Boschendal Grande Cuvée Brut 2007

As drunk by Seth Rotherham.

What turns a product into a category-leading brand? Grande Cuvée Brut, the Cap Classique from Boschendal must be cool as it is one of the “2oceansvibe partners”, this website featuring “popular topics and intelligent wit” and originally founded by “Seth Rotherham” (aka entrepreneur Will Mellor).

2oceansvibe is a new media phenomenon with 330 000 page views and 70 000 unique readers a month,60:40 male to femaie, 70% earning over R20 000 a month and 41% over R40 000.

To become a “partner” or sponsor like Boschendal costs R9 000 a month for a six-month package or R7 000 a month for a twelve month package. Other sponsors include the likes of Cape Royale hotel, Cape Quarter Lifestyle Village, MINI, Vespa, Puma, Westcliff Hotel JHB, Sunglass Hut, Digicape Apple Mac,Marshall Music, vida e caffe, Jack Daniel’s, Corona, De Grendel, Peroni, Collar & Cuff tailored shirts, Butlers pizza and more. Once included, the product becomes “first choice” for Seth online and offline…

The 2007 vintage of Boschendal Grande Cuvée Brut has just been released and you can see 2oceansvibe handled it here. I didn’t get an financial inducement for featuring it on my blog (how I wish) but I did get a free sample bottle. Here are my thoughts:

54% Chardonnay, 46% Pinot Noir,  24 months on the lees. Straw yellow in colour. Vigorous mousse. Pronounced brioche aroma on nose. Rich and full with flavours of citrus, red apple as well an appealing yeasty note. Complex and satisfying, 16/20 (sighted).

The 2006 was rated 2 Stars in the 2010 Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge (although I thought it was better than that also scoring it 16/20).