Gusbourne Estate Brut 51° North 2014 750ml

From an excellent vintage and on lees for over six years, this exceptional bubbly is also England’s most expensive wine. Reaching a decade of age, it’s remarkably youthful. A pale radiant gold, this wine delivers vibrant aromas of honeyed lemon, grilled pineapple, guava, nougat and ground ginger open, with a toasty, mushroomy underbelly. There’s quiet opulence and power, here, with beads of fine bubbles and bright acidity. On the long creamy mousse ride a myriad flavors right through to the exceptionally long finish. It’s a world-class sparkling with regional character but global appeal.

• Country: England
• Size: 750ml
• Alcohol by Vol: 12.0%

Varietal

Champagne Blend

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn’t unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as ‘blanc de blanc’, meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or ‘blanc de noir’, which is made solely with Pinot Noir.