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WTN /WineAdvisor: Historic bubbly (Saint-Hilaire '03 Blanquette de Limoux)

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WTN /WineAdvisor: Historic bubbly (Saint-Hilaire '03 Blanquette de Limoux)

by Robin Garr » Mon Nov 13, 2006 2:44 pm

Historic bubbly

The Benedictine monks of Limoux in Southwestern France, it is said, invented the world's first sparkling wine in 1531, well over a century before another Benedictine, Dom Pierre Pérignon, perfected the more familiar fizzy wine that caught the world's attention as Champagne.

There's no real question that Limoux's ascendancy is real ... but the world's first bubbly had to be a very different wine from the cork-popping Champagne and other sparkling wines as we know them today.

A simple question says it all: What did they put it in? Even during Pérignon's era in the late Seventeenth and early Eighteenth Century - much less a century earlier in Limoux - modern glass bottle and cork technology were in their infancy, and fermentation science wasn't understood at all. Even as late as the early 1800s, according to Hugh Johnson in <I>Vintage: The Story of Wine</I>, as much as 80 percent of Champagne production was lost to bottles exploding in the chalk cellars beneath Reims and Epernay, victims of flawed bottle glass, out-of-control fermentation ... or both.

Fizz was a natural occurrence in the tartly acidic white wines of both Limoux and Champagne, where fermentation would re-start in the barrels every spring after activity had halted during winter's cold. But in the custom of the time, these wines weren't routinely bottled. The light, fragile and hand-made bottles of the 1500s would have been utterly inadequate to the task of containing a modern Champagne; it wasn't until the 1630s, Johnson writes, that Sir Kenelm Digby, an Englishman, came up with a process for blowing bottles sturdy enough to hold sparkling wine at any acceptable level of risk. Only with the Industrial Revolution a century after that, followed by Pasteur's research into fermentation a generation later, could Champagne finally be produced consistently and bottled with real safety.

So what kind of a wine was sparkling Limoux during the 1500s? The rare Limoux sparkler called "<i>methode ancestrale</i>" ("ancestral method") offers a clue: Slightly fizzy wine was put into bottles when fermentation wasn't quite complete, held in with a cork tied down with twine. A gentle fermentation would continue in the bottle, but would eventually cease when the wine's alcohol content remained at a low 5% or 6%, resulting in a frothy, yeasty and weak beverage with a substantial ration of murky sediment sitting on the bottom of the flask like a home-brewed beer. Even so, it's safe to assume that a lot of Limoux bottles exploded and that if the wine was exported, it wasn't exported far.

A small amount of <i>methode ancestrale</i> Limoux is still made by artisanal producers, but it's safely put into modern sparkling-wine bottles. Much more widely available, however, are Blanquette de Limoux and Crémant de Limoux, sparkling wines made by the Champagne method, using white grape varieties that include the regional grape Mauzac plus Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.

Today's featured wine is a Blanquette de Limoux from the Aimery Sieur d'Arques winery, labeled <b>Saint-Hilaire</b> in the U.S. and Aimery Sieur d'Arques in the rest of the world. At $10, it's one of the best quality-for-value sparkling wines you'll find anywhere.

<table border="0" align="right" width="170"><tr><td><img src="http://www.wineloverspage.com/graphics1/sain1112.jpg" border="1" align="right"></td></tr></table>Saint-Hilaire 2003 Blanquette de Limoux Blanc de Blancs Brut ($9.99)

Clear pale gold, lasting stream of bubbles. Fresh and crisp, apples and just a touch of yeasty "rising bread dough" in the aroma and flavor. Creamy carbonated mouthfeel, dry and acidic; the sharp acid edge may make it a better table wine than for sipping after a toast - it's first-rate with an appropriate food match. U.S. importer: Jack Poust & Co., Inc., NYC. (Nov. 12, 2006)

<B>FOOD MATCH:</b> A tongue-in-cheek tribute to sparkling wine's versatility with food: Fresh-baked baguettes with local-farm bratwurst and Creole mustard.

<B>VALUE:</B> One of the best bubbly bargains around - Champagne quality at one-third the cost - and the $10 price has held locally since the 1997 vintage.

<B>PRONUNCIATION:</B>
<B>Blanquette de Limoux</B> = "<I>Blahn-ket duh Lee-moo</I>"
<B>Mouzac</B> = "<I>mo-zahk</I>"

<B>WHEN TO DRINK:</B> Ready to drink, but it's certainly safe to keep it for a year or two on the wine rack or in the cellar.

<B>WEB LINK:</B>
The U.S. importer offers an informative page about this wine. The producer, Aimery Sieur d'Arques, has a Website in French and English; the English pages start here.

<B>FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:</B>
Locate U.S. vendors for Saint-Hilaire on Wine-Searcher.com.
Consumers in other countries can find some of this winery's products under Aimery Sieur d'Arques.
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Re: WTN /WineAdvisor: Historic bubbly (Saint-Hilaire '03 Blanquette de Limoux)

by ClarkDGigHbr » Tue Nov 14, 2006 3:21 am

Saint-Hilaire 2003 Blanquette de Limoux Blanc de Blancs Brut ($9.99)


I had the 2001 Saint-Hilaire and completely agree that it is one of the best $10 sparkling wines you can find. Another excellent choice, which our local wine shop carries, is Maison Vergnes Blanquette de Limoux Le Berceau Brut ($11). Simply out of convenience, this latter is the one I keep in stock around our house.

