Product Description
Varieties
Pinot Noir – 70%
Chardonnay – 30%
The Vineyard
Soil type Decomposed Granite
Trellising 4 wire Perold
Age of vines 19-25 years
Pruning Spur – 2 bud
Yield 6 – 9 ton/ha
Rootstock Richter 99
The Harvest
Harvested in January
The Cellar
Steenberg Lady R, is made in the traditional French method of second fermentation in the bottle and is designated Méthode Cap Classique. The grapes were hand-picked at low sugar levels of 18.5 – 19°B and whole-bunch pressed to extract the juice as gently as possible.
The juice of both the Pinot Noir and the Chardonnay components were low in phenols and high in natural acidity. The juice fermented with a strong yeast strain to form the base wine of the MCC. The Pinot Noir base wine has a delicate light pink colour with a fine strawberry flavour and makes up 70% of the blend. The remaining 30% is made up of barrel-fermented Chardonnay – fermentation took place in old 600L French oak barrels.
Once the base wine is stabilised, it is fermented a second time in the bottle with a crown cap. This second fermentation creates the bubbles (or mousse) of the MCC. Post fermentation, the 2016 Lady R spent 52 months on the yeast lees before disgorgement in December.
Production 500 x 6 cases
ALCOHOL: 11.61%
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 4.2g / litre
TOTAL ACID: 6.4g / litre
PH: 3.23
Awards
2015 vintage: IWSC: Gold Medal | Tim Atkin South Africa Report: 93 points. | Decanter World Wine Awards: 92 points
2012 vintage: 5 stars – Platter’s Wine Guide 2018 | Tim Atkin South Africa Report: 93 points
