Score: 89/100
Luc Belaire Brut Gold (that’s its name, although the label really displays only a ‘Rare Brut’ mention) is a French sparkling wine made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes grown in the famous Burgundy region.
Read more perspectives on this cuvee, and explanation of its origin and marketing success, check out a previous review article we wrote about at Review Article of Luc Belaire Gold Rare Brut, France.
Tasting Notes
This French Bubbly comes in a bright lemon-yellow color with a rather solid intensity. Shiny, it is filled with gold hues that make it look even shinier, and it’s clearly more golden than green suggesting this is not a wine expressing only primary fruit characters, but some winemaking and ageing ones as well (secondary and tertiary).
This impression is confirmed smelling the Rare Brut: it’s filled with yummy nut notes (macadamia), buttery biscuit and maple sirup. It’s very appetizing and appealing on the nose.
The primary fruit characters are still there though, with floral aromas of elderflower and lily, but also apricot and white peach. Oaky tones of coconut and vanilla amplify the sweet/sour feel to the smell.
So, complex it is to smell at, tempting too, quite deep but feeling light and floral/fruity.
The palate seems to want to be summarized by one word: balanced.
Some good acidity (though nothing outstanding or too mineral), comes with hints of perceptible sugars (though the whole would be qualified as dry without a doubt, this is a Brut), a round oily texture, and fine bubbles. Pleasing without being very sophisticated.
The mouthfeel appears more fruit-driven than the nose suggested, filled tropical notes of dried pineapple and dried apricot, surrounded by oaky vanilla and toasted nuts.
The finish is a touch heavy from the sugars and the slightly sticky oily texture, and some phenolics are a little drying providing a little savoriness. But these characters don’t affect the satisfying experience, and the wine is fairly long.
Enjoy 🙂
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