-- Clark
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Re: WTN /WineAdvisor: Historic bubbly (Saint-Hilaire '03 Blanquette de Limou

by Dave Erickson » Tue Nov 14, 2006 10:30 am

I find the experience of drinking Saint-Hilaire somewhat like drinking a fino sherry with bubbles. It's very good, but I would not recommend it as a Champagne substitute. Better a prosecco or one of the better cavas. Or better still, a Cotes du Jura sparkler--they're usually 100% chardonnay and closer in character to Champagne than the Limoux sparklers.
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Re: WTN /WineAdvisor: Historic bubbly (Saint-Hilaire '03 Blanquette de Limou

by Robin Garr » Tue Nov 14, 2006 10:44 am

Dave Erickson wrote:I find the experience of drinking Saint-Hilaire somewhat like drinking a fino sherry with bubbles. It's very good, but I would not recommend it as a Champagne substitute. Better a prosecco or one of the better cavas. Or better still, a Cotes du Jura sparkler--they're usually 100% chardonnay and closer in character to Champagne than the Limoux sparklers.


Dave, I do like Prosecco a lot, and it (but not Spanish Cava) is my usual cheap-bubbly recommendation.

I'm really surprised by the Fino analogy, though. I don't get any "Sherry" character out of Saint-Hilaire at all, and almost wonder if you had an oxidized bottle. Have you found this character consistently?
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Re: WTN /WineAdvisor: Historic bubbly (Saint-Hilaire '03 Blanquette de Limou

by Robin Garr » Tue Nov 14, 2006 10:45 am

ClarkDGigHbr wrote:Maison Vergnes Blanquette de Limoux Le Berceau Brut ($11)


Thanks for the tip, Clark. I haven't seen this producer around, but will watch out for it. Any idea who the importer is?
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Re: WTN /WineAdvisor: Historic bubbly (Saint-Hilaire '03 Blanquette de Limou

by Mark Lipton » Tue Nov 14, 2006 1:27 pm

Dave Erickson wrote:I find the experience of drinking Saint-Hilaire somewhat like drinking a fino sherry with bubbles. It's very good, but I would not recommend it as a Champagne substitute. Better a prosecco or one of the better cavas. Or better still, a Cotes du Jura sparkler--they're usually 100% chardonnay and closer in character to Champagne than the Limoux sparklers.


I recently had the experience of tasting the '02 St. Hilaire alongside an NV Prosecco from Aneri. The Aneri was delicious: lively, aromatic and filled with character. In comparison, the St. Hilaire seemed a bit muted and dull. However, it may be unfair to judge it by the '02 version, so I'll keep an open mind.

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Re: WTN /WineAdvisor: Historic bubbly (Saint-Hilaire '03 Blanquette de Limou

by ClarkDGigHbr » Wed Nov 15, 2006 12:25 am

Robin Garr wrote:
ClarkDGigHbr wrote:Maison Vergnes Blanquette de Limoux Le Berceau Brut ($11)


Thanks for the tip, Clark. I haven't seen this producer around, but will watch out for it. Any idea who the importer is?


Robin, The importer is Wine Traditions, Falls Church, VA. -- Clark
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Re: WTN /WineAdvisor: Historic bubbly (Saint-Hilaire '03 Blanquette de Limou

by ClarkDGigHbr » Wed Nov 15, 2006 12:35 am

Dave Erickson wrote:I find the experience of drinking Saint-Hilaire somewhat like drinking a fino sherry with bubbles. It's very good, but I would not recommend it as a Champagne substitute. Better a prosecco or one of the better cavas. Or better still, a Cotes du Jura sparkler--they're usually 100% chardonnay and closer in character to Champagne than the Limoux sparklers.


I disagree. At $10-11 a bottle, the Blanquettes come across quite nicely for the price.

The Prosecco's I've tasted in that price range came across as metalic and austere. I usually ended up adding it to my morning OJ and pretended it was vitamins.

The better Cavas I've tasted were all in the $15-20 price range. However, my sample set has not been very large.

I can honestly say that I have not experienced a Cotes du Jura sparkler. I will make it a point to keep on looking.
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Re: WTN /WineAdvisor: Historic bubbly (Saint-Hilaire '03 Blanquette de Limou

by Dave Erickson » Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:04 am

Robin Garr wrote:
I'm really surprised by the Fino analogy, though. I don't get any "Sherry" character out of Saint-Hilaire at all, and almost wonder if you had an oxidized bottle. Have you found this character consistently?


Saint-Hilaire is a high-volume item in our store. I've tasted it many, many times, and I get that slightly nutty, slightly oxidized fino tang every time. I'm not alone in this--two others on the staff get it too. But we're clearly a minority; maybe we're having group hysteria. :D
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Re: WTN /WineAdvisor: Historic bubbly (Saint-Hilaire '03 Blanquette de Limou

by Robin Garr » Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:14 am

Dave Erickson wrote:Saint-Hilaire is a high-volume item in our store. I've tasted it many, many times, and I get that slightly nutty, slightly oxidized fino tang every time. I'm not alone in this--two others on the staff get it too. But we're clearly a minority; maybe we're having group hysteria. :D


Verry innaresting! It's cheap enough that it wouldn't break the bank for me to get another one. I'd be interested to see whether I pick up on anything like that now that I'd be primed to look for it. I'm a little surprised because usually I don't care for oxidized character in wines and pick up on even a little of it, but maybe it's different in a bubbly.

I've got notes on 2003, 2000 and 1997, Dave, and they're all startlingly consistent: Crisp, dry, apples and yeast, acidic.

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