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Wine Details
Price:
$59.00 per bottle
Description:
The 1999 Le Rêve is the eighth in a highly distinguished line of Blanc de Blancs, repeatedly voted Best of Class. This 100% chardonnay sparkling wine is seductively luscious, with an elegant structure that is enhanced with layers of tropical fruit flavors such as passion fruit, lichi and ginger. These are accented with floral notes of honeysuckle and white rose. The wine is overlaid with a honeyed, toasty character. Creamy elements wind through the lingering silky finish and texture. The 1999 vintage began with a cool spring. Bud break did not occur until April. The summer evenings were exceptionally cool and harvest began a full month later than usual. The crop was small and the long ripening period allowed time for full flavor development while maintaining high levels of acidity producing an exceptional quality of fruit.
The blend of the 1999 Le Rêve is 100% chardonnay selected from six different estate-grown clones. It has been aged on the lees in the bottle for six years. The appellation is 100% Carneros, 100% from the 1999 vintage and 100% estate-grown. It is drinking beautifully now but will continue to age and develop for many years.
This wine matches particularly well with shellfish such as crab, lobster and prawns. It will also enhance a variety of fish and poultry dishes and is an excellent match with goat and double or triple cream cheeses.
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Varietal Definition
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.
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