Cap Classique and Méthode Ancestrale

16% of the wine was transferred to 205-liter second fill and older French oak barrels halfway through fermentation and aged for 5 months. The wine spent 54 months on its lees in bottle before it was riddled by hand and disgorged on 14 January 2021.

The wine is the perfect aperitif wine for any occasion. Tempura oysters, deep fried fish, Asian food, sashimi, avocados, eel, freshly baked bread, will go well with the wine. Not a very easy match for food as the wine likes to be treated with respect and true love to bring out her layered elegance. The wine is sophisticated but likes simplistic, raw, fresh produce and loves to be teased with a starter of fresh tomato and goat’s cheese or a very simple panzanella salad. It would also do well with a warm lemon and thyme chicken dish served with steamed vegetables like parsnips, fennel or asparagus. It will match lightly dressed seafood salads and plain fish dishes, but not when richly sauced. The signature dish for this style of sparkling wine is undoubtedly a mixed seafood platter, which the French know as a plateau de fruits de mer, served simply with lemon or garlic butter. It also pairs well with gravadlax (gravlax), avocados filled with a seafood mix and even with avocado Ritz with its sweetish pink sauce. Acidic and salty cheeses, such as goat’s-milk cheese, Lancashire, Wensleydale and feta will also pair well. It is also very good with Japanese raw-fish dishes and lime-flavoured Thai food. Our Cellarmasters’ favourite pairing with his MCC Brut blanc is grilled hake with French fries. One of the reasons why these sparkling wines are served as an aperitif is that they counterbalance the slightly salty canapés and snacks often served at cocktail parties or with pre-dinner drinks. However, a fizzy wine can easily be overpowered when the canapés are too spicy, too rich (go slow on the mayonnaise) or too heavy. Step outside of those parameters and you are in trouble.