Grande Cuvée Blanc de Noir 2013
Tasting Notes
On the palate, it is rich but fresh with flavours of brown sugar, grilled lemon, white cherries and a touch of earthiness and mineral, balanced by firm acidity and a full mouthfeel. The mousse is fine and persistent with a finish of roast caramel and white cherry.
Perfectly ready to drink on release either as an aperitif or paired with a variety of fare from fresh shellfish, rich risotto to bloomy rind cheese. Will also benefit from short to medium-term ageing to further develop complexities.
$69.95
APPELLATION
VQA Creek Shores
VINEYARD
Whitty Vineyard
GRAPE VARIETY
100% Pinot Noir
BRIX AT HARVEST
19.2
ALCOHOL CONTENT
12.5%
RESIDUAL SUGAR
5 grams/Litre
WINEMAKING NOTES
Produced only in exceptional vintages, our Grande Cuvee is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from our Whitty Vineyard in Creek Shores. After a careful manual harvest, the whole bunches of Pinot Noir are put into the press where the free-run juice is separated out and blended with the first gentle press to extract juice but not colour or phenolics. After primary fermentation, the wine was then prepared and bottled for secondary fermentation. The wine was aged on lees for a minimum of 60 months during which the bubbles became smaller and more compact and autolysis, or the development of toast and bread character, took place. After disgorging, 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.
Michael Godel , WineAlign
Aromatically speaking there exudes neither more complexity nor more understanding of what wants and needs in sparkling wine made from pinot noir. The toasty excess and colourless, fruit compote exceptionality could be too much if it were not for everything else that distracts and draws attention. A spice box of masalas and rubs, citrus of so many ilk and herbs fresh, sweet and mashed into pesto. An evolved and anti-vivid expression such as this is both mesmerizing and comforting. Years of life ahead. Drink 2020-2026. Tasted October 2020.
Rick Vansickle, Wines in Niagara
Made from 100% Pinot Noir from the Whitty Vineyard, this top dog sparkler from Colas follows in the footsteps of the last time it was made from the 2007 vintage. It was on the lees for a full 60 months, did not go through malo and there was no sugar back added to dosage. Just wow! Such a delicate mousse with a beautiful yet complex nose of poached pear, mineral, citrus, lemon curd, brioche, bready/yeasty notes and a subtle, interesting oxidative note. It’s dry and austere on the palate with persistent tiny bead of bubbles and a rich, textured feel to go with a mélange of berries, creamy pear, baked apple, earth and smoky notes that all linger on a finessed palate and graceful finish.
David Lawrason, WineAlign
Here's a mature, nicely elegant, nuanced and complex traditional method sparkler based entirely on single vineyard pinot noir, aged five years on the lees. The nose shows well integrated baked apple, hazelnut, sourdough and cedary spice. The palate is mid-weight, with almost creamy mousse, very good acidity, and dry, nutty, slightly bitter pistachio shell finish. The length is excellent to outstanding. Tasted Dec 2019
John Szabo MS , WineAlign
Pure pinot noir given at least 60 months on the lees, 13th Street's top end sparkler has a slightly earthy-medicinal nose, heavily inflected with autolytic (toasty-biscuity, lees-derived) flavour alongside autumnal fruit, dried apple and pear, strawberry and sour cherry. Ample acids frame the mid-weight palate, and intensity and length are impressive. With its dry nature, it comes across as a touch austere, but fans of good bubbly will be satisfied. Tasted December 2019.
