Pierre Sparr Cremant Brut Reserve

Ripe and juicy, this is a voluptuous sparkler with scents of roses and red fruit. It ends smoky and a little bitter, ready to pour with Morbier.

• • Appellation: Appellation Crémant d’Alsace Controlée (awarded the region in 1976)
  • Location: Vosges hillsides and Rhine valley, from Guebwiller to Marlenheim
  • Viticulture: No irrigation; trellis system; hand-harvested
  • Size: 27 hectares (66.7 acres)
  • Vine Age: 26 years
  • Soil: Granite, limestone, gneiss, chalky-clay
  • Elevation: 200-400 meters (656-1,312 feet)
  • Exposure: Primarily eastern and southern
  • Density: 4,000 vines per hectare (1,620 vines per acre)

• Vintage Report

  • Dates for the beginning of harvest for each AOC are set by decree, generally 100 days after the median date of flowering, at the time when the grapes display the best sugar-to-acid ratio. Intended vineyards for sparkling wine must be declared in advance of harvest and must be picked by hand. Grapes destined for Crémant are generally picked a few days before those for still wines in Alsace.

  • Harvest Date(s): mid-September
  • Yields: 80 hl/ha (5.9 tons/acre)

• Vinification

  • Whole-cluster pressing; first fermentation occurs in temperature-controlled, stainless-steel vats, transforming the must into still wine. Six months later, the wines are blended to achieve the distinctive flavor profile of the brut réserve. Blended wine is then bottled with a specific yeast added to relaunch the second fermentation in bottle. The wine rests on lees a minimum of 12 to 16 months prior to disgorgement. Finally, the dosage is added to provide the particular brut style of this sparkling wine.

  • Filtration: Microfiltration
  • Bottle Aging: 12-16 months on the lees