1996 J Vintage Brut, Late-Disgorged

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The Vineyards
The 1996 growing season in the Russian River Valley was marked by heavy rains during the winter and slightly early bud break. A relatively cool spring turned into a very hot summer. A heat wave that struck in mid-August served to ripen the grapes very fast. The 1996 wines were not intense early on, but possessed a fair amount of natural acid allowing the wine to slowly open up. These same characteristics will allow the 1996 wines to age very gracefully.

Processing
All grapes were hand-harvested into 40-lb. lugs and hand loaded (whole cluster) into our Coquard champagne press for a gentle pressing cycle. Vineyard lots and press fractions were kept separate until blending decisions were made mid-November. The cuvee was assembled in December of 1996 and put into neutral French oak casks for 14 months of aging. The wine was bottled in early 1998.

Ageing
The secondary fermentation in the bottle lasted 6-8 weeks. It was followed by an extended aging period of 5 years, during which the spent yeast autolyzed and added unique aroma and flavor components to the wine. A dosage liqueur was made from a blend of cask-aged reserve wines and pure cane sugar and added to the individual bottles at the time they were disgorged. The wine was aged for an additional year before released.

Tasting Notes
A biscuity, piecrust and hazelnut note welcomes one on approaching the delicate effervescence in the glass. The tiny beads of bubbles carry a light mandarin orange and lime essence with just a hint of smokiness. The mid-palate is broad with a layered complexity of nutty, citrus and pear flavors that lead to a crisp, long finish.

Harvest: August 14 - 26, 1996

Harvest Analysis: Average sugar 19.4° Brix

Final Analysis: Alcohol 11.7% by volume

Final Blend:
52.5% Chardonnay
45% Pinot Noir
2.5% Pinot Meunier
100% Russian River Valley, Sonoma County

90 cases produced