• Genevieve MCC (2009): Only 3 bottles left. Salted yeast, tiny unripe oranges, fresh & zingy, yeasty apples, slightly tangy Appletizer, drinkable by the bottle-load. (**)

• Genevieve MCC (2010): Flowers made of orange zest, very light, scented gossamer on the tongue, clean, Appletizer spritz, could swim in it, breakfast bubbles. (**)

• Genevieve MCC (2011): Pre-release tasting, 9 months left on lees (23 months elapsed). Sharp orangey apricot, tiny green apples, weirdly creamy & full, frothy.

• Barton Chenin (2013): 32 year old vines, 3 – 5 oak staves. Orangey balloon, orange flowers, creamy mouth-filling, pithy, butter on salted Pro-Vitas.

• Barton Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon (2011): Toasted tennis biscuits with banana caramel, violets, ground tea tannins, dry finish, creamy & buttery, soft down duvet. Made by owners’ instruction.

• Barton Merlot (2012): Baked sponge pudding with red berries, white bread toast with butter & honey, smokey & ashy, liqueur chocolates, light, fills out & dries. (*)

• Max production in the area = 400 000 bottles
• Genevieve produces 10 000 bottles
• Winemaker is not trained – her viticulturalist partner who worked for Beaumont encouraged her to make her own bubbly
• Searched for chardonnay in the Bot River area
• 2008 was the first vintage – produced 5 000 bottles
• 700 bottles of 2009 in reserve for release in 2015
• French standard is to pick grapes at 18,5 balling (sugar content)
• Lower balling – less sugar, more acid
• American oak is genetically modified to grow faster (Only Minnesota grows oak in the French style)
• May add brandy to MCC as dosage
• Genevieve uses base wine as dosage
• Merlot – 3 picking days between green & jam
• “Your first vintage is too early to understand wine”
• “Wine is like women & children – if you’re strict with them, they behave but if you’re too strict, you’ll break them”