Winemaker Notes
Clean and bright. Pale yellow color with greenish glints against the light. Release of fine bubbles and presence of abundant tiny rosaries with great persistence. Exquisite creamy sustained foam crown and islets covering a large part of the wine surface. Intense white-fruit aromas (pear and apple) reach the nose, with underlying fennel and slight creamy, pastry hints, all highlighted by the effervescence of the natural carbonic gas. It is highly balanced and fresh in the mouth, with a pleasant, sharp taste due to the carbonic gas and well-integrated acidity. Creamily pleasant to the palette with much body and structure, with fruit compote notes in the aftertaste. Long, aromatic finish.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Shimmering orange. Spice-accented red berries, orange zest and a hint of smokiness on the pungent nose. Smooth and subtly sweet, offering sappy raspberry, cherry and tangerine flavors and a spicy touch of white pepper. Closes long and supple, with a suave floral note coming in late.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
On the southern edge of the rocky Bay of Biscay in northern Spain, this is Basque country and home to the refreshing and slightly effervescent (usually) white wine, Txakoli. Three subregions compose the larger one: Getariako Txakolina, Bizkaiko Txakolina and Arabako Txakolina. While Hondarribi Zuri and Hondarrabi Beltza are the main grape varieties, other French varieties are scattered throughout the region.