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SKU 1034669
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The full-bodied Contratto 2013 Metodo Classico Special Cuvée Pas Dosé opens to a medium dark golden color with hints of shiny copper. The bouquet reveals lots of mature fruit with peach, dried apricot, beeswax, spice, baked brioche and cream. It boasts an open-knit, oxidative style. This is a big sparkling wine with broad shoulders and steady beading. (I tasted from a shiner bottle, but the back label identified this sample as the Pas Dosé with a handwritten “2013” as the vintage.)
The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn't unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as 'blanc de blanc', meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or 'blanc de noir', which is made solely with Pinot Noir.
Country Italy
There are few countries in the world with a viticultural history as long or as illustrious as that claimed by Italy. Grapes were first being grown and cultivated on Italian soil several thousand years ago by the Greeks and the Pheonicians, who named Italy 'Oenotria' – the land of wines – so impressed were they with the climate and the suitability of the soil for wine production. Of course, it was the rise of the Roman Empire which had the most lasting influence on wine production in Italy, and their influence can still be felt today, as much of the riches of the empire came about through their enthusiasm for producing wines and exporting it to neighbouring countries. Since those times, a vast amount of Italian land has remained primarily for vine cultivation, and thousands of wineries can be found throughout the entire length and breadth of this beautiful country, drenched in Mediterranean sunshine and benefiting from the excellent fertile soils found there. Italy remains very much a 'land of wines', and one could not imagine this country, its landscape and culture, without it.
Region Piedmont
Situated in the north-western part of Italy, the region of Piedmont is known worldwide and is highly respected for the quality of the wines produced there. Many of the most successful sub-regions in Piedmont produce many of the world's finest red wines, such as those made from the excellent Nebbiolo grape varietal in areas such as Barolo and Barbaresco. However, the historic wineries which typify this region use a relatively wide variety of grapes, including Dolcetto and Barbera for their red wines, which are typically aged and have a delightful velvety character. Piedmont isn't all about beautifully complex red wines, though, as it is also famed for high quality, elegant sparkling wines, notably the Asti wines made with the white Moscato grape. The region benefits from a range of terroirs which are often well expressed in the sparkling wines, and a wonderfully consistent climate ideal for vineyard cultivation.
WA94pts
Wine Advocate
The full-bodied Contratto 2013 Metodo Classico Special Cuvée Pas Dosé opens to a medium dark golden color with hints of shiny copper. The bouquet reveals lots of mature fruit with peach, dried apricot, beeswax, spice, baked brioche and cream. It boasts an open-knit, oxidative style. This is a big sparkling wine with broad shoulders and steady beading. (I tasted from a shiner bottle, but the back label identified this sample as the Pas Dosé with a handwritten "2013" as the vintage.)
VM94pts
Vinous Media
Dusty dried flowers, raw almonds, crusty bread and white smoke from an enticing bouquet as the 2013 Metodo Classico Special Cuvée Pas Dosé slowly awakens in the glass. This washes across the palate with ease, seamlessly silky and serene. Sour citrus adds tension as ripe pit fruits and honeyed inner florals resonate throughout. The 2013 finishes with dramatic length yet wonderfully long and potent, leaving dried apricot hints and a salty tinge that calls the taster back to the glass. Simply spellbinding. This is a blend of 95% Pinot Noir and 5% Chardonnay.
JS93pts
James Suckling
Notes of dried apples, citrus rind, honeysuckle and toasted almonds. Medium- to full-bodied with vivid acidity and a savory fruit character. Fine mousse and round texture. Flavorful and satisfying with a mineral finish. Drink now.
Winery Notes
From a selection of our best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay we have created Special Cuvee. A wine with a unique and unmistakable personality, which stands out for its incredible minerality and persistence. A sparkling wine that after our first taste convinced us that the word “special” was the most suitable word to describe it.
