Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
This is a single vineyard Pinot Noir that went through secondary fermentation, spending 24 months on tirage (on the yeast). The saignée method results in a fuschia-hued liquid. Rose petals and jasmine highlight red cherry, along with red tea, basil, and brush. Beautifully balanced.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Schug Rouge de Noirs is a beautiful and dramatic sparkling wine. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines with aromas and flavors of fresh strawberries and a hint of minerality. Serve it with fresh salmon and avocado handrolls. (Tasted: June 17, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
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.