NV Jean-Marc Gilet Touraine Brut Rosé

100% Pinot Noir. Because it is not made with Chenin Blanc, this sparkler cannot carry the name Vouvray. Hand harvested. A secondary fermentation occurs in bottle, and it is disgorged after 18 months.

A well-balanced sparkler with bright red fruity aromas, fresh and crisp, with surprising complexity. Strawberries, peaches, raspberries all make this an easy pick as an aperitif. Dry but not bone dry..

Situated in the Vouvray appellation, this domaine is run with passion and savoir faire by fifth generation vigneron Jean-Marc Gilet.  He took over in 2003, but the domaine began in 1914 with just five acres of Chenin Blanc. Passed down from parents to children ever since then, the domaine gradually expanded its holdings and cellars. Carrying on the traditions of several previous generations, Gilet farms the domaine’s 65 acres and makes his wines in their impressive two-level, carved out underground cellars. The vineyards lie on Turonian limestone hillsides, covered with perruche (flinty clay that gives the wines their mineral character) and arbuis (calcareous clay that contributes power to the sweet wines). The temperate climate is perfect for ripening Chenin Blanc, and also for making ageworthy wines. Many of the vineyards are farmed organically, fitting with the family’s general philosophy of respect for tradition, the appellation, the grapes and the earth. Harvests are done by hand and the wines are vinified in stainless steel tanks. A small percentage of still wines are then aged in four or fifth-use barriques. The sparkling wines are racked for a minimum of 18 months. The domaine produces approximately 120,000 bottles per year of their still (Sec, Demi-Sec and Moulleux) and sparkling (Brut and Demi-Sec) Vouvrays, as well as a Touraine Brut Rosé.