Release your inner lustre with vibrant J.C. Le Roux Vivante range

Monday, 11 July, 2016
J.C. Le Roux
J.C. Le Roux, South Africa’s leading name in sparkling wine, has revitalised its entire range by embracing individuality and empowering you to release your own unique vibrancy. Re-energised with a crisp new look, a new moniker and uplifting strapline: “Release What’s Inside”, J.C. Le Roux is inspiring bubbly lovers to be their true selves.

‘In our busy everyday lives, it is so easy to lose sight of your true self and bottle up who you are. By taking our cues from the individual effervescent, sparkling flavours inherent across our entire J.C. Le Roux range, we want people to unleash their own unique vibrant and creative flavour that makes them stand out,” says Jackie Olivier, J.C. Le Roux global marketing manager.   

Alongside the new modish look with refreshed label designs, the J.C. Le Roux transformation has given life to Sélection Vivante, the new name for the range of popular sparkling wines: Le Domaine, La Chanson, La Fleurette and Sauvignon Blanc. By creating a new collective name for these lively, palate friendly sparkling wines with their signature red ribbons, each individual member of the Vivante family can now express its own unique effervescent flavour.

The Vivante sparkling wines enliven the palate with a cascade of vivacious bubbles created by infusing premium fruit driven base wines with carbon dioxide (CO2). It all begins with the careful selection of grape varieties for their unique characteristics and flavour profiles – from crisp Sauvignon Blanc that lends acidity, to varieties not usually associated with sparkling wine such as Pinotage for its vibrant colour and Muscadel for a burst of natural sweetness. The range also includes two non-alcoholic sparklers, Le Domaine and La Fleurette Non-Alcoholic, specially created for people who want to experience the champagne lifestyle but without the alcohol.

With the introduction of Sélection Vivante, J.C. Le Roux devotees will now find it easier to distinguish these popular, uplifting sparkling wines from the more classically styled J.C. Le Roux Méthode Cap Classique range.

The signature of true craftsmanship, these illustrious bottle fermented Cap Classiques now exude a more contemporary look after their make-over with new label designs inspired by colour blocking to signify the different varieties in the range.

J.C. Le Roux Cap Classiques are crafted according to the time honoured French method to create their sparkle. Cellarmaster Elunda Basson specially selects predominantly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes used traditionally in the making of French champagne for J.C. Le Roux La Vallée, La Vallée Rosé, Brut, Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir Rosé and the vintage prestige cuvée, Scintilla.

Every J.C. Le Roux sparkling wine, whether it’s Vivante or Méthode Cape Classique, reveals a different exhilarating expression for every taste, mood and occasion. Let J.C. Le Roux inspire you to release your vibrancy.

Express your personal style with J.C. Le Roux on www.facebook.com/HouseofJCLeRoux, @HouseofJCLeRoux on Instagram, @JCLeRoux on Twitter or visit www.jcleroux.co.za.

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More about the crafting of J.C. Le Roux sparkling wines

At the House of J.C. Le Roux located in the heart of Devon Valley outside Stellenbosch,

every facet, from the meticulous selection of grapes and vineyard sites to the fermentation and final maturation process in the cellar, is carefully planned and controlled. Two completely different methods are used to create the sparkle for the Sélection Vivante and Méthode Cap Classique ranges. The first infuses a premium, fruit driven base wine with carbon dioxide (CO2), whilst the second relies on secondary fermentation of the base wine in the bottle to create the bubbles. The dark, temperature controlled ambiance of the cellar at this dedicated house of sparkling wine is ideal for the slow, second fermentation process that lends complexity and gives rise to the creamy mousse.

More about J.C. Le Roux Sélection Vivante

The vivacious bubbles in J.C. Le Roux Vivante sparkling wines are created by infusing premium blended, fruit driven base wines with carbon dioxide (CO2). What sets these sparkling wines apart is the careful selection of grape varieties for their unique characteristics and flavour profiles. Fermentation of the base wines begins after gentle pressing of the grapes by inoculating free flowing juice with specially selected yeast. In the case of the sweeter sparkling wines, alcoholic fermentation is stopped prematurely by lowering the temperature once the desired alcohol level of 7,5% has been reached, leaving a sweet sensation of natural grape sugar on the palate.

After careful blending, the sparkle comes to life when carbon dioxide (CO2) is added during bottling. The result is a lively, palate friendly sparkling wine that is fruit driven, easy drinking and above all, uplifting.

The non-alcoholic sparklers are made with the same care and dedication as the rest of the Vivante range to offer the effervescence of pure bubbly delight but without the alcohol. This is achieved by de-alcoholising the base wine before the lively sparkle is created by the infusion of CO2.  

More about J.C. Le Roux Méthode Cap Classique

Only sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France may be called champagne. In South Africa a bottle fermented sparkling wine made according to the traditional French method is referred to as Méthode Cap Classique (MCC).

When it comes to sourcing the three noble grape varieties used traditionally for making French Champagne namely, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, J.C. Le Roux has the unique opportunity to pick from eight distinctive areas. These diverse vineyard sites with their own unique characteristics, provide the building blocks that impart complexity and unique flavours to J.C. Le Roux Cap Classiques.

In the cellar, only the cuvée, or pure free running juice is retained for the first fermentation of the base wines. After blending and bottling, a second fermentation process for the production of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the bottle is started by adding sugar and a specially selected yeast. The bottle is sealed with a crown cap to capture all the delicate bubbles. Once fermentation has run its course, sediment of spent yeast cells known as the lees is left behind.

All MCC’s are required to spend a minimum of 12 months on the lees to develop their complexity and unique character before the sediment can be removed. This is done by coaxing the residue into the neck of the bottle during a painstaking riddling process of tilting and turning. Once in the neck, the sediment is frozen so that it can be expelled by the pressure in the bottle when the cap is removed, leaving behind a clear, ultra-elegant sparkling wine.

More about Elunda Basson, Cellarmaster at The House of J.C. Le Roux

Talented and accomplished, Cellarmaster Elunda Basson lives out her passion at The House of J.C. Le Roux crafting sparkling wines for all tastes, occasions and above all, everyday enjoyment.

Bringing contemporary flair to age-old French traditions, her own vibrant character intertwines with the magical process that transforms still wines into effervescent masterpieces.

Eminently qualified in viticulture and oenology with hands-on experience from top cellars including the finest Champagne houses of France, Elunda applies all that she has learnt in her artistry and approach to winemaking. Crafting fine vintage Méthode Cap Classique in the time-honoured French style but rooted firmly in Stellenbosch is her speciality which is evident from the multiple award-winning vintages that continue to set new benchmarks for Méthode Cap Classique.

Elunda’s vibrancy epitomises what she creates in every bottle. Winemaking is not regarded as a job for her, but more a lifestyle. She literally lives, eats, sleeps and drinks winemaking: “My job is so part of me that I don’t see it as a career, it is me. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else – my job is creative, flexible and changes all the time and it suits my personality perfectly.”

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Release What's Inside with Le Domaine
Release What's Inside with Le Domaine

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