Winemaker Notes
Best paired with seafood and fish with thick sauces, white meats with light sauces, pasta, and grilled or griddled meats.
Blend: 75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The NV Extra Brut Cuvee blends 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay from the Uco Valley. It was aged for 12 months on lees. Yellow in hue. The nose offers lime, herb, and grapefruit aromas, complemented by hints of quince and caramel. The palate is dry and vibrant, with finely-grained bubbles and a refreshing tart acidity stirring up the lingering, fruity finish.
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James Suckling
Apricot pie, peach pit and yellow apples. Fresh and fruity on the palate with some fine bubbles and an easy finish. A blend of pinot noir and chardonnay.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The NV Cuvee Reserve Extra Brut from fruit from Tupungato in the Uco Valley, a fresh, high altitude zone ideal for the production of sparkling wines, surprised me with its complex aromas of meat broth (something I always link to umami), no doubt more complex given the 24 months in contact with its lees. The palate is light to medium-bodied, with plenty of acidity and freshness that more than compensate the six grams of residual sugar. A great sparkling.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
With vineyards tretching along the eastern side of the Andes Mountains from Patagonia in the south to Salta in the north, Argentina is one of the world’s largest and most dynamic wine producing countries—and most important in South America.
Since the late 20th century vineyard investments, improved winery technology and a commitment to innovation have all contributed to the country’s burgeoning image as a producer of great wines at all price points. The climate here is diverse but generally continental and agreeable, with hot, dry summers and cold snowy winters—a positive, as snow melt from the Andes Mountains is used heavily to irrigate vineyards. Grapes very rarely have any difficulty achieving full ripeness.
Argentina’s famous Mendoza region, responsible for more than 70% of Argentina’s wine production, is further divided into several sub-regions, with Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley most noteworthy. Red wines dominate here, especially Malbec, the country’s star variety, while Chardonnay is the most successful white.
The province of San Juan is best known for blends of Bonarda and Syrah. Torrontés is a specialty of the La Rioja and Salta regions, the latter of which is also responsible for excellent Malbecs grown at very high elevation.