2009 Crémant d'Alsace, Brut, Domaine Lucas & André Rieffel

This is no ordinary Cremant d'Alsace! Lucas has given this traditional Alsace wine a makeover, as noted by the sharp looking label and presentation. But the real improvement visible is in the wine, which is bright, focussed, beautifully balanced, fulfilling and refined - a perfect sparkling wine for when you want something French, dry, and complex but without the baggage of Champagne. Fermented in 95hl wooden vats (gros foundres), Lucas has extended the lees ageing to 8 months, so building creamy complexity, followed by an unprecedented 48 months sur lattes after the second, bottle fermentation. 2009 was a warm vintage in Alsace as elsewhere, so there's an extra dollop of biscuity ripeness to the white stony fruit blend of 80% Pinot Blanc, 10% Pinot Gris and 10% Chardonnay. Really very good.
David Berry Green