Cave Springs Blanc de Blancs NV
This wine originates from the Cave Spring Vineyard, nestled on a hillside of the Niagara Escarpment overlooking Lake Ontario, known as the Beamsville Bench. Along these gentle slopes, limestone-clay soil, elevation and moderating onshore breezes combine to deliver a Blanc de Blancs from Chardonnay, aged sur lie for 30 months, exhibiting a mineral purity reflective of its origins.
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Province | Ontario |
| Region | Niagara Peninsula |
| Sub-Ava | Beamsville Bench VQA |
| Producer | Cave Springs |
| Vintage(s) | NV |
| Color | Sparkling Wine |
| Varietal(s) | Chardonnay |
This wine originates from the Cave Spring Vineyard, nestled on a hillside of the Niagara Escarpment overlooking Lake Ontario, known as the Beamsville Bench. Along these gentle slopes, limestone-clay soil, elevation and moderating onshore breezes combine to deliver a Blanc de Blancs from Chardonnay, aged sur lie for 30 months, exhibiting a mineral purity reflective of its origins.
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Province | Ontario |
| Region | Niagara Peninsula |
| Sub-Ava | Beamsville Bench VQA |
| Producer | Cave Springs |
| Vintage(s) | NV |
| Color | Sparkling Wine |
| Varietal(s) | Chardonnay |
| Closure | Cork |
|---|---|
| Volume | 750ml |
| Alcohol | 12% |
| Product Code | A030S001NV |
| UPC | 779334903508 |
| Inventory | In Stock (13) |
Tasting notes
Colour Medium yellow.
Nose Lifted aromas of dried citrus, toast, sliced red apple and allspice over notes of wet stone, lemon meringue and ginger.
Palate Extra-brut in style with a pearly mousse; vigorous yet creamy up front with lemon pith and blueberry pulp notes; mixed citrus essence tones underpin a rich, velvety mid-palate replete with ripe yellow plum fruit and framed by round, polished edges; a light salinity brings lift and definition, driving a generous finish of yellow grapefruit, walnuts, crushed stone and dairy cream.
Pairing
Raw oysters, sushi/sashimi, lobster bisque, soft shell crab, grilled Portobello mushrooms, quiche, game terrine, as an aperitif
Cellaring
Enjoy now through 2025
Opens with wispy notes of lemon curd, toast and pistachio nougat on the nose. The attack is bright, dry and linear with a tightly coiled centre that unwinds with fruit and florals—citrus, baked apple and white flowers—as well as butter pastry, mandarin, wet stones and salted lemon. Wonderful weight, balance, finesse and length. This is the bottle to keep in the door of the fridge to pull out for that drop-of-the-hat celebration. Date:02/17/2024
A remarkable Niagara sparkling wine made from 100% Chardonnay grapes. Toasty beautiful with green apple freshness and layers of refreshment, like ocean spray on a warm summer's day. The vines are planted in limestone clay soils on the benchlands of the Niagara Escarpment. The wine is aged sur lie in the bottle for a minimum of 30 months prior to disgorging. Terrific minerality and persistent mousse. Wow.
Sparkling food pairings: cold chicken and watercress sandwiches, smoked salmon on baguette, seafood hors d'œuvres.
John Szabo, MS. Cave Spring continues to turn out really fine traditional method bubbles at a price that gives many a Champagne house pause for thought, another marvel of consistency and pleasure, a classic Blanc de Blancs with impeccable balance and fully representative aromas and flavours. Lemon curd and almonds, hard pear and apple mingle with a decent measure of toasty-yeasty-biscuity character , though still fairly youthful expression overall, yet to shift fully into the tertiary spectrum. The palate is dry and crisp, lively, broad and mouth-filling with excellent length and depth. Not much more one can ask for in traditional method sparkling at this price. Forget entry-level champagne; this is better.
Appellation
VQA Beamsville Bench
Viticulture
VITICULTURE
- Soil: Stony clay till composed primarily of limestone and dolostone mixed with sandstone, shale, and traces of granite and gneiss; soils overlie moraine and sandstone/shale bedrock; depth ranges from 4 to 8 m.
- Elevation: 125–155 m (410–510 ft)
- Slope/Exposure: 3–6% / NNW
- Density: 1,450/ac (3,600/ha)
- Clones: Chard. 96, 77
- Trellis: 2-cane Guyot
- Avg Vine Age: 38 years
HARVEST DATA
- Dates: 9/9/21–9/24/21
- Sugar: 18.3º Brix
- pH: 3.20
- Titratable Acidity: 8.0 g/L
- Yield: 4.0 mt/ac (74 hl/ha)
BOTTLING DATA
- Tirage–Disgorging: 6/22–11/24
- Dosage: 2.0 g/L
- pH: 3.05
- Titratable Acidity: 7.5 g/L
- Production: 5,785 cs
- Alc/Vol: 12.0%
- Vintages: 100% 2021
Vinification
Whole cluster fruit was press fractioned, with the hearts fermented to dryness (< 2 g/L), 70% in tank and 30% in neutral, 225L oak barrels using selected yeast; all lots aged sur lie for 6 months pre tirage, and 29 months in bottle prior to disgorging; minimal sulphur additions.
Producer Description
In 1978, against the advice of experts at the time, the Pennachetti family chose to plant some of Niagara’s first European vinifera vines, including Riesling and Chardonnay. That choice, motivated by the family’s unwavering belief that the future of the Ontario wine industry lay with more noble varieties, would fundamentally alter the trajectory of the Canadian wine industry. In time, they would expand their vineyards to include Gamay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc, all well-suited to Niagara’s cool climate and offering a level of wine quality comparable to the finest European examples.
The decision to focus on core, cool-climate vinifera varieties wasn’t the only discussion around the family dinner table in those early days that would shape the winery and winemaking in Niagara for decades to come. Opting to plant at densities of 3,600 vines per ha (1,455 per ac), which was unheard of in 1978 and is still higher than the regional norm, continues to pay dividends for ripening and vine health. Opting for vertical shoot positioning, which was novel in Niagara at the time, was another family-driven decision that has only become standard practice in the region much more recently.
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This wine originates from the Cave Spring Vineyard, nestled on a hillside of the Niagara Escarpment overlooking Lake Ontario, known as the Beamsville Bench. Along these gentle slopes, limestone-clay soil, elevation and moderating onshore breezes combine to deliver a Blanc de Blancs from Chardonnay, aged sur lie for 30 months, exhibiting a mineral purity reflective of its origins.