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2000 Brut
Release Date: 3/15/05 Retail Price $: 18.00 Availability: 230 cases Production Notes Oregon's cool climate is well suited to the grapes used to produce sparkling wine. Pinot noir and Chardonnay grapes ripen slowly without losing their natural acidity. The wines produced have a balance of flavors and a richness that is enhanced by estended lees aging. The methode champenoise is a technique developed by French monks and refined by the great French Champagne houses. The sparkle or mousse is created by a second fermentation in this bottle. The wine is then aged for three years to develop flavors and aromas typical vintage sparkling wine before being disgorged. The 2000 Brut is made with 60% Pinot noir and 40% Chardonnay grapes. The dosage is 0.5% sugar. Disgorged: Feb. through July 2005 The 2000 Brut complements richly flavored foods-smoked salmon, oysters, sushi-and may be aged up to a decade. |
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Tasting Notes
In 1998 I changed the style of my sparkling wines. For ten years, Pinot noir was picked at a riper flavor level than the Chardonnay portion. The result was a more Pinot noir dominant, masculin sparkling wine. I feel that those wines have not captured the elegance and finesse of Champagne.
My preference is for sparklers with less grape derived fruit components and more purity on the palate. I enjoy aged Champagnes, especially those with more cocoa-mocha components as they develop with bottle age. Those wines tend to be Chardonnay dominant, both in their component blends and in their flavor profile.
The 2000 Brut is picked with the Chardonnay riper then the Pinot noir. This gives the wine more citrus components and less cherry fruit. The natural acidity of the Pinot noir adds backbone to the blend. We have aged this wine a full three and one-half years on the yeast prior to disgorging in order to emphasize more of the toasty yeast components.
The 2000 Brut is a great match for rich seafood entrees, roast chicken, and aged cheeses. It will gain charactor with aging for at least five years.