Blanc de Blancs

Grilled prawn salad, sushi, chocolate-dipped strawberries.

The 2018 vintage was extremely difficult due to a lengthy drought, maybe the worst in 100 years. The dry weather throughout the season had its benefits, as vines were healthier, with little disease pressure. Because of the water stress, the berries were much smaller than usual, resulting in a smaller harvest. Smaller berries have good colour and excellent flavour intensity, and the 2018 vintage is projected to be of high quality due to the milder temperatures during harvest and concentrated fruit.

The bottles are aged on the lees for four years. Disgorgement occurs and is matured on its cork for approximately 8 months before being released.

The Chardonnay grapes are picked early in the morning and whole-bunch pressed. The free run and press components are always kept separate. The juice is then settled and inoculated with yeast for fermentation. Approximately 30% of the Blanc de Blanc is barrel-fermented and aged for approximately 12 weeks before blending. The base wine is then blended and filtered. The Chardonnay is bottled for secondary fermentation in the bottle, and the wines are held at temperatures ranging from 13 to 15 degrees Celsius.

Anthonij Rupert Wyne was founded on the farm L’Ormarins in Franschhoek. Originally owned by the late Anthonij Rupert who passed away in 2001 the farm was eventually taken over by his brother Johann Rupert in 2003 and the brand named after him. It was Johann Rupert who constructed a state-of-the-art winemaking facility catapulting the farm into a prestigious wine estate and the beginnings of what is now a sprawling enterprise. The focus is on terroir specific wines and therefore the ranges are made from a number of sites. Each site offers optimum varietal specific growing conditions allowing Anthonij Rupert Wyne to adhere to the requirements of their different brands.