Not too long ago I was invited to a special tasting of Montezuma Winery's 20 Years blanc de blanc. It was made by their incredibly talented winemaker Phil Plummer.
Our 20 Years Blanc de Blancs was made in the Champagne style (Methode Tradionnelle) with Chardonnay as the base. It was re-inoculated and bottled in 2016, spent 4 years in triage, and was then disgorged and combined with a Vidal Blanc Icewine. We have spent years perfecting this sparkling wine to help us commemorate 20 years here in Seneca Falls!
Phil Plummer has been making wine in New York’s Finger Lakes region for over a decade, spending the bulk of those years at Montezuma Winery, where he has served as head winemaker since 2013. In his time at Montezuma, Phil has taken a lead role in the development and production of a wide-ranging portfolio of wines made from grapes, fruit, and honey, and was instrumental in the launch of Montezuma’s sister wineries, Idol Ridge and Fossenvue.
Made in the Champagne style (Methode Traditionnelle), the base wine was produced from 2015 Chardonnay sourced from Smith Brothers’ Farm. Re-inoculated and bottled in August of 2016, the wine spent 4 years in tirage prior to disgorging and dosage with 2014 Vidal Blanc Icewine-also sourced from Smith Brothers’ farm. Final composition was 3% Vidal Blanc and 97% Chardonnay. This was a sophisticated, elegant, and complex sparkling wine. A big note of fresh bread combined with citrus zest notes. Notes of lemon, orange and lime zest, hints of honey, brioche, and green apple. A whisp of salinity. A lovely citrusy ending. Bubby, crisp, and savory. You can easily ages this another 5 to 10 years. Exceptional. This is an exceptional wine, and a bargain for the price. A really impeccable blanc de blanc. If you missed this, you really missed something special.
Congrats to Monetzuma and to Phil!