Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Connoisseurs' Guide
This nimble, very well-balanced bottling is a shade richer than is the Blanc de Blancs norm and trades delicacy for a slightly fuller complement of sweet-lemon fruit and an ample measure of yeasty, brioche-like richness born of its three years of tirage time. It is, nonetheless, not overly “aged” in character and is at once layered and lively with tiny bubbles to spare, and its careful construction and marvelous combination of buoyancy and richness makes for a thoroughly satisfying Blanc de Blancs that begs a second and third glass.
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.