Winemaker Notes
Aromas of white flowers, apple pie, and citrus peel are enhanced with notes of toast and vanilla. The wine is elegantly structured, round and flavorful with a signature long, creamy finish.
Delicious with double or triple cream cheeses, fish and shellfish, poultry, Asian and California cuisine.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of lilies, almonds, fresh butter and grapefruit peel. Medium-bodied with articulate acidity that lifts the palate up and carries it elegantly across the palate. Succulent fruit. Fresh.
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Wine Spectator
A vivacious sparkler that's elegant and polished, offering Asian pear and lemon flavors that take on hints of fresh ginger, blanched almond and brioche flavors that glide on the long, vibrant finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Estate Brut is composed of 54% Pinot Noir and 46% Chardonnay, with a dosage of nine grams per liter. It comes across as riper and rounder than the Ultra Brut, with the citrus notes trending more toward tangerine and mandarin than lemon and lime. Medium-bodied, it's soft and approachable, easy to drink and enjoy.
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.