Pale in color with a nice crisp dry minerally nose. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with lovely crispness, and some noticeable chard notes, some apple/pear. On the medium length finish the wine displays lovely acidity and citrus notes. In spite of being on the lees for 48 month it’s not all that creamy. All in all a lovely bubbly. I would give it an 88+. Super food friendly and a great add to any table. Unlike some bubblies that are non-vintage this one is noted as a 2012. Not in the LCBO but available at the winery for $34.95. I’ve had this over a number of years and they have been consistently good …
From the winery’s web site:
PREMIER CUVEE 2012 $34.95
Fresh and pure with classic aromas of toasty brioche and light fruity notes of apple and lemon
The nose is fresh and pure with classic aromas of toasty brioche and light fruity notes of apple and lemon. The mousse is fine with bracing acidity refreshing the palate on the long toasty finish. Certainly perfect to drink now but will further develop complexities through short to medium term aging.
This wine will pair nicely with fresh shucked oysters, white fleshed fish or lobster. Also a perfect pairing with bloomy-rind, double or triple cream cheeses. Or serve on its own as the perfect aperitif. Serve chilled at 5-8° C.
WINEMAKING NOTES
A blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the 2012 vintage. Both varieties are primarily sourced from our estate vineyards in the Creek Shores sub-appellation, with some fruit coming from some of our favourite growers in both Creek Shores and Niagara-on-the-Lake. After harvest both varieties The Pinot Noir provides notes of berry fruit, power and richness while Chardonnay the acidic structure and backbone. This dry sparkling wine underwent second fermentation in the final bottle and aged sur lattes (en tirage) for a minimum of 48 months during which the bubbles became smaller and more compact. A slight autolytic, or toast and bread character also developed during this time. After the lees was removed, winemaker Jean-Pierre Colas felt the wine was in perfect balance so decided to not add any sugar to the dosage resulting in a classically dry sparkling wine in the zero dosage style. This wine was not exposed to oak and did not undergo malolactic fermentation.
