Sonoma Brut

Tasting Notes

Delicate pear and floral notes backed by toasty almond. On the palate, one finds lively citrus, toast and apple flavors overlaid with persistent effervescence, a creamy mid-palate and toasty finish.

Winemaking

The Sonoma Brut has been carefully crafted entirely from hand-harvested Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Over forty different selections of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are planted on our 340-acre estate in the Sonoma Carneros district. It is this viticultural diversity that allows us to consistently produce cuvées with complexity and clear fruit expression. The Brut is dominated by Pinot Noir, a stylistic decision enabling the complex aromatic and palate profile that this red-skinned grape contributes to Brut cuvées.

Whole cluster pressed to avoid bitter compounds
20 to 25% of the premiere taille or first press, is used to add richness and structure to the base blend.
Juice is naturally settled overnight (débourbage) to encourage a clean fermentation.
Proprietary yeast used for the secondary bottle fermentation provides a delicate house signature from year to year.
The cuvée is a blend of 20 different base wines fermented in stainless steel tanks at a temperature of 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
The wine spent a year and a-half en tirage (on the yeast).
Small and numerous bubbles are encouraged by autolysis, the process by which yeast imparts complexity and a yeasty character to the wine. The autolysis particles provide sites for the formation of the mousse.
After disgorgement, the wine was balanced with a dosage of 1.3 g/100 mls.

Acclaim

THE WINE SPECTATOR, DECEMBER 15 2006
90pts
"A delicious mouthful of bubbly. Smooth, rich and creamy, with layers of black cherry, vanilla, ginger and a hint of lemon drop. Finishes with a long, refreshing aftertaste with mineral and fruit. Drink now."

THE WINE SPECTATOR ONLINE, posted October 4, 2006
90 pts.
"A delicious mouthful of bubbly. Smooth, rich and creamy, with layers of black cherry, vanilla, ginger and a hint of lemon drop. Finshes with a long, refreshing aftertaste with mineral and fruit. Drink now."

THE WINE SPECTATOR TOP 100 LIST
The only California sparkling wine on the Top 100 list!
- Wine Spectator, December 31, 2004 - January 15, 2005

86 pts Wine Enthusiast, December 2007

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Awards

2006 Gold Medals

Sonoma County Harvest Fair

Tasters Guild International Wine Competition

Orange County Fair Wine Competition

Critics Challenge International Wine Competition

San Francisco International Wine Competition (Double Gold)

Tasters Guild Wine Lovers Consumer Competition (Double-Gold)

Colorado State Fair Wine Competition

Lake County Fair Wine Competition

2007 Gold Medals

Pacific Rim International Wine Competition (Gold, Best of Class)

Tasters Guild Annual Consumer's Wine Judging

2008 Gold Medals

San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (Gold and Best of Class)

Monterey Wine Competiton

Food Affinities

A tremendously versatile wine that is equally delicious with shellfish, crab, roasted chicken or sushi. Seasoning affinities include lemon grass, fennel and white pepper. Look to hard aged and triple crème cheeses with Meyer lemon compote for the cheese course.

Previous Vintages

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