Lady R

Our 2018 Cuvée, Steenberg Lady R, is made in the traditional French method of secondary fermentation in the bottle and is designated a 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 Cap Classique. 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). Post fermentation, the 2018 Lady R spent 52 months on the yeast lees before disgorgement in December 2022