Behind the Bottle: 2016 Blanc de Noirs
Here in the United States, vintage sparkling wines with extended aging are rare. The process is laborious and requires the ultimate investment of time. At Evening Land we look to the standard set in Champagne where a long tirage (aging on lees) is the standard. The minimum for vintage Champagne is three years and with this extended aging comes complexity and richness of texture.
Evening Land’s 2016 Blanc de Noirs begins with Pinot Noir grapes grown in the picturesque and dramatic la Forêt vineyard at the summit of Seven Springs. From harvest to release this wine was raised for six years - four of those on the lees. The final two years are often passed over by many producers, but for the patient producer the additional time allows the mousse to calm and the bead to tighten from large, forceful bubbles, to a subtler and finer texture.
This investment of time and energy is made all the more special as only 660 bottles of 2016 Blanc de Noirs were produced. In what might be the most explicit ode to terroir to ever grace a wine label, Evening Land’s vintage sparkling wines carry the structural features of our vineyard’s soil under microscope magnification. Silica tetrahedra which bonds with the iron in our volcanic soils to form the dirt in which these grapes grow. The label has the effect of something abstract and alluring, but the knowledge that it captures what makes this wine unique can be our little secret.
Tasting Note: The 2016 Seven Springs Blanc de Noirs is energetic and focused, with bright-fruited aromas and notes of Alpine berries and botanicals. The refined mousse glosses the palate with richness and carries through flavors of citrus, toasted hazelnut skin, and ripe berries to a lively finish.