2021 RMS Brut 1.5L
ABOUT THE RMS BRUT
In 1987, when all other Willamette Valley wine producers were focused on Pinot Noir, Rollin Soles had a different vision. He believed that Oregon was the best place in North America to grow cool climate grapes for sparkling wine. After making wine at Petaluma Winery in Australia, Rollin moved to Oregon and founded Argyle Winery, the state’s first sparkling wine production facility.
During his 27+ years with Argyle, Rollin crafted some of the most highly acclaimed New World sparkling wines, which made Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines three times, proof that he has mastered the sophisticated craft of fine Méthode Champenoise. Rollin’s vision has become a reality as the world continues to discover that the Willamette Valley’s cool, maritime climate is indeed ideally suited to world-class sparkling wine production.
THE MÉTHODE CHAMPENOISE PROCESS
This labor-intensive process creates the very best Champagne and high-quality sparkling wines around the world. The wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in bottle creating those signature small bubbles. The process starts with the addition of a liqueur de tirage (a wine solution of sugar and yeast) to a bottle of still wine. This triggers that second fermentation inside the bottle which produces carbon dioxide and lees, or spent yeast cells, which collect at the neck during the riddling process. After an extended time on lees, the bottles are disgorged and the lees is replaced with a solution of wine and sugar, which gives sparkling wine its sweetness.
2021 VINTAGE NOTES
Harvest picking began with Sparkling and Pinot Nero Bianco on August 31st. There was great acidity and fruit flavor. Much of our Chardonnay and Pinot Noir was harvested under sunny Fall skies. A refreshingly cold rain dropped snow down to 5500’ on the 19th and 28th which benefited our later ripening Pinots! The last day of harvest was October 14th. Six weeks of picking and grinning! The wines are delicious, show wonderful acidity, and due to our ability to drip irrigate vines and chill whole clusters at the winery, fruit expression is concentrated and fresh across the vintage.
TASTING NOTES
Aromas open with white grapefruit, fresh honeydew melon, and delicate honey notes, layered with hints of lemon curd and ripe pear. On the palate, bright citrus and fresh fruit flavors shine before mellowing into a creamy mid-palate, while subtle white rose petal notes and lingering honeydew melon linger on the finish.