Winemaker Notes
Best served chilled as an aperitif, or accompanying any celebration!
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This sparkling blend of 95% Chardonnay and 5% Malbec displays a pale pink color with a hint of salmon. You can detect a wide range of aromas on the nose, including green apple, pear, floral notes like honeysuckle, green melon, strawberry, grapefruit, bread, and a hint of mint. Boasting pleasant acidity, a slightly stony taste, and a creamy texture, it's a very lively wine.
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Tasting Panel
Flavors of pear, peach, and apricot shine through along with tropical notes of green melon and banana in this pale yellow, light-bodied wine made with Chardonnay grapes. There are also hints of lemon zest, green apple, elderflower, and biscuit as well as small bubbles and a mildly herbaceous quality,
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.
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.