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Bricolage Blanc

Bricolage Blanc Wine Details
Price: $18.00 per bottle

Description: The 2005 Bricolage Blanc is a beautiful cuvee composed of Willamette Valley Gewurtzraminer, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris. The nose displays all the floral nuances characteristic of these varietals as well as hints of peach and citrus. On the palate, this wine shines with hints of orange zest, meyer lemon, and stonefruit. As with all Lange Estate wines, the Bricolage Blanc is exceptionally well-balanced, expansive in the mid-palate, and finishes clean. With three percent residual sugar, this wine is off-dry, but the acid structure ensures a clean, fine-tuned finish. Enjoy!

Varietal Definition
Gewürztraminer:
Cultivated for over a thousand years, this white-wine grape (sometimes referred to simply as Traminer) is thought to have originated in the village of Tramin (or Temeno) in Italy’s Alto Adige region. Gewürztraminer grapes are planted in Alsace, a French region between Germany and France that specializes in excellent dry Gerwürztraminer wines. They’re also cultivated in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Rumania, Czechoslovakia, and Ukraine. Because they perform better in cooler climates, Gewürztraminer grapes have not done well in many of California’s warmer growing regions. However, they thrive in cooler California areas such as Carneros, Anderson Valley, and Monterey County, as well as in parts of Oregon and Washington. The German word ‘gewürz’ means ‘spiced,’ and these wines are known for their crisp, spicy attributes. They’re highly fragrant, with flavor characteristics of litchis, roses, and spices such as cloves and nutmeg. Gewürztraminer wines are available in varying degrees of sweetness -- dry, medium-sweet, and late harvest. Because of the grape’s pinkish (sometimes yellow) pigment, Gewürztraminer wines are some of the more deeply colored of the whites, many have gold or peach tones. The distinctive color and aroma of these wines make them easily recognizable by those familiar with this varietal wine.
Chardonnay:
Chardonnay is by far the most widely planted grape crop in California and dominates California’s cooler, coastal, quality wine regions. The natural varietal ‘taste and smell’ of Chardonnay is surprisingly unfamiliar to many wine drinkers, as its true character is often guised with dominating winemaking signatures. Chardonnay’s rather subdued primary fruit characteristics lean toward the crisp fruitiness of apples, pears and lemon, but the variety’s full body is capable of supporting a host of complementary characteristics, such as oak, butter and vanilla. Regardless of what is the appropriate style for Chardonnay, the varietal continues to dominate vineyard plantings in every corner of the world. Close attention to clonal selection has made this broad geographic and climactic range of Chardonnay viable in thoughtful viticultural hands.
Pinot Grigio/Gris:
Pinkish-white variety producing a very crisp white wine. Grown in Oregon, the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, and more and more in California, it shows promise for other cool climates. Also known as Tokay d'Alsace in France, Rulander in Germany, and Pinot Grigio in Italy.


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