" We don't sell the wine without touching the vine "
Colmant Absolu Zero NV
No longer available.
| Country: | South Africa |
| Region: | Franschhoek |
| Winery: | Colmant |
| Grape Type: | Chardonnay |
| Vintage: | NV |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
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-150x300.jpg "Colmant Brut Chardonnay NV")
Colmant Brut Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay (Franschhoek and Robertson).
15% of the base wine has been barrel fermented.
Ageing: This wine spends a minimum of 45 months on the lees at a consistent temperature of 14C before degorgement.
Tasting: Delicate light gold color with a lime-green hue. The nose is fresh, lemony and floral with notes of green apple, followed by yeasty and biscuity aromas brought by the lengthy maturation on the lees. Very fine bead of bubbles with a persistent mousse. Opulent on the palate, this wine shows a harmonious balance between fresh zestiness, mineral complexity and a warm breadth of leesy creaminess. It promises to develop great texture over time.
Drinking tips: Ideal with pan fried scallops or line fish "au beurre blanc", it is also the oyster's best friend and will enhance the flavors of parmesan, asparagus, artichokes, parma ham,…
Reviews:
"The core of this wine, which subsequently spent 52 months on lees, comes from the 2015 vintage and shows the ageing potential for which Colmant bubblies are famous. Savoury, fresh and intense, with plenty of colour, added complexity from reserve material, notes of aniseed and citrus peel and a fine, refreshing finish. 2021-25"
- Tim Atkin (South Africa 2020 Report), 93 pts
There are many alternatives to Champagne, and South Africa is no exception with some fine “Method Cap Classique.” Jean-Philippe Colmant hired winemaker Nicolas Follet to create a small range of impressive sparkling wines; they eschew malolactic fermentation and practice extended lees aging.- NM"
- eRobertParker.com (Issue #196, August 2011), 92 pts
A blanc de blanc with the heart of Chardonnay, the NV Brut Chardonnay has focused citrus tones on the nose with notes of yellow pear and green apple. The oak is subtle here, with a solid beam of acidity through the mid-palate. The wine is thoughtful and focused, and the finish leaves my mouth watering; there is serious acidity here, and they are doing it right. Colmant is the little guy doing some really great things— quietly focused wines, with serious aging potential. Keep this small producer on your radar. I expect nothing but great things in years to come from JP Colmant and his new winemaker, Paul Gerber, formerly of Le Lude. - Anthony Mueller"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #245, October 2019), 91+ pts
"Our favorite Colmant sparkler by far, this blanc de blancs would easily pass for good quality Champagne. It’s pale straw with a fine bead with biscuit and lemon aromas. Very flavorful and complex on a rich palate with a persistent finish, it’s 100% Chardonnay, 15% barrel fermented, and spends 4 years on the lees. RS 5 g/L"
- I-WineReview 92 pts
IMPORTER SALE!
Blend: Colmant Brut Reserve NV is a blend of Pinot Noir 52%, Chardonnay 48% (Franschhoek, Robertson, Elgin, Somerset-West and Stellenbosch). 10% of the blend is made of reserve wine from the previous vintage and 12% of the base wine is barrel fermented.
Ageing: 28 months minimum on the lees at steady 13°C temperature.
Tasting: A subtle pale gold color with a very clean and elegant nose. The aroma has a gentle spicy toastiness with a lemon / yeasty perfume followed by more mature fruit. Plenty of freshness on the palate, with a good acidity which perfectly balances the yeasty depth, bready flavors and ample structure. Long smooth finish. Will develop nicely over the years.
Drinking tips: Divine as an aperitif and loyal as a party buddy, it also goes perfectly with oysters, sushis or any delicate seafood.
Reviews:
"The Brut Reserve (disgorged April 2018) was 10% fermented in French oak barrel and includes 20% reserve vintages. It spent 30 months on the lees. The well-defined, focused nose features bright citrus lemon and hints of baked bread. The palate is well balanced with a taut, crisp, citric entry. This is vivacious, very pretty and graced with lovely apricot hints on the finish. A superb MCC from Colmant. - Neal Martin"
- Vinous (August 28th 2018), 91 pts
"Fresh with leesy notes, a fine mousse and delicate palate of minerals and green citrus zest, this is a first class New World sparkler. It’s rich enough to enjoy on its own or with white meats. It’s a 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay aged on the lees for 30 months and 25% reserve wines from earlier vintages."
