Imperial Eagle 2015

Under the Wings of Perfection L’Aigle Impérial 2015 is the culmination of a harmonious blend of 70% Chardonnay, 5% Chenin Blanc and 25% Pinot Noir. Chardonnay, the cornerstone of the blend, offers a constantly evolving aromatic palette, moving from fresh and floral notes to toasted and dried fruit nuances. Chenin Blanc, which guarantees balance, brings an elegant tension enriching the vintage with its aromatic complexity. As for the Pinot Noir, it infuses depth and vinosity, ensuring the longevity of this great wine and its exceptional aging potential. HAS the Conquest of the Summits L’Aigle Impérial 2015 draws its singularity from the exceptional terroir of the Haute Vallée de l’Aude, where the limestone nature of the soils and the generous altitude, between 400 and 450 meters, create the ideal conditions for the production of exceptional sparkling wines. The thermal contrasts, marked by sunny days and cool nights, contribute to the liveliness of the wines and enrich the musts with aromatic precursors. The limestone, omnipresent in the subsoil, contributes to the characteristic minerality of the Imperial Eagle, while the clay soils retain water and essential nutrients, ensuring a balanced supply to the vines throughout the growing cycle. This terroir, shaped by the age-old movements of the Pyrenees massif, produces grapes of great purity, perfect for the long aging on slats which give the Aigle Impérial 2015 its complexity, tension and distinguished character. Precision and tradition for an exceptional bubble The grapes are harvested manually from September, at dawn to guarantee a perfect balance between sugar and acidity. After a delicate press, the juices are transferred into temperature-controlled stainless steel vats for an initial fermentation. The blend, expertly carried out by Gérard Bertrand, is crucial to creating an exceptional sparkling wine. The second fermentation in the bottle (prise de mousse) lasts six weeks, before the bottles are stored on slats for aging for 8 years. This long aging on lees gives the wine its aromatic complexity and vinosity. The final disgorging and the addition of a low-dose expedition liqueur (3 g/l) produce a fresh and refined Brut Nature. Vintage 2015: A majestic vintage The 2015 vintage is recognized as one of the best. Early budding and a mild spring encouraged abundant flowering, ensuring quality yields. The summer, marked by a hot and dry July, followed by a cool breeze in August with welcome storms, allowed a balanced ripening of the grapes. This vintage stands out for its unique balance between aromatic richness, freshness and tension, offering a wine with great aging potential. The grapes harvested in perfect health allowed for precise and meticulous vinification, ensuring that each bottle reflects the exceptional character of this year. A distinguished and vibrant Brut Nature. With a minimum dosage of 3 g/l, the Aigle Impérial 2015 stands out for its freshness and liveliness. On the nose, it reveals evolving aromas, going from notes of fresh and floral fruits to toasted touches and dried fruits such as almond and hazelnut. On the palate, the balance is perfect between freshness and vinosity, with a nice tension brought by the Chenin Blanc and an elegant depth conferred by the Pinot Noir. The bubble is very fine, and the finish is long and persistent, marked by a subtle minerality and accents of candied citrus fruits.