Ancestrale Grand Millésime | Brut Reserve

Ancestrale Grand Millésime | Brut Reserve

Is a fine expression of the méthode ancestrale sparkling wine production method. It is a return to the old, original tradition of sparkling wine production.

Ancestrale Grand Millésime | Brut Reserve

Is a naturally sparkling wine, elegant and refined, as its name suggests. It is made from carefully selected grapes from the local Broad-leaved Melnik grape variety.

TASTING NOTES

Ancestrale Grand Millésime | Brut Reserve
Shows a brilliant yellow colour. The foam is creamy and characterized by a fine and persistent perlage (string of pearls that refers to the bubbles) The nose is intense and refined. The palate shows harmony and complexity, supplemented by fine an elegant flavours of white fruit. 

HOW TO DRINK IT

We recommend you to serve this sparkling wine as a welcome drink accompanied by a bowl of seasonal fruits and/or light salads. The ideal choice for your holiday, wedding, prom party, anniversary or just a garden party with good friends!

Serving temperature: 6-8°C

For current vintage, alcohol percentage and more details go to the tab Specification.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

MÉTHODE ANCESTRALE

The ancestral method, also known as méthode ancestrale or pétillant naturel (pét-nat) in French, is a traditional method of producing sparkling wine. This method involves bottling wine before it has finished its first fermentation, allowing the fermentation to finish in the bottle, trapping carbon dioxide inside and creating natural carbonation.
In the ancestral method, the grape must (juice) is fermented in the same way as still wine until it reaches a certain level of sweetness. At this point, the wine is bottled before all the sugar has been converted to alcohol, allowing the remaining sugar to be fermented by the yeasts in the bottle. This secondary fermentation produces carbon dioxide, which is trapped in the bottle, creating the bubbles in the wine.

VINIFICATION

The whole bunches, picked entirely by hand, are immediately given a soft pressing. The must obtained by this operation goes directly into temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks for the initial fermentation. In January of the following year the wine undergoes a second fermentation, this time in bottle, remaining in contact with its fine lees for an extended period of more than 6 years.

MELNIK GRAPE VARIETY

The Melnik grape variety only grows in the southwestern-most and warmest corner of Bulgaria, in the distinct Mediterranean valley of the Struma River. According to a very popular story, Melnik wine was Winston Churchill’s favourite – it is even claimed that Churchill had 500 litres of this wine delivered to him annually! Whether this is true or not, it is certain that the Melnik wine has a captivating taste, often with tobacco and leather hints.

Two different clones of the Melnik grape exist. Broad-Leaved Melnik Vine (Bulgarian: Широка мелнишка лоза, Shiroka melnishka loza) is a late-ripening variety which bears all the signs of an age-worthy southern red grape variety. Varietals are often named just Melnik, referring to the picturesque smallest town in Bulgaria, famous for its winemaking tradition.

That's why Broad-leaved Melnik Vine ...

Early Melnik Grape (Bulgarian: Ранна Мелнишка Лоза, Ranna Melnishka Loza) also known as Melnik 55 is a hybrid between the local grape variety Broad-Leaved Melnik Vine and mixed pollen of the French varieties Durif, Jurançon, Valdiguié and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Early Melnik Grape was created in 1963 by a team of oenologists. Their goal was to create a grape variety that ripens earlier than the local Broad-Leaved Melnik Vine, which ripens in the beginning of October, but at the same time preserves the unique characteristics of the Melnik variety. Interestingly, Early Melnik Grape was not immediately embraced by Bulgarian oenologists and the different hybrids selected from Broad-Leaved Melnik Vine were merely branded as Melnik wines. However, Early Melnik Grape is easier to cultivate and demonstrates significant potential for the production of excellent wines both as a single variety and in blends. This was confirmed after wines from Early Melnik Grape received a number of international awards which prompted the Bulgarian Vine and Wine Chamber to finally list this hybrid variety as a variety on its own in 2006.

Read more about The Melnik grape and other Bulgarian indigenous grape varieties ...

Melnik in South-western Bulgaria ...

Melnik is also the name of the smallest Bulgarian town, picturesquely situated amongst a fantastic scenery – strangely shaped pyramids of sand and limestone. During the 17th -18th century it became a flourishing tobacco and wine-producing centre, whose fame spread to many European countries. The beautiful fortress-like houses with broad wine cellars, cut in the limestone rocks date back to this period.

ENJOY!