Winemaker Notes
Made from special vintages of the grapes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, through the champenoise method, remains in yeast autolysis for 36 months. Charming, it has golden color and fascinating perlage. Elegant and intense bouquet of dried fruit, almonds and light toasted. Persistent and creamy, broad and full flavor.
Pair with cold dishes, fish, white meats, young cheeses, and pastas with light sauces.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Portugese colonists brought wine producing grapes to Brazil as far back as the mid 16th century but the mainly humid, tropical environment proved to be a challenge for the early settlers. Though it is a large country, only a small portion, towards its southern end near Uruguay, is within the ideal latitudes for wine production. Brazil has about the same acreage under vine as its South American wine-producing neighbors, Chile and Argentina, but most of it is for table grapes. About 10% of the land is Vitis vinifera, the wine producing species.
Brazil has enjoyed consistent quality advancements since the 1970s and 1980s, largely due to investments by international wine companies, namely Moet & Chandon, Seagram, Bacardi, Domecq and Martini & Rossi. Serra Gaucha, a southerly coastal region of low mountains, recognized for sparkling wine production, is Brazil’s key wine region. Campanha, its neighbor, is attracting more attention for its red wines (Cabernet and Tannat) and white wines (Chardonnay).