Schramsberg Vineyards Champagne Blend Napa Valley Crémant Demi-Sec 2005

Winemaker's Notes:

Schramsberg Crémant Demi-sec is a delicate off-dry, dessert-style wine: an American original. Crémant is French for “creamy” and traditionally refers to a sparkling wine with less pressure and softer effervescence. Our Crémant Demi-sec has roughly half the pressure of our other sparkling wines; it presents a creamier texture and more exotic flavors. THE 2005 VINTAGE “ “Fruitful, floral, and sweet spice notes abound with dried mango, glazed pineapple, and citrus meringue joining with honeysuckle, bread pudding and candied ginger. The palate is ripe and viscous up front, unfolding with a delicious balance of sweetness, acidity, and lingering tropical and citrus fruit flavors. Vibrant and succulent as a young sparkling wine; this is one that will also evolve beautifully for another twenty to thirty years in the bottle.”Winemakers - Hugh Davies & Keith Hock We made California’s first Crémant in 1972. After rigorous study we chose the unusual California grape named Flora (a cross of Sémillon and Gewürztraminer developed at U.C. Davis) to be the core component of this cuvée. This grape unites the fruit forward character of Gewürztraminer with the strength and depth of Sémillon. We age the Crémant Demi-sec on the yeast for about three years, which adds complexity, yet allows it to retain its attractive youthfulness. This delicious sparkler has a spicy, floral character, which will evolve into rich, caramelized apricot and peach flavors with further aging. The sweetness in Crémant is subtle, providing a fine balance with desserts such as fruit tarts, poached fruit, light cakes, custards, exotic sorbets, crème caramel, gingerbread and crème brûlée. It also complements a wide range of spicy Asian foods and matches especially well with foie gras. Schramsberg Crémant Demi-sec has been served during many State events including: President Reagan’s Second Inaugural Luncheon, President Bush’s Reception for the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the San Francisco Reception for President Gorbachev and President Clinton’s dinner for the Prime Minister of Canada. Additionally, it was served at a dinner honoring the recipients of the 1997 National Medal of the Arts and Charles Frankel Prize Awards. More recently, Crémant was served at the first State dinner of President George W. Bush with Mexico’s President Vicente Fox and his wife and a dinner hosted by President Bush in London for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Hugh Davies,Winemaker