Saint Hilaire Limoux Blanc de Blanc Brut 2018
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Saint-Hilaire Brut displays aromatic flavors of peach, pear and green apple skins with a wonderful, full, creamy mouthfeel. Think non vintage Champagne for a fraction of the cost.
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First brought to America by Thomas Jefferson himself, the monks at Saint-Hilaire have been making Mauzac-based sparkling wines since 1531. Delicious and fairly dry with a lighter body and leaning heavily into citrus, apple and pear profiles, this Limoux sparkling wine carries yeasty aromas and creamy textures all the way through the refined finish.
By 1794 Blanquette de Limoux was well known and appreciated throughout France. About that time, it was discovered by a famous American, Thomas Jefferson.
Among his other talents, the third American President was an expert on French Wines and Blanquette de Limoux, one of his favorites, was an integral part of his wine cellar. In fact, President Jefferson was probably the first person to bring the wine to America.
Today, Blanquette de Limoux has won the acclaim of knowledgeable wine enthusiasts throughout the world.
It is sold in the United States under the name SAINT-HILAIRE in honor of the monks who first created the wine more than 475 years ago. One taste of SAINT-HILAIRE quickly reveals why France’s Oldest Sparkling Wine is also its' best.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Blanquette de Limoux AOC wines preserve the Limousin tradition of making sparkling winennamely from the local Mauzac grape. Made in the labor-intensive Méthode Traditionelle (the same used in Champagne) which produces the finest sparkling wines, their grapes come from high-altitude Pyrenean vineyards where the cool air lets the grapes retain the acidity necessary to make a good bubblies. Leaner than their Crémant de Limoux cousins (which are made of Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay), they show crisp apple and pear, balanced by a warm yeasty character. Representing a centuries-old heritage in sparklers, these wines can be great values.