2017 Castell D'encus 'Taika' Sparkling White Blend Pyrennes Spain

Winemaker Notes:  Light straw yellow. On the nose, notes of pastry, fine pear and green quince. Very small bubble and hints of winter apple. Very long and elegant finish. Inspired by the monks who originated the ancestral method for sparkling wine, Taïka does not rely on the addition of sugar for the bottle fermentation process. This permits a reduced impact of the lees-extraction effect, consequently improving the expression of our terroir. 

50% Semillon, 50% Sauvignon Blanc.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "The one sparkling wine produced here is the 2017 Taïka, produced by the ancestral method of finishing fermenting in bottle rather than provoking a second fermentation in bottle. He picks the grapes at full ripeness (rather than at 10.5% alcohol) to achieve more aromas and flavors in the fruit, picked at 12% and fermented in barrel and kept in bottle with lees for six years. The result is surprising, with the finesse of a wine produced with the Champenoise method, with a pressure of six atmospheres, 12.29% alcohol, a pH of 3.05 and 6.9 grams of acidity and fermented dry and with no addition of sugar or expedition liqueur (brut nature); it is clean, fresh and still very young, with floral notes and very fine bubbles. It was produced with a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon from limestone soils (someone told me recently, "Sparkling wines have to be from limestone soils. Period."), but the aromatic effect of the Sauvignon is very subtle. 2,500 bottles produced. It was disgorged in November 2023."