Henry of Pelham Estate Winery Brut
Note: I publish batches of reviews that I call Good Values Wine Picks. These are from the regular section of the liquor store rather than the Vintages section, and tend to be lower priced and the most widely available of all wines. The last four reviews I did were: March 7, January 4, December 16 and November 20.
Tasting note:
This sparkling gets better every year, even though it's not vintage-dated. Lovely finesse and mousse with green apple vibrancy. The grapes were hand-picked in 50 pound lugs so they weren't bruised. The winery does press fractioning meaning the first bit of the juice (the head) and the last bit (the tail) aren't used in the wine just the juiciest, tastiest part of the juice. They also use the traditional Champagne method to make the wine. The wine spends 30 months on the lees which gives it a creamy texture. Serve as an aperitif on its own or add 1 oz. of Riesling Icewine or 1 oz of Cabernet Franc Icewine to 3 oz of Cuvee Catharine to make a Kir Catharine. Food matches: salmon caviar with sour cream; malpeque oysters with a hint of lemon.
Reviewed January 3, 2012 by Natalie MacLean
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Opinions about wine differ greatly as the experience is subjective. You may find it helpful to compare this critical evaluation of the wine with mine as well as your own:
 | Made from the blending of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Grapes were hand picked and bunch selected. Gentle whole cluster pressing followed.
Secondary fermentation was finished in bottle followed by a further 30 months aging on the lees.
Able to develop for 2-3 years but intended for drinking upon release. |
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Serve this wine between 45-50 degrees Farenheit or 6-10 degrees Celsius. Tip: If your bottle is at room temperature, put it in ice water for about 30 minutes or in the fridge for about three hours to chill it.
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