Winemaker Notes
Extended Tirage Brut is aged for ten years on the yeast and disgorged on demand to ensure freshness. Argyle’s Tirage Library in Dundee has sparkling wines still aging on the yeast, dating back to our first vintage in 1987.
Food Pairing Notes
Argyle Extended Tirage Brut is America’s Highest Rated Sparkling Wine and Has been named to the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines in the World four times. Upon release each vintage, Extended Tirage Brut is Argyle’s most sought after wine.
Vineyard Notes
The season started out unusually cool, delaying grape flowering until well into July. Even then, the weather was not great and poor pollination produced smaller than average clusters. Even then we were compelled to remove grape clusters to get the yields well below average. There is just not enough growing season left to ripen a normal crop. A season saving string of 80+ degree days at the end of September gave us all hope of ripening and put life back into our plans to make red wine. A bit of warm, soaking rain in early October sent us into further removing leaves and working to keep fruit healthy. Mid October brought an great, dry forecast and harvest began with a bang to beat predicted October 23rd rains. Red wine was harvested with gusto beginning the 17th and we wrapped up harvest the 21st October. Keys to our success were, small crop, healthy fruit, and patience to wait until the very end of the season to pick.
Accolades
94 Points, Wine Enthusiast — “Argyle is the leader in releasing traditionally made Oregon sparkling wines with extra time en tirage. Disgorged at 10 years of age, this blend of 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay already shows exceptional complexity, which will only increase with further bottle age. Golden raisins, figs, hints of honey and a suggestion of creamy caramel are in play, yet the freshness of the wine is impressive. In order to benefit from the extended tirage, more bottle age is recommended.” — Paul Gregutt, Dec. 2021
