Avenue Vine

Blending demands great knowledge and experience, in order to evaluate and grade the wines. But importantly, before blending begins, each of in excess of 60 separate "base" wines-is thoroughly assessed - through tasting, discussion, note taking and re-tasting. Differences in base wines are caused by the varieties and clones of grapes, different degrees of ripeness and flavor development, different growing regions, and different degrees of pressure used to extract the juice. In addition, there are several lots of base wines from previous years that are used to soften some of the stronger qualities of the young wine and add a thread of consistency to the blends. Our winemaking team must be able to predict the eventual quality and character of the particular wine blended, even before it undergoes the second fermentation and becomes a sparkling wine.

Blends may sometimes contain fifty to sixty different base wines and the blending process generally takes 4 to 6 weeks. Experience determines the basic mix, but the fine-tuning is an arduous task. The use of concentrations of a certain wine as low as 2% might add a new dimension of flavor or subdue a character that was previously too intense. Ultimately, the base wines are blended into single products that, while reflecting the Chandon style, remain distinct.

Méthode Traditionnelle: Secondary Fermentation and Yeast Aging:
Once our winemakers have determined the blends, precise amounts of sugar and yeast are delicately added in a process called "tirage." This signals the beginning of the second fermentation. The wine is then pumped from the tirage tank and the bottles are individually filled, ready for the second fermentation, which will occur in each bottle. A "bidule" or small plastic device is inserted into each bottle, which later helps in the removal of the spent yeast after riddling. A "crown cap" is placed over the top of the bottles, which are then laid on their sides in wooden crates.

In the aging cellar bottles are stored "sur latte," or on their sides, for a long slow fermentation that takes place at 50 degrees Fahrenheit. In the first eight weeks the wine completes its second fermentation, where the development of carbon dioxide creates bubbles (which are unable to escape the bottle). This is the birth of a sparkling wine.

After the grapes themselves, the next most important source of flavor in sparkling wine is "autolysis" (auto-lysis, self-destructing), the breaking down of the spent yeast cells, which occurs after fermentation. Autolysis creates more complexity by releasing proteins, peptides, and amino acids into the wine. Many of the flavors associated with champagne, such as toasted grain, malt, and yeast extract, are direct results of autolysis. The tiny bubbles in traditional-method sparkling wines are also associated with the complexity created by autolysis. The longer the wine ages sur latte, the stronger are the autolysed characteristics.

PHILOSOPHY
No stranger to innovation, Chandon continues to explore the diversity of sparkling wine styles with the introduction of Riche, an extra-dry style. Chandon Riche is crafted to be a luscious, full-bodied wine capturing the ripe fruit essence of California’s sun-drenched vineyards.

REVIEW:

NV Domaine Chandon Sparkling Wine Riche, California; $20.00, (87 points.)--APPEARANCE:; Brilliant, medium sized persistently long bubbles, pale lemony green in color; NOSE: Clean, pronounce grape, bread yeast, fruit, floral, spice and oak: citrus, lemon, apple, pear, sweet peach and apricot, cherry, prune, orange blossom, spice and earth;PALATE:. Dry, integrated dosage, crisp balanced acidity; full, smooth and pronounce flavors--bread, sweet fruit and spice: cherry, berry, apple, sweet peach, cherry, prune and a hint of honeyed earth

CONCLUSION: Moderately long and clean finish of cherry, berry, sweet luscious peach and citrus, layered in honey earth, spice–a great desert and meal wine.

ADDITIONAL TASTING NOTES: Would be great with rich, spicy foods, goat cheese–it’s so well balanced would go with just about everything.

Note: I opened this wine at 8:00 and was still bubbling well at 12:00...

Winemaker: Wayne Donaldson

Appellation: California

Composition:
63% Pinot Noir
23% Chardonnay
8% Muscat
4% Pinot Meunier
2% Pinot Blanc

Aging Profile: Minimum of 12 months on the yeast