Domaine Carneros Le Reve Blanc de Blancs Brut 2013

Domaine Carneros is the only sparkling wine producer exclusively using Carneros grapes in the heart of the Carneros region. The Carneros Appellation is the first American Viticultural appellation to be defined according to climate rather than along political lines. Almost all of the grapes for Domaine Carneros wines come from our estate vineyards.

Every morning, I thank my lucky stars that I am a winemaker. Even after 36 years, harvest is a complete thrill, beginning with the challenge of when to pick each block of grapes. Did we make the right call? Would Thursday be better than Wednesday? The grapes might look and taste right, but we won’t know until the first fermentations. 2013 was a wonderful growing season. It had been about ten days longer than usual from bloom to harvest as the flowering came early. The consistent growing and ripening conditions allowed us to pick the fruit as it became perfectly ripe. Grape sugars were where we wanted them, and flavours and balance were nearly perfect. We started bringing in grapes on August 16; the newly pressed juice was already delicious. The aroma of fermenting juice in the cellar was so rapturous that I never wanted to leave! Even with all these positive indicators, we didn’t know if 2013 was a great vintage until the first fermentations were complete. It will take years before our sparkling wines are ready for release, but fortunately, we have a few bottles from earlier vintages to tide you over. A votre santé!