-International Wine Review, 91 pts
"Disgorged February 2011, the Non-vintage Brut Reserve is a blend of 52% Pinot Noir and 48% Chardonnay based on the 2008 vintages blended with reserve wines from 2007 and 2006 (25% of the blend), aged for 30 months on the lees. It has a very fine pettillance in the glass. The nose is very well defined with crushed stone, oyster shell and the subtle perfume of fine lees coming through with aeration. The palate is very crisp and lively on the entry with vibrant acidity, a citrus thread from start to finish, and though it is not a powerful Cap Classique, it is wonderfully poised with great persistence on the fresh lime and Granny Smith-tinged finish.
There are many alternatives to Champagne, and South Africa is no exception with some fine “Method Cap Classique.” Jean-Philippe Colmant hired winemaker Nicolas Follet to create a small range of impressive sparkling wines; they eschew malolactic fermentation and practice extended lees aging."
- eRobertParker.com , 92 pts
Our Hunt for Colmant:
It was day 6 in South Africa and we find ourselves outside of beautiful Cape Town, in the country near the Riebeek Kasteel area in Swartland. Let's talk a little about my accommodations before I tell you about this amazing bubbly. We arrive at the one and only hotel in Riebeek to find out that there were not enough rooms open for all.
We reached out to our contact at Riebeek cellars, who we will refer to as "Point Break" from now on. For those of you that have not seen the movie Point Break, this guy looked and sounded like a blonde Keanu Reeves with a Dutch accent. Anyway, Point Break tells me that they have secured a small bed and breakfast that we could use for the overflow. Sounded nice...so I opted for it.
Upon arrival, the home was beautiful on the outside with a catchy French name, "Shades of Provence". After Point Break fiddled with the skeleton key and lock for a good 35 minutes in the rain, we finally get to see the inside of our new home. The door opened straight into the kitchen where the first thing I noticed was the mouse sh*t all over the place. It was winter there and the mice were trying to stay warm, I'm sure. Little did they know this damn place had no heat.
Besides myself and my fiancee Sylvia, there were 3 other people and a total of four rooms. At this point I knew I better drag both our suitcases up those steps and get to the best room before everyone else. At stroke-causing speed, I skipped up the steps nearly knocking Point Break on his back and went through the rooms. I settled for a nice corner room with the least amount of dirt on the concrete floor and with only one or two spider webs on the wrought iron bed post.
For dinner that night, we returned to the hotel restaurant to join the rest of our group. The 5 of us forced to stay in the bed and breakfast were in a far worse mood than everyone around us. Arriving late, we sat at the end of the dinning table and hoarded as much wine as possible to try and drink ourselves to a point where we could sleep in that disgrace of a French country side home that Point Break secured for us.
That night, I slept with the lights on, all my clothes on, and on top of the sheets hoping to avoid spider bites. I awoke that morning to Sylvia standing over me holding what looked like a hot water knob off of the shower. "It wasn't even attached.", she said. Sylvia proceeds to take a "whore-bath" in the sink using her own packed sock as a wash cloth. It was the only thing she deemed clean. To top it off, in a brief moment of happiness she finds a hair dryer in a cabinet. She pulled it out in triumph only to realize that there was a used condom stuck to the side of it. Obviously, this is her last trip to South Africa.
Lovely salmon pink color. A very delicate nose of strawberry and redcurrant fruit with floral undertones. There is a silky richness on the palate full of red berries balanced with a subtle bready texture. Very accessible. Will also develop nicely over time.
Colmant Brut Rose NV is made from 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay
This wine spends a minimum of 24 months on the lees at a consistent temperature of 14C before degorgement.15% of the base wine has been barrel fermented.
Pinot Noir 75%, Chardonnay 25% (Franschhoek, Robertson and Elgin).
15% of the blend is made of reserve wine from the previous vintages and 15% of the base wine is barrel fermented.
This wine spends a minimum of 24 months on the lees at a consistent temperature of 14°C before degorgement.
Perfect as a summer sundowner. A delicious complement to white meat, strawberry dessert and decadent dark chocolate.
Review:
"The Brut Rosé (disgorged March 2018) is a blend of 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay with 15% base wine and 15% reserve wine, with the Pinot Noir macerated on its skins for color, matured on the lees for 24 months. Deep salmon in color, it has a fine mousse and attractive strawberry and cherry scents on the nose - no shy and retiring rosé here. The palate is well balanced with Braeburn apples, hints of strawberry and a touch of tart cherries fanning out toward the creamy-textured, satisfying finish. A sparkling rosé that’s proud to be pink!- Neal Martin"
- Vinous (August 28th 2018), 91 pts
Champagne Lallier Champagne Grand Cru Zero Dosage NV is made from 30% chardonnay and 70% pinot noir.
Since 1906, LALLIER is a craft manufacture of prestigious crus de Champagne.
Without any sugar addition, LALLIER has decided to add to its menu a wine of very natural truth. Our Brut Nature reflects the purity of its noble origins all in freshness and subtilty.
