Our Blanc de Blancs, as its name implies, is 100% Chardonnay, and we follow the techniques utilized in Champagne, France (Méthode Champenoise). Picked by hand at night, it is 100% whole cluster direct to press.
One of the requirements of Méthode Champenoise is a gentle press cycle. For still wines, we generate about 165 gallons/ton. For our Blanc de Blancs, we extract only 120 gallons/ton. As we press, we taste the juice after each cycle to ensure that the flavors are delicate and fruity.
The juice is settled overnight to let any grape solids (lees) fall to the bottom of the tank. The next morning, we rack the clear juice off the sediment and begin the fermentation with yeast specific for sparkling wine. The juice is fermented in a stainless steel tank at 50° F and is monitored daily. We also ferment in a few one-year-old barrels that we use in our final blend. Barrel fermented wine has a richness and texture that gives the sparkling wine some complexity.
Each January, we make our "cuvée" (base wine). For this wine, we add some of the wine from the barrel fermentation lot. Next, we create the "liqueur de tirage" to initiate the second fermentation and blend it with the cuvée just before bottling.
The complexity and delicate flavors of sparkling wine evolves as the wine ages on its yeast lees. We disgorge our Blanc de Blancs after 26 months on the lees. Learn more about our inaugural 2020 Blanc de Blancs vintage as well as the packaging choices for it.