Winemaker Notes
The 2004 cuvée is composed of 61% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay and 2% Pinot Blanc. Approximately 9% of the cuvée underwent malolactic fermentation prior to blending the cuvée for tirage bottling. The wine has been aged for three years prior to release and will further age gracefully in your cellar (if you can resist opening).
This cuvée has wonderful fruit aromas of pears, baked apples and citrus peel enhanced with hints of caramel, spice. The wine is unusually round for its age, very mouth-filling and with a long creamy finish.
Lovely served with double or triple cream cheeses, it also matches especially well with fish, shellfish, poultry and most Asian dishes.
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.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.