Jean-Louis Denois "Eclipse" Extra Brut

Where did sparkling wine originate? The obvious answer of course was in the glorious, bedazzling Champagne region, but you would be politely in error. Wines first bubbled to the surface not from the famed trials of Dom Perignon of the Abbey Hautvillers, but from unheralded, obscure monks at the Abbey of St. Hilaire near Limoux in 1531,well over a century before the Dom's birth. Carrying on this venerable tradition has been the magnificent obsession of Jean-Louis Denois, who this year surpassed his own efforts by creating a stunner of a sparkler, aptly called the Eclipse. This largely Pinot-Noir based Extra Brut lay a full 10 years in barrel and was aged on the lees in bottle for more than 4 years, delivering a vivid sensorium of flavors- crisp golden apple, white peach, lemon blossom, tea leaf and toast. Beautifully fresh and poised, with vibrant acidity and a lingering, lively finish. Scintillating!