Description
Appellation : Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée Crémant d’Alsace
Production : 400.000 bottles
Location: in the area of Beblenheim, Riquewihr, Ostheim, Zellenberg and Mittelwihr.
Altitude: between 200m and 280 m
Climate: Continental with cold and freezing winters contrasting with hot and sunny summer and fall. It enjoys a very favourable microclimate with particularly low rainfall (hardly more than 500 mm per year).
Type of soil: Limestone pebbles and interlayered marls of Eo-Oligocene age. The subsoil is made of tertiary border conglomerate of the Rhinegraben.

Viticulture
Pinot Auxerrois and Pinot Blanc

The whole vine area is under Sustainable Agriculture, which means rationalised phytosanitary protection of the vines and environmental awareness of the full process from vineyard to bottling. The grapes used for the Crémant are hand-picked right at the start of the harvest in September. It is at the ideal timing for vinification, when the natural sugar and acidity of the grapes are mostly well balanced.

Winemaking:
According to the strict production rules set  by decree in 1976, the hand-picked grapes must be transported in bins holding less than 100 kg and the whole clusters must  be unload into  the press.
After the traditional fermentation (without malolactic), it is in the bottle itself that, thank to a secondary fermentation, the « prise de mousse » takes place and the wine becomes sparkling. Then, after a 12 month ageing « sur lattes » (on the lees), the bottles are rotated daily, gradually moving from the horizontal to the vertical position, in order for the yeast deposit to accumulate into the neck of the bottle. Then, the bottle neck is frozen, the sediment is ejected by natural pressure and this remaining space is filled with concentrated grape must, in order to provide the brut style of this wine. (Dry under 15g residual sugar)

Analysis 
Alc. by Vol.: 12.5% Total Acidity: 3.8 g/l (H2SO4) Total Sugars: 9.9 g/l.

Tasting Notes
This wine offers a nice and fine foam in a pale shimmering gold colour. Discreetly fruity and nice balanced lasting with a delicate freshness.
Perfect match as an aperitif but may be drunk throughout a meal from staters to seafood and dessert.

For further information please contact us.

D’VINE ESTATES SARL Tel.:1-514-623-1680 Email: bsparr@dvine.ca