For 800 years and 28 generations, the Countess's family has earned a reputation for making great wines. Its private estate or "Domaine Privé" is situated in a unique terroir rich with minerals - ideal for cultivating world-class wines. The estate's ancestral savoir-faire combined with carefully considered traditional production methods gives this sparkling wine an elegant character.
Cap Classique is made in the méthode traditionnelle from 100% Estate hand-harvested grapes from the 2004 vintage. It is green harvested, hand picked, with each grape individually selected, reflecting the traditional discipline of the Greiffenclau family. After skin fermentation, the wine was aged 6 months in oak barrels, then 24 months in the bottle, consistent with traditional champagne method fermentation. To allow for the best fermentation and development of the wine's character, the Cap Classique was bottled only in magnums.
In recognition of the first year the Greiffenclau family produced wine, only 1211 bottles of this collector sparkling wine were produced.
Unlike most sparkling wine producers-even those in Champagne-the Greiffenclau family uses the same stringent selection standards for its sparkling wine that it does for still wine. The Cap Classique is an eloquent testimony to this insistence, which can be tasted in every sip of this delicate, well balanced sparkling wine.
30% Colombard, 70% percent St. Emilion
12% ALC. BY VOL. 1.5 L CONTAINS SULFITES
In a private European tasting among several professional winemakers in 2007, participants compared the three other well known sparkling wines:
- Magnum Lanson Black Label
EUR 49.99 retail ($75.50)
- Moet Chandon
EUR 66.99 retail ($101.20)
- Gosset Grand Reserve
EUR 102.99 retail ($155.60)
Nearly all participants agreed the Cap Classique was far superior to the Lanson and Moet Chandon, and very similar to the Gosset Grand Reserve, which is roughly three times the price.
The Cap Classique will retail for close to EUR 80 in Europe ($120.90).
