Langenlois Grosse Reserve Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature 2013

The grapes for this sparkling wine come from Langenlois. Chardonnay, Pinot blanc and Pinot gris were used. The grapes were harvested by hand in 20 kg crates at the beginning to middle of September 2013. After a whole bunch pressing with a yield of 50 litres of juice from 100 kg of grapes and a pre-clarification of approx. 40 hours, the juice was fermented after spontaneous fermentation at 18 to 22 ºC for two to four weeks in steel tanks. There it remained on the full lees for seven months and on the fine lees for another two months. The cuvée was bottled on 30.6.2014. Sur lattes it remained until June 2018, after which it was shaken by hand. Around 20 mg/l SO₂ after acid reduction and before bottling, no further sulphurisation and no dosage during dégorgement.
 

medium straw yellow with fine mousseux

What a balanced, complex, elegant and demanding nose reveals the 2013 Great Reserve! Finest notes of yeast and brioche, lightly roasted hazelnuts and almonds meet white flowers, lemon zest and kumquats, some yellow fruit, crushed lime and oyster shells, but also some undergrowth and mushrooms. This is complex, animating and lets expect great things - not only because of the name.

On the palate, the absolutely fine, very elegant perlage, which announces a long yeast storage, inspires at first. The sparkling wine shows itself taut and firmly wrought with a precise, clear, all-pervading acidity and with deep minerality. The Large reserve is tart in its citrus fruit and herbal notes, juicy in its bright fruit, fresh and enhancing the drinking flow with a salty citrus momentum and elegant in its slightly creamy texture. Is it too much to say that this is one of the best sparkling wines the German-speaking countries have to offer? Especially at this price? So much balance, so much depth, intensity, tension and finesse can be found extremely rarely.