We celebrated Christmas with 2011 Artisan Series Brut from Argyle Winery in Willamette Valley of Oregon.
The fruit came from one of Oregon's historic Knudsen Vineyard in Dundee Hills AVA. It was 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay. 2011 was one of the last vintages made by Rollin Soles one of our favorite winemakers and pioneers of sparkling wine production in Oregon.
2011 was one of the coolest vintages in Willamette Valley, and it resulted in fruit with high acidity and was great for sparkling production.
Brut had a beautiful golden color as we expected from seven-year-old sparkling with fine bubbles. It treated us with aromas of ripe yellow apples, pronounced mineral aromas, biscuit, and a note of the muscat grape.
The flavors continued with baked caramelized apple, biscuit, beeswax and a strong mineral note.
The mousse was very creamy, and flavors lingered for a while. Thanks to masterful dosage Argyle had an excellent balance between sweetness and acidity.
We were happy that we kept 2011 Artisan Series Brut until now. We think it's likely at its peak right now because in all its complexity it shows some age characteristics and yet displays the fresh fruit.
Keep wineswinging with us!
