first vine: wine imports + sales : Domaine la Croix des Marchands Méthode "Ancestrale" Brut

Domaine la Croix des Marchands Méthode "Ancestrale" Brut

$18.00

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description
The village of Montans was a crossroad for the pottery trade from Roman times. It was also an important area for wine production, and the wine amphoras produced in the area (and presumably filled with local wine) have been found as far away as Northern Scotland and Southern Spain. The village is part of the Gaillac AOC in the Languedoc. Jerome Bézios produces wines under two labels: Domaine la Croix des Marchands, a tribute to the traveling merchants of the past, and Château Palvié, a subsection of the property named for the family that owned the property before the French Revolution. First Vine is the first importer to bring M. Bézios’s wines to the U.S.

The Gaillac region of France produces some Bordeaux-style wines, and also wines with local varietals, some of which have been grown for centuries. M. Bézios focuses on the best of the locals. “Methode Ancestrale” is a sparkling wine made from 100% Mauzac, the region's oldest varietal. Mauzac is a grape that can be either fruity, sweet, dry, or spicy depending on vinification, but it has a sort of pear and green apple flavor that comes through. This is the brut version of the "Methode Gaillacoise," one of our best sellers. It's dry but not bone-dry, crisp, and fresh.

The "Methode Ancestrale" is how sparkling wine was made before the champagne-making method was developed in the 1600s. The wine is fermented using only the natural yeast on the grape skins. Before fermentation, the wine is bottled, and the bottles are chilled to around 40 degrees F, which stops the fermentation. After aging in the bottles, the bottles are slowly allowed to warm to 50 degrees F, which re-activates the yeast and traps the carbon dioxide produced inside the bottle.

10% Alc by vol

producer / region: Domaine la Croix des Marchands

type: Appellation Gaillac Controlee Naturally Sparkling Wine

grapes:
100% Mauzac

category:
fizz & finales

food pairing suggestions:
An excellent aperitif, great with poultry, seafood, cheeses, and also desserts, especially dark chocolate.

drink when? Drink now or hold up to 6 years