2017 Cuvée Clive, Graham Beck, Western Cape, South Africa
Cellar Circle Exclusive
Cuvée Clive is Graham Beck’s prestige cuvée and only made in exceptional years. Year after year, the best sparkling wine of the Cape, the 2017 is 100% Chardonnay aged on the lees for 5 years before disgorgement. 70% of the blend originated from one block on their estate in Robertson, planted in 2002 to four different clones of Chardonnay on pure limestone soil. The remaining 30% comes from Darling, lending bright and racy acidity to the blend. This is a wonderfully tense wine, showing remarkable complexity of toasted brioche, salted almonds, ginger, and dried orange peel. The palate is chalky and focused with white grapefruit, white peach and fresh pear. This is so fine and so graceful.