verified
Mr A Furlong, Doncaster
30th Dec 2023
Lovely sparkling wine that made a great Christmas Day cocktail with the cassis.
A deep pink sparkling rosé. This is a delightfully fruity and refreshing fizz. The bubbles are fine and bright. The aromas are intense fresh red fruit, with a hint of boiled sweets. Soft and pleasant on the palate.
Organic Gamay grapes are harvested by hand. The fermentation starts in tank with yeasts that form naturally on the grape skins. The fermentation is prematurely stopped by cooling the must, which is then bottled. The fermentation completes in the bottle, giving a natural fizz.
This is known as Petillant Naturel or "Pet Nat", made using the Ancestral Method. Developed in the 16th century, this is the oldest way of making sparkling wine, and is the result of a single, continuous fermentation. What this means is that fermenting juice is bottled while it is still fermenting, i.e. while the yeast is still consuming the grape sugars in the juice. This results in the fermentation then continuing inside the bottle; trapping CO2 in the process, which is given off by the yeast.
Ideal as an aperitif, or add a few drops of blackcurrant, raspberry or elderberry liquer for a exciting take on a Kir Royale. It would also pair nicely with fruit desserts.
Gamay is a thin, delicate purple-black skinned grape which is cylindrical and compact, surrounded by flat, fairly even-edged leaves.
Although granite soils seem to be its soil of choice, the variety is good at adapting. Half of the 30,000 hectares of Gamay planted worldwide are in the Beaujolais region of France, where it covers 98% of the areas that produce Beaujolais wine.
The hilly Beaujolais vineyards stretch out from north to south over 55km, bordered to the west by the Massif Central, and to the east by the Saone river.
Beaujolais vineyards are emblematic in the French national landscape, but are still teeming with secrets to be unearthed. The region has a constent sense of welcome and sharing. Sculpted over centuries it is personified by its 12 AOCs.
Situated in the beautiful Pierres Dorées region of Beaujolais, the wines are made by third generation winemaking siblings Julien and Bérengère. Each cuveé shines just like the golden stones that give the area it's name.
Certified organic, the domain focusses on four principles: family, work, respect and love of the land. The best wine is not necessarily the most expensive but the one that we share.
verified
Mr A Furlong, Doncaster
30th Dec 2023
