Les Quarterons, Cremant de Loire Brut NV

£19.95 per bottle

ABV 12.0%

Tasting Notes
The prominent acidity of Chenin Blanc grapes from the Loire allows for the production of exceptional `méthode traditionelle` sparkling wines. This Cremant de Loire is a complex sparkling wine that spends 18 months on ageing on lees. Pale lemon in colour with notes of baked apples on the nose. The palate has a lovely, soft mousse with notes of lemon, apple, honeysuckle and brioche. The racy acidity of the Chenin Blanc leaves a very crisp and clean impression on the palate.

Food
Serve as an aperitif or alongside a smoked salmon starter.

Region
The Method Traditionelle requires a secondary fermentation within the closed bottle to create a fine natural mousse and generate the rich yeasty lees flavours enjoyed in the best sparkling wines. This is the method used to make Champagne, although it has long been the preferred method to create distinguished sparkling wines in many of France`s wine regions. The Languedoc`s Blanquette de Limoux claims to be the oldest, yet there is an established tradition of Method Traditionelle wines in the Loire Valley where the sparkling wines of Saumur and Cremant de Loire are also aged in natural chalk cellars. Other notable Method Traditionelle sparkling wines originate in Burgundy, Alsace and the south west.

Producer
The estate, certified Ecocert and Demeter, is cultivated to biodynamic guidelines, respecting the environment. Clos des Quarterons is a 37 hectare family run estate and the sixth generation of the Amirault family, Agnes and Xavier are now in charge. The domaine plants Cabernet Franc and has been joined by just over a hectare of Chenin Blanc, planted on gravel and siliceous soils that trap the heat of the sun.