Some of the best sparkling wines in Washington state now are coming out of Lake Chelan, and Kevin Brown invested time and resources into this remarkable bottle of vintage bubbles. It began Sept. 13 with Pinot Noir taken from his Siren of the Lake Estate Vineyard, followed by extended tirage — 18 months in bottle on the lees. Its appearance shows no sign of skin contact, while the nose offers hints of dusty pear, lemon, rising bread dough and minerality. Brown’s work with the mousse is particularly stunning — fine-grained, delicate yet mouth-filling — and is accompanied by flavors of Asian pear, white peach and a trailing finish of Granny Smith apple with lime zest. It’s both classic and quenching. His wife, acclaimed culinary instructor Holly Brown, suggests serving this with raw oysters, seared scallops, grilled asparagus or roasted duck with a raspberry-rhubarb reduction.
Rating: Outstanding!
Production: 125 cases
Alcohol: 13.5%
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