This wine opens up with an enticing orange blossom bouquet, lively bubble trails, and fine mousse. On the palate, the wine is creamy, clean and refreshing. Flavors of Granny Smith apples, lemongrass, brioche and vanilla creme resolve with lively mineral notes into a well-balanced finish.\n \n Producer Information\n Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards is a Sonoma-based wine producer, known for its sparkling wines and a range of Pinot Noir wines from the Carneros region. The estate was established in 1986 by the Ferrer family, which own one of Spain's largest Cava companies, Freixenet. Gloria Ferrer was one of the first to produce sparkling wines in Carneros, and was also one of the first to plant Champagne clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the esteemed winegrowing region. The estate owns two vineyards, Home Ranch Estate Vineyard and Circle Bar Ranch, covering 136 hectares (335 acres) of vineyard land. Both sites are planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in loamy, rocky and volcanic soils. Additional fruit is sourced from contract growers in the region to help make up the estate's diverse portfolio, which includes numerous styles of sparkling wine, two white wines made from Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc, and multiple reserve, regional, and single-vineyard Pinot Noir wines. Royal Cuvée is Gloria Ferrer's flagship sparkling wine although the vintage-dependent Carneros Cuvée is the top-of-the-range label. The Royal Cuvée is produced from the estate's best fruit and only first pressings of juice are used. The sparkling wine, a 60:40 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, is aged sur-lie at the estate's underground caves for around eight years before disgorgement. Carneros Cuvée is a similar blend that is only produced in the best vintages. It spends around nine years aging in the cellars before disgorging, with a further six months under cork before release. A Carneros Cuvée rosé is also produced Other styles of sparkling wines produced at the estate include a Blanc de Blancs, Demi-Sec, Blanc de Noirs and Extra Brut.
