Our love for Africa, discovery, and sparkling wine’s close association with the stars inspired the creation of “Jewel Box”. The Southern Cross, or Crux, is the best known constellation in the Southern Hemisphere’s skies, giving early explorers their bearings when traveling the southern oceans. Hidden within Crux is a fascinating deep-sky object known as Kappa crucis. Regarded as one of the finest open clusters in the Milky Way galaxy, it was discovered in South Africa in 1751. Kappa crucis took its nickname “Jewel box” from noted English astronomer, Sir John Herschel, who referred to it as a “casket of variously coloured precious stones.” The Jewel Box cluster consists of approximately 100 vibrant stars made up of a mixture of brilliant reds and blues, yellows and whites.

Cultivar: Chardonnay (71%), Pinot Noir (29%)

Colour/appearance: Light straw yellow with elegant fine bubbles.

Nose: Complex aromas of roasted almonds, marzipan and subtle hints of strawberry and cherry compote followed by zesty citrus nuances.

Palate: Dry, rich and full – soft toasty creaminess with a beautiful palate weight.

WINEMAKING

Jewel Box is a wine with emphasis on richness, opulence and complexity. The inspiration for this style comes from John’s all-time favourite Champagnes namely, Krug and Bollinger. The grapes were hand harvested towards the end of January 2018 and gently whole-bunch pressed to recover a maximum of only 550 litres per ton. Fermentation of the Chardonnay was split between stainless steel and old French oak barrels while the Pinot Noir was only fermented in stainless steel. This creates the basis of complex building blocks which are critical when it comes to the final blending. Here a reserve portion of Chardonnay, which has spent 12 months in old French barrels, completes Jewel Box. The final blend consists of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir. The wine spends a minimum of 48 months on the lees in order to develop the optimum complexity. Only 6576 bottles were produced.

FOOD PAIRING

Grilled game fish with rich mayo aioli

Roasted quail with Champagne risotto and wild mushrooms