Gruet 'Blanc de Noirs' Brut NV

Wine Spectator 90
"Elegant and focused, with creamy vanilla and apple aromas and rich yet crisp flavors of baked pear and cinnamon bread. Drink now through 2014. 20,000 cases made. –TF"

Cheers Magazine 95
"The French family Gruet founded their winery in Albuquerque, NM more than 25 years ago, producing delightful wines by méthode champenoise using traditional Champagne grapes. Gruet’s Blanc de Noirs is 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay. It has a lovely pale salmon/coral color with a floral bouquet and hints of strawberry, peach, and sweet spice on the palate. Its finish is long with racy, sweet/tart acidity. A simply beautiful style and a great value."

BLANC DE NOIRS

Tasting Notes
Pale salmon in color, this full-bodied wine had a fine mousse and a creamy, rich texture. Complex aromas and flavors of raspberry, baked pear and cherry are complemented by a hint of toasted vanilla. The balance of fruit, minerals and crisp acidity lead to a round mouthfeel and lasting finish.

Winemaking Notes
Varietal Blend: 75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay
pH: 3.12
RS: 1% g/l
Alcohol: 12%
Vineyards: American
Oak: Bottle Aged
Fining: Sterile Pads
Aging: Aged en Tirage for a minimum of 24 months

"The rich and toasty character of this Blanc de Noirs is balanced and superb. Aged for two-year minimum, the palate is developed and shows rich complex flavors. The amazing berries aromas and the creamy texture play a leading role and create a great finesse. Winemaker's Note: A fine salmon color, aggressive mousse and a lovely fruity wine with plenty of immediate charm and toasty aromas. There is also an explosive juicy flavor of raspberry.

When I tell you that a winery in New Mexico makes terrific sparkling wine, you might say, 'you gotta be kidding'. I'm not. And neither are they. Gruet winery is the real deal, in every sense. Their sparkling wine is in America's top rank, even if their advertising budget (if they have one) cannot remotely compare to those of the big California outfits&Gruet's non vintage Blanc de Noirs is a lovely sparkling wine, a blend of pinot noir and chardonnay with a very pale salmon hue. The pinot noir base shows beautifully, with an unusual richness conveying delicate but discernible berryish notes of raspberry and strawberry with a creamy texture. The price is astounding for the quality; if theres a better sparkling wine made in America or anywhere else, for that matter- that delivers this kind of quality at that low a price, I haven't tasted it. "- Matt Kramer (Wine Spectator)

Gilbert Gruet must have sounded a little crazy when he decided to put down roots in New Mexico with the goal of making excellent méthode champenoise sparkling wines like those he crafted in Champagne. Now, 30 years since the Gruet family first planted an experimental vineyard near the town of Truth or Consequences, Gruet has become a classic that places well above its peers both in terms of quality and value for sparkling wines.

Gilbert Gruet started making Champagne in 1952 in his hometown of Bethon, France. It was during a family trip to the southwestern United States that the Gruet family met a group of European winemakers who had successfully planted vineyards in New Mexico. The following year, Gilbert's children, Laurent and Nathalie, moved to New Mexico to start a new journey for this Champagne family. 1987 was the first vintage, and after aging the wines en tirage for the required two years, Gruet put New Mexico on the wine map with its first release in 1989.

The Gruet vineyards reach 4300 feet in elevation, making them some of the highest in the United States. While daytime temperatures are quite warm, night can bring drops of up to 30 degrees, cooling down the grapes and slowing maturation. Gruet grows in sand and loam soils in an area that lacks humidity. This decreases disease pressure, allowing grapes to be grown without the use of pesticides.

Farming Practice:Practicing Organic