A revolutionary method
Thierry Gasco, the ninth Pommery cellar master, returned to the course first charted by the Prince of Polignac at the time when Pommery was acquiring its land.
No, especially as his vision was very modern and different. Instead, he spent many years working on developing and implementing a revolutionary new way of encapsulating yeast. This new method results in the clearest, purest wine ever produced because it is completely free of sediment. Wine produced in this way gives off an exceptional aromatic and gustative range.
The terroir of Napa Valley
Californian vineyard has many attributes. Firstly thanks to the state’s very diverse geography with the influence of the ocean, and second thanks to its very diverse climate, with the cool Pacific currents meeting the protective shield of a mountain range and the Central Valley.
California’s vineyard benefits from many micro-climates which can vary from the coolest to the sunniest within a few kilometres.
Temperatures vary quite significantly in this region; you only need to venture 1.5 kilometres into the vineyards for the temperature to rise by 1°C. The altitude can also play a greater role than the presence of sea air in some areas.
The key factor in the quality of Californian vineyard lies in the relationship between the coolness of the Pacific ocean and the heat in the hinterland.
North coast, in the higher areas between 400 and 700m, on the rocky outcrops, we find Zinfandel grapes, which are very resilient at this altitude where the temperature stays very moderate. Then in the valley, we find cooler climate grapes varieties like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Throughout the region, we also find a very wide range of different soils with perfectly drained gravel, lime, poor rocks, volcanic ash, quartz and sandy lime. All this diversity is a huge advantage when it comes to seeking out Chardonnays in the most favourable locations. Whilst the Champagne soil (and sub-soil) has a mainly limestone and therefore chalky base, Californian vineyard is planted across a multitude of different soils with very diverse climate.
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The terroir of Pinglestone
Bolstered by this American experience and firmly convinced that our business development should leverage our presence in the countries where our reputation leaves no room for doubt, we made a plan to create a new sparkling wine across the channel.
We made the wager that Pommery could develop an excellent sparkling wine in this part of Hampshire. Here, we find the same vein of chalk that runs through Champagne region in France. We have extraordinary wealth just a stone’s throw away; how could we possibly ignore it ?
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The terroir of Pinglestone
Bolstered by this American experience and firmly convinced that our business development should leverage our presence in the countries where our reputation leaves no room for doubt, we made a plan to create a new sparkling wine across the channel.
We made the wager that Pommery could develop an excellent sparkling wine in this part of Hampshire. Here, we find the same vein of chalk that runs through Champagne region in France. We have extraordinary wealth just a stone’s throw away; how could we possibly ignore it ?
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