Chardonnay Brut Nature 2017 – Sparkling wine from Weedenborn
The Weedenborn Chardonnay Sekt Brut Nature 2017 is a brilliantly golden, finely sparkling wine made from Chardonnay grapes. Fermented using the traditional bottle fermentation method, it spent 54 months on the lees and was riddled by hand before being hand-disgorged and corked as a Brut Nature, meaning no dosage was added. A Blanc de Blancs from one of Germany’s best sparkling wine producers.
Its fruity bouquet of ripe gooseberries, honeydew melon, and a hint of banana and caramel displays the typically full-bodied Burgundy character of Chardonnay. The origin of the grapes lends a chalky minerality to the Chardonnay Sekt Brut Nature from the Weedenborn winery.
Chardonnay sparkling wine from the Weedenborn winery
The grapes for this Weedenborn Chardonnay Sekt Brut Nature 2017 were grown on the calcareous marl and loess-loam soils of Rheinhessen. The Weedenborn winery is located in Monzernheim, a small mountain village not far from the renowned Westhofen vineyards of Kirchspiel and Morstein. This artisanal, family-run winery manages 22 hectares of vines.
Biodiverse cover cropping with special seed mixes of grasses and herbs, as well as the avoidance of herbicides, insecticides, and mineral fertilizers, along with near-natural vine cultivation, low yields, and healthy, fully ripe grapes, are both fundamental requirements and the philosophy of winemaker Gesine Roll.
For the 2017 base wines for the Chardonnay sparkling wine, the winemaker pays close attention to the ripeness of the harvest. After being hand-picked, the grapes were processed with dry ice to protect the must from oxidation. This is important to Gesine Roll of the Weedenborn winery when working with Chardonnay, as the typical Burgundy aromas are highly volatile upon contact with oxygen—meaning they are quickly lost. Once the base wine is produced, everything else takes place in collaboration with the Raumland sparkling wine estate, located just about 11 km away. Here, the Chardonnay base wine undergoes its second alcoholic fermentation via the traditional bottle method, and the Weedenborn Chardonnay Sekt is created. It spends 54 months maturing on the lees to develop its aromas and fine effervescence. This is what makes this Weedenborn sparkling wine such a delight