2001 Domaine Ste. Michelle Luxe

$22.99 -- "Rich and toasty flavors of vanilla, citrus, ginger and nutmeg saturate the palate..."

Purchase 2001 Domaine Ste. Michelle Luxe

Tasting Notes
“This bottle fermented wine, produced by traditional Méthode Champenoise
techniques, exhibits explosive aromas of toasted almonds and hazelnuts accentuated by delicate citrus, honey and apple top notes. Rich and toasty flavors of vanilla, citrus, ginger and nutmeg saturate the palate and
mesh nicely with the wine’s smooth texture and lively structure. This sparkling wine is a great match with clam chowder, planked salmon, cracked crab and many other seafood delicacies.”- Rick Casqueiro, Winemaker

Vineyards

Like France’s renowned northerly Champagne district, Columbia Valley vineyards benefits from extra long daylight hours during the growing season.
Chardonnay grapes come from a single vineyard site- Heily Vineyards. The vineyard was identified by Walter Clore, father of the Washington wine industry, as ideally suited for Chardonnay.
Planted in 1984, Heily Vineyards sits 1500 feet above sea level. The vineyard enjoys a very cool climate, producing grapes with higher concentration of natural fruit acids, lower brix and pure varietal definition, ideal for sparkling wine.
Clusters were individually selected for maturity and hand-picked the first week of September, 2001.
At harvest, grapes displayed classic Chardonnay flavor characteristics and crisp acidity.

In the Cellar

As in Champagne, only free run juice (Premier cut) is used for Luxe, yielding an extremely delicate base wine.
Juice was cold settled for 24 hours.
Fermented in French oak barrels, and then aged sur lie for 11 months to build layers of flavor and creaminess.
Once the cuvée was selected and bottled, liquer de tirage was added to start a second fermentation which lasted 16 weeks.Bottled wine was aged sur lie for five years for added complexity. Following aging, the lees were disgorged and a dosage was assembled to give the wine a soft middle palate and a balanced, refreshing aftertaste.
Once finished, the wine was corked and allowed to age three months in the bottle prior to release.

Technical Data

Total Acidity - .63g/100ml
Prise de Mousse Yeast
Alcohol - 12%
Blend - 100% Chardonnay
Primary Fermentation 23 days
Secondary Fermentation 16 weeks

Purchase 2001 Domaine Ste. Michelle Luxe

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"...elegant on the palate, and bursts with flavors of pear, guava and kiwi."

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"A creamy sparkling wine, with notes of apple, pear and candied apples,..."