Winemaker Notes
Blend: 65% Chardonnay 35% Pinot Noir
Vegan-Friendly
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Another fine sparkling wine from the team at Wiemer, the 2019 Cuvée Brut is a 65-35 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that spent 42 months en tirage. With the higher proportion of Chardonnay and a cooler vintage, it seems finer and a bit more citrusy than the 2020. Scents of struck flint and wet stone accent the lemon-lime bouquet in this medium-bodied wine that finishes long and citrusy.
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Vinous
The 2019 Cuvée Brut spent 43 months en tirage . A blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir, it has a notably more refined mouthfeel than the many of the other sparkling wines in the region. White pepper, toasted brioche, sweet spice and ripe pear fruit sizzle through this rich, very Champagne-like sparkling wine. There’s a lot of energy in the mousse, as this was bottled at slightly higher than usual pressure (6.5 atm). Dosage is 2.5 grams per liter.
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.
As the most historic wine-producing region in New York state, winemaking in the Finger Lakes area dates back to the 1820s and today as a region, accounts for 90% of the state’s total wine production.
Its narrow and deep lakes created by the movement of Ice Age glaciers create an environment similar to the classic Riesling-loving regions of Europe, namely Germany and Austria. The Finger Lakes retain summer heat that incidentally warms up cold winter air, making it fall down from the lakes’ steep slopes. When spring comes, the lakes, already cooled by cold winter weather, stave off vine budding until the danger of frost has subsided. The main lakes of the zone, that is those big enough to moderate the climate in this way, are the focal points of prime vineyard areas. They include Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca and Cayuga.
While Riesling has fueled most of the region’s success, today Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc enjoy some attention.