It matches perfectly the art of drinking and eating well.
Aspect: Its golden twinkling robe is coupled with delicate aromas of citrus and white flowers. Nose: Very slight notes of honey announce its maturity and flatter our nose with delicacy. Palate : Its angular and pronounced mouth, combined with a creamy effervescence says a lot about the purity and the noble origin of this wine. With our Brut Nature, we recognize the aromatic expression of a Zero Dosage in its simplest form. Thanks to its delicacy and its minerality, Brut Nature can be paired with salted meals rather than sweet ones. Not aggressive on the palate, precision and accuracy are worthy of its name. A real work of art for seasoned epicureans
Review:
Pinot noir from Aÿ makes up 70 percent of this cuvée, blended with chardonnay from Avize and Cramant. This is a tight, transparent red-fruited wine, delivering a cloudlike mist of wild strawberry flavor, with touches of red plum and jasmine. The shape of the wine feels cool and lean, a sophisticated take on the trend toward lower dosage in Champagne.
Roland Champion Champagne Dosage Zero is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
This cuvée is made for Kysela Père et Fils only. It is a Zero Dosage, meaning no liqueur d'expedition was added during the disgorging process.
It is the same base as the Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc Chouilly NV as it is also made from 100% Chardonnay and is produced from the free run juice only. Fresh and delicate, its fine bubbles and wide range of aromas will be perfect as an aperitif. A classic Blanc de Blancs Champagne.
Thibaut-Janisson Blanc de Chardonnay is made from 100% Chardonnay
Appellation 100% Virginia
Winemaking Notes The grapes are handpicked in small baskets late August and are gently pressed as whole clusters. After a settling of 24 hours, the juice is inoculated with selected Champagne yeast and ferments in stainless steel tanks at low temperature. Once the fermentation is over, the wine ages on the fine lees until the spring of the following year. The blend is then put together and cold-stabilized prior to bottling. The bottling occurs in the spring when the cellar temperature is conducive to a second fermentation in the bottle. The now sparkling wine will age on the yeast for over 24 months. At disgorging, a small amount of dosage liquor is added in order to balance the natural acidity.
Clean, crisp and refreshing! With scents of white flowers, apples and pears. This sparkling wine is elegant and complex with vibrant aromas, and fine active streamers. The depth of complexity is elegant and the intricate nuances of the terroir fill the nose and stimulate the palate. It’s full of youthful, bright and alert acidity.
Product Description
Colmant Absolu Zero is made from 100% Chardonnay.
On the eye: Bright golden hue with vibrant green tinges and a persistent, finely beaded bubble.
On the nose: Rich spice-dusted brioche and yeast aromas which vie with layers of ripe yellow fruits.
On the palate: Vivid entry with fresh lime notes and acidity contrasted by toasted bread, warm brioche and typical yeast intensity. The balance extends to the interplay of peachy florality and classic elegance of the leesy length and layers. Complex and nuanced.
Extended lees maturation of 85 months. A portion of the base wine (15%) is fermented in French oak barrels while a further 15% of reserve wine from previous vintages is also blended in.
65% of the grapes are from Franschhoek and 35% from Robertson.
Review:
"Recruiting top MCC expert Paul Gerber was quite a coup for Jean-Philippe Colmant and seems to be paying dividends in the bottle. Very lightly wooded, this bracingly dry all-Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs uses fruit from Franschhoek, Robertson and Elgin, with 16% reserve wine dating back to 2006. Structured, bready and bracingly taut, with aniseed and citrus flavours, subtle autolysis and a lingering finish. Sublime stuff. 2022-30"
- Tim Atkin MW (South Africa 2021 Special Report), 96 pts
Winery: Colmant
The Colmant Estate
Together with our 5 children, we made the "big move" in 2002 from French-speaking Belgium to Franschhoek. Having owned and run a stone manufacturing business for twelve years in Belgium we felt the time had come to change direction , to attempt something new, to create something that we could enjoy doing now and that would benefit our children in years to come.
Whilst travelling in South Africa we happened upon the beautiful Franschhoek Valley. Here we purchased a 5ha smallholding which was part of the original La Motte farm granted to one of the French Huguenots back in 1694. What better place to establish a property dedicated to the production of fine bubbles? We set about planting new vineyards and constructing a cellar dedicated to the age old method of Champagne production.
The Colmant Cellar
Our cellar was erected from scratch in 2005. According to our philosophy of hands-on quality, we designed a cellar that was both modern, small and efficient, which allows us to control the whole production cycle. The cellar has been built in a "Cape Vernacular" style which matches the existing homestead and has wrap-around views of the valley and nestles under the majestic Middagkrans peak.
