Winemaker Notes
A luminous golden color with fine and harmonious bubbles. Wrapping notes of hazelnut, dried fruit and brioche. A delicious complex profile, where finesse and smoothness meet a beautiful acidity, accentuated by hints of lemon and white fruits.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Soft, subtle and seamlessly-integrated aromas of brioche, golden apple, white peach and pureed pear open on the nose followed by toasted almond skin and white blossom. Bright and textured on the palate, the aged crémant is enlivened by toasted orange zest and honeysuckle on the lifted finish.
Langlois-Chateau has a rich history as one of the leading producers in the Loire Valley. Their Cremants are produced with standards far beyond the appellation requirements and even beyond Champagne AOC standards. The result is Méthode Champenoise wines of incredible finesse. The still Sancerres are equally notable and are benchmarks for the appellation, with brightness, intensity, depth and minerality.
Founded in 1885 by Edouard Langlois and Jeanne Chateau (hence the name). In 1973, the Bollinger family invested in Langlois, significantly revitalizing the vineyards and modernizing the cellar. Bollinger was naturally attracted by Langlois’ Crémant de Loire production, but the estate has become a leading quality producer in Sancerre, Saumur and other areas.
Langlois-Chateau owns and manages 175 acres of the best AOC vineyards in the Loire Valley. For the Crémants they have an intensely terroir-focused approach of drawing the best characteristics from 6 distinct vineyards areas and soil types in order to create and refined wines. Grapes are hand harvested in small bins, pressed gently, aging is at least 36 months (versus 12 month minimum), and reserve wines are incorporated. The crown jewel of their Sancerre holdings at Chateau de Fontain-Audon, from which they produce a single-vineyards Sancerre of the same name.
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.
Praised for its stately Renaissance-era chateaux, the picturesque Loire valley produces pleasant wines of just about every style. Just south of Paris, the appellation lies along the river of the same name and stretches from the Atlantic coast to the center of France.
The Loire can be divided into three main growing areas, from west to east: the Lower Loire, Middle Loire, and Upper/Central Loire. The Pay Nantais region of the Lower Loire—farthest west and closest to the Atlantic—has a maritime climate and focuses on the Melon de Bourgogne variety, which makes refreshing, crisp, aromatic whites.
The Middle Loire contains Anjou, Saumur and Touraine. In Anjou, Chenin Blanc produces some of, if not the most, outstanding dry and sweet wines with a sleek, mineral edge and characteristics of crisp apple, pear and honeysuckle. Cabernet Franc dominates red and rosé production here, supported often by Grolleau and Cabernet Sauvignon. Sparkling Crémant de Loire is a specialty of Saumur. Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc are common in Touraine as well, along with Sauvignon Blanc, Gamay and Malbec (known locally as Côt).
The Upper Loire, with a warm, continental climate, is Sauvignon Blanc country, home to the world-renowned appellations of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Pinot Noir and Gamay produce bright, easy-drinking red wines here.