Siesta Extra Brut 2007
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A golden hue that glitters with the occasional green highlight. The scent of white fruits like pear and pineapple; a slightly toasty aftertaste. Its slight effervescence spreads evenly over the entire tongue. It has the texture of a mousse, and its mild acidity produces a very pleasant freshness. A sparkling wine: vivacious, intense and very elegant.
Founded by Ernesto Catena, a fourth-generation winemaker of Italian descent, Siesta was inspired by ancient Incan traditions. The Inca would often bury offerings to the land so that it would remain healthy and fertile. Following this ancient tradition, every year Ernesto Catena’s team buries a few bottles of their best wines in the Vistaflores vineyard, hoping that while sleeping their endless “Siesta”, these bottles will protect the vines, people, and harvest. Only biodynamically-certified grapes from the best lots of the Vistaflores vineyard that have been fermented in small tanks are used. The wine is later aged in French and American oak barrels for 14 months and then ages in bottle for another year. Intense, complex, and elegant, Siesta wines aim to express the varietal personality, which is enhanced by the unique characteristics of the Vistaflores terroir.
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.
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.