The tanks room is equipped with 14 stainless steel tanks with capacities from 1000 L to 14000 L, allowing greater flexibility in the handling of the different grape parcels. Our cold room allows us to cool over 8 tons of grapes freshly picked down to 0°C overnight before pressing, giving amazing results in the quality of the juice. The barrels room, built in a rustic brick wall style, is maintained permanently at a cool temperature of 13°C and a perfect level of humidity.
...And probably the most important is the bottle maturation room, with a storage capacity of over 100.000 bottles and where your Cap Classique will quietly and gently mature in the bottle for 2 years or more, in the dark and at a steady temperature of 13 to 14°C.
Our tasting room is casual but classy, with a cosy fire place for winter days and a lovely pergola covered stoep looking up at the Middagkrans Mountain.
The Grapes
We use exclusively Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in our production process, more or less in equal proportions. Each variety has its own personality :
Pinot Noir imparts structure and power to the blend and adds depth, complexity, backbone, strength and fullness. It often produces a light, earthy, red fruits aroma.
Chardonnay brings finesse, life, freshness, elegance. Chardonnay is detected at first in Methode Traditionnelle with its intensity and perfume., with floral and sometimes mineral aromas. Its slow development gives an ideal ageing potential.
The most crucial part of making a refined bubbly being the blending, it is of the utmost importance for us to select the perfect blending components, each one bringing an extra dimension to the final product. For that reason, we select our grapes from different valleys, according to the specificity of each terroir, ensuring that we have enough components to work with to make a base wine with maximum complexity.
Our Chardonnay is sourced mainly from the Franschhoek Valley renowned for it’s Chardonnays which offer a perfect balance between full structure and a level of acidity that brings freshness and vivacity... 70% of the Chardonnay is produced on our farm, 3 hectares of vineyards maintained by ourselves under the supervision of viticulturist Paul Wallace. The rest of the Chardonnay is sourced from the limy soils of Robertson.
Our Pinot Noir is carefully selected from 5 different farms located in Robertson, Elgin, and Stellenbosch, all areas recognized to be the most suitable places to produce Pinot Noir combining body and finesse.
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Gagliasso Barolo Riserva Oak Box is made from 100% Nebbiolo
Complex and intense aromas of red fruits intermixed with licorice, prune, leather, smoke and notes of toasty oak and vanilla. Full-bodied on the palate with loads of ripe dried and candied fruits, pepper and mocha.
The wine comes in a 6 bottle wooden box.
After malolattic fermentation the wine stays for 10 months in French barrels, 10% new oak and 90% different years; after this period all barrels are blended ( 50% Torriglione and 50% Rocche dell’Annunziata) in old barrels for 48 months again. The wine is bottled and refined for 24 months.
There's a gritty, sandy quality to the tannins that would cut through roast pork stuffed with prunes.
Review:
Exciting the blend of Rocche and Torriglione which expresses so much power in this extraordinary vintage. Part in slight reduction and slowly reveals hints of black plums, tobacco leaf, tomato leaf, black tea leaves, melted caramel licorice, incense and lots of bergamot. Solid and powerful on the palate with perfectly ripe tannins. Magic in the glass in Barolo.
-WinesCritic.com 96 Points
Dark, radiant ruby red. On the nose, nuances of black tea, dried blood oranges, rich cherries, a bit of wild berries, light quinine, with an aftertaste of cedarwood and mint. On the palate with elegant, close-meshed tannin, rich dark fruit and harmonious course, spans a beautiful fan to the long finish.
-Falstaff 94 Points
Chartron & Trebuchet Montagny Blanc is made from 100% Chardonnay
The bright acidity found in Chardonnay from this region, mixed with the underlying mineral note, creates a wine that steps outside the boundary of the classic Burgundy Chardonnay. Notes of honeysuckle and spring flowers fill the nose. On the palate, the juice is fresh and lively with flavors of white peach and ripe pear. Rich, refined and delicate with mineral hints pulling together on the finish.
In 1936, the four villages of Buxy, Montagny-lès-Buxy, Jully-lès-Buxy and Saint-Vallerin were joined together to form the AOC of Montagny. The vineyards are located on slopes 250-400 meters above sea level and are oriented to the east and southeast. Yields are 55 hectoliters / hectare.
The south facing vineyards of these villages are known for their pebbled limestone soil, and because of this common soil characteristic, the wines of Montagny are characterized by their slight flinty note.
Its freshness and finesse allow it to be enjoyed as an aperitif. It also pairs well with white meat and sauce. At the sea side, it will be perfect with a plate of shellfish (lobster, scallops) steamed or poached or noble fish just fried, grilled or steamed. Cheeses: Goat cheese, Beaufort Comté, Emmental and more.
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