Wine information:
Since its founding in 1974, Domaine Ste. Michelle has built an excellent reputation for its contemporary, stylish sparkling wines. Head winemaker Rick Casquiero follows the traditional method of production with secondary fermentation in bottle and ages the wine on lees for between nine and eighteen months. Domaine Ste. Michelle wines are made from premium grape varieties in Washington State’s acclaimed Columbia Valley, using Method Champenoise. Like France’s renowned northerly Champagne district, our grapes ripen slowly and are ideally balanced with fruit character and crisp acidity. Plenty of sunshine, little rainfall and a good temperature mix produce grapes with superior flavour and natural fruit acids. Domaine Ste. Michelle Blancs de Noirs is a beautiful, salmon pink colour with a persistent column of small bubbles. A delicate sparkler, with strawberry impressions coming through on the nose, and on the palate. The initial impression is dry, with a soft and fruity aftertaste. "If you prefer pink fizz then try Domaine Ste Michelle Blanc de Noirs, a sparkler from the Columbia Valley in Washington State, made entirely from pinot noir. It’s dry, rich, sophisticated and elegant, with subtle summer fruit flavours and a lively food-pairing acidity. It would work really well with smoked salmon." Mike Tipping, York Press.