The House of JC Le Roux has triumphed as the overall winner at the 2012 Amorim Méthode Cap Classique Challenge with three awards - a victorious hat trick for cellarmaster Elunda Basson.

Crowned Best MCC overall, the elegant flagship JC Le Roux Scintilla 2003 also won Best MCC Blend, with the JC Le Roux Pinot Noir Rosé 2008 awarded Best Rosé.

The JC Le Roux Scintilla 2003, only produced in exceptional vintages, is a luxuriously smooth and well-balanced sparkling wine with an elegant, dry palate and an explosion of bubbles. This classic blend of Chardonnay (75%) and Pinot Noir (25%), spent a remarkable seven years on the lees, resulting in rich layers of complexity and flavours with a superior, smooth character.

“Our outstanding signature Cap Classique has a brilliant golden colour, displaying a rich fruitiness on the nose with integrated baked bread flavours, and is sure to benefit further from additional bottle maturation,” said Elunda.

Taking top honours in the Rosé class of the challenge for the second time, JC Le Roux Pinot Noir Rosé is a graceful, salmon pink Cap Classique displaying perfect balance between freshness and maturation. The winning 2008 Pinot Noir Rosé vintage with its pleasing, creamy character and lively, crisp finish, is a worthy successor to the 2006 vintage, which won the title of Best Rosé in 2008.

“Well-developed maturation characters complemented by subtle tones of biscuits, nuts and yellow raisins,” is how Elunda describes this winning rosé, with its full round palate and lingering aftertaste of red berries and raisins.

JC Le Roux Scintilla 2003 and JC Le Roux Pinot Noir Rosé 2008 are available at selected boutique wine shops and fine dining establishments, selling at about R150 and R110 respectively.