at -28°C, and opened, which allows the pressure generated in the bottles by the fermentation process to expel the frozen sediment, leaving the wine crystal clear. This process is known as disgorgement.
The final step in creating this celebratory drink is when the bottle is filled to its previous level with 'liqueur d'expedition', a mixture of sugar and wine. This balance is essential in keeping the wine fresh during its lengthy bottle ageing, as well as during its stay in the top collectors' cellars of the world. The Carrol Boyes Methode Cap Classique has remained on the lees for a minimum of 40 months, to create this elegant and sophisticated sparkling wine.
