Lajver Blanc de Blancs Brut 2019

A decade ago a winery portfolio including a sparkling wine was rare to find – like a white raven as we say. Thanks to some change in the legislation wineries are now allowed to make sparkling wine and more and more of them realize that a bubbly in the range is a must. Finally Lajver Wine House followed suit and we are more than happy about it!

The decision was born in 2019. Lajver has 12 terraces at different altitudes and different exposures to the sun. For the sparkling the team chose the cooler one of the two Chardonnay terraces. The hand sorted grapes were pressed in whole bunches, and after controlled fermentation the base wine had some winter sleep while malolactic fermentation took place spontaneously. Tirage and bottling was carried on in March 2020 and after two and a half years of ageing on the lees they did the first disgorgement on the 3rd of November. The dosage is only 6 g/l, so it almost bone dry. As Rebeka Vida, the chief winemaker of Lajver described: “The notes of the 2.5 years ageing on the lees are more present on the nose with bread crust and toast, while the palate is more on the fruity side with citrus fruits and green apple. When tasting, we can also enjoy the complexity besides the fruitiness. Abundant in bubbles, refreshing acidity, long finish. Surprisingly enough there is a hint of petrol in the aftertaste.”

The bottle fermented sparkling wines gain their complex aromas from the lees. In some places the “lees” is called the “mother” of the sparkling wine. The sparkling wine develops only when it is in contact with the lees, thus the shorter you keep it after disgorgement, the better it is. Always look for the disgorgement date! The general rule is to drink a sparkling wine as soon as you can, and do not keep it longer than two years after the disgorgement.

More about Lajver Wine House
Lajver Blanc de Blancs Brut is available in very limited amount, thus you can find it only on the Hungarian section of Lajver webshop