2017 Antech, Crémant de Limoux, Expression, Brut, Languedoc

Antech Limoux

In the beginning of the 20th century, Eugénie Limouzy became one of the first women in Languedoc to manage a vineyard. In 1931, Eugénie’s niece Marguerite married Edmond Antech, a man of exacting method who took the estate’s wine and made it widely and commercially known.

His sons George and Roger succeeded him and kept the same philosophy of preserving Antech Limoux's history and melding tradition and modernity to craft exceptional wines. Together, they created new storehouses, and modernized the House. Georges devoted his professional life to developing the image and sales of the House, while Roger enthusiastically took on the technical aspects of running the vineyard.

Currently, Michèle, the eldest daughter of George, and her husband Jean-Christophe Chauvière have taken over the management of the vineyard and sell over one million bottles in France and abroad.

Cremant de Limoux

The Limoux wine region is located in the eastern foothills of the Pyrénées in southern France, south of the city of Carcassonne.

The appellation of Crémant de Limoux was introduced in 1990 to allow a higher percentage of Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay in the traditional blend of Limoux sparkling wines (represented in the appellation of Blanquette de Limoux, which required a minimum of 90 percent Mauzac grape in the blend’s composition).

Crémant de Limoux contains 40 to 70 percent Chardonnay, 20 to 40 percent Chenin Blanc, 10 to 20 percent Mauzac and up to ten percent Pinot Noir. AOC regulations require that the wine is aged for a least a year on the lees prior to disgorgement.

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is the "Big Daddy" of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world. It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.

Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.

It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.

Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.