Bravium Wiley Vineyard Blanc De Noir 2018
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"When I started farming Wiley Vineyard, I reflected on the fact that it is graced with exceptional sparkling wine terroir and was inspired by some favorite Grower Champagnes to produce my own Grower Blanc de Noirs. Every year, I have been fascinated by the vintage signature this wine exhibits while consistently delivering pure fruit with savory notes. As with all Bravium wines, I employ a natural approach to viticulture and vinification, hand-harvesting select blocks at night, gently whole cluster pressing, and fermenting with wild yeast in used French and Hungarian oak barrels. The resulting wine benefits from these traditional, light-handed practices." - Winegrower Derek Rohlffs
Wine Specs
Vintage
2018
Varietal
Pinot Noir
Appellation
Anderson Valley
Harvest Date
September 11, 2018
Acid
7.8 g/L
pH
3.13
Aging
Wild yeast fermented and aged for 10 months in used French and Hungarian oak barrels
Alcohol %
12.5
Wine Profile
Awards
92 Points - “This is Derek Rohlffs’ first sparkling wine release, composed entirely of pinot noir from the superb Wiley Vineyard. The vins clairs were barrel-fermented with indigenous yeasts, aged ten months in cask prior to bottling for secondary fermentation. The wine finished with residual sugar of less than three grams per liter. It offers up a refined bouquet of white peach, brioche, a lovely base of soil, just a whisper of oak and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is zesty, full-bodied and very well-balanced, with a good core, fine mineral drive, pinpoint bubbles and a long, complex and zesty finish. This is very good- let us hope Derek continues this project! 2020-2040+.” – John Gilman
Vineyard Notes
Wiley Vineyard was planted in 1972 in the famed “Deep End”, the westernmost portion of Anderson Valley. Wiley is a true cool-climate site, resting on benchlands just nine miles from the Pacific Ocean. This vineyard is renowned for its bucolic setting and elegant, finessed wines from 45-year-old vines. I am honored to farm Wiley Vineyard, truly world-class terroir.
Vineyard Notes
Favorable conditions at the start of the 2018 growing season - specifically bud break and flowering - in Anderson Valley were followed by pleasantly uneventful weather throughout the year. Steady, even ripening allowed harvest to occur at precisely the right time, without any late-season heat spikes that had occurred in recent years. Grape yields were above average and quality was exceptional in this temperate vintfge.
Winemaker Notes
"This single-vineyard Brut Nature sparkling wine, with less than 3 g/L residual sugar, was bottled unfiltered. It is a wine that transparently speaks of a special place and a specific vintage, an expression inspired by my favorite Grower Champagnes.
Brilliant, light copper. Lively ripe to candied peach and citrus fruit with a sweet custard or cheese pastry backing. Hints of lees, herbs, and pleasant oxidation mingle with the bright, fresh fruit (i.e. a recently cut apple versus a day old apple). Energetic and intense. Texturally rich and savory with miso notes and saline acid that is resolved and well-integrated. Pure, dynamic, and finessed with a slightly dry but quenching finish that is exceptionally flavorful and persistent. This wine is already showing the lightly autolytic character you would expect from a reserve wine that has aged much longer. This is the result of fermenting and aging the base wine on the lees for ten months in neutral oak barrels before tirage bottling, effectively fast-forwarding the aging process. Enjoy!" – Derek Rohlffs, Winemaker
Other Notes
100% Pinot Noir
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