Krone Borealis Vintage Cuvée Brut 2015

Krone’s 2015 Borealis Vintage Cuvée Brut is a real star. It shines and sparkles with Champagne flavor and style. Not only is Krone’s Borealis Vintage Brut comprised of Champagne’s traditional cépage of Chardonnay (60%) and Pinot Noir (40%), whereby only free run juice makes it into the cuvée, the Borealis Vintage Cuvée is totally bottle-fermented Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) in the time-honored Champagne tradition of production. The wine is then left to mature on its lees prior to being placed in traditional wooden racks known as pupitres where it undergoes remuage, the time-honored hand-turning known as riddling that characterizes the finest vintage wines of Champagne. Elegant, flavorful, and delightful to the eye and palate, it is hard to imagine a finer, more affordable Champagne-style sparkling wine than the 2015 Borealis Vintage Cuvée Brut. Its tiny bubbles known as perles stream in a steady parade to deliver Borealis’ delightful bouquet of golden apples, pear, and freshly baked bread that came straight out of the oven. In the mouth, this vintage Brut caresses the palate with its creamy texture and classic fruit and freshly baked biscuit flavors that both please the palate and enliven the senses. The wine shows great balance and freshness as well as flavor. And as a crescendo, the 2015 Krone Borealis Vintage Cuvée Brut slips easily down the throat with crisp, refreshing verve. For optimal enjoyment and safety, chill the Borealis Brut to 38° F before carefully removing wire stopper and cork. Enjoy!

The 2015 Krone Borealis Vintage Cuvée Brut provides an ideal way to celebrate an occasion, instill a sense of conviviality and festivity to any meal, or simply add a bit of sparkle to life. It makes a splendid aperitif or a prelude to a sumptuous meal. It provides the ideal companion to oysters, shellfish, risotto, and pastas, especially those with a creamy mushroom sauce. It also pairs easily with all kinds of hors-d’oeuvres, fish, and light meats. Shrimp, scallops, baked clams, and lightly fried tempura dishes offer especially noteworthy accompaniments to the 2015 Krone Borealis Vintage Cuvée Brut. Tapas, smoked salmon with capers and onions, and terrines all pair nicely, too, with Krone’s exceptional Méthode Cap Classique. Steamed crab legs, lobster, prawns, and herb-roasted chicken or turkey served with a savory onion and sage stuffing offer other worthy accompaniments, while a plate of fresh fruit and soft, ripe creamy cheeses constitute additional tasty gastronomic partners to pair with the 2015 Krone Borealis Vintage Cuvée Brut as they highlight the freshness and vivacity of this traditional method sparkling wine. Enjoy this special offering from Krone as you like . . . with or without a morsel.

Editor’s Note: The 2015 Krone Borealis Vintage Cuvée Brut is a wine that is under pressure. It should always be well chilled to 38 degrees Fahrenheit before opening. Always exercise caution when opening any bottle of sparkling wine. Never use a corkscrew. Point the bottle away from people and objects. Use a clean towel or cloth to firmly grip the bottle. Gently remove the wire stopper while firmly holding the cork in place. Then with thumb and forefinger, remove the cork slowly from the bottle. Do not let the cork fly. Enjoy!

Discovering Krone’s 2015 Borealis Vintage Cuvée Brut constitutes one of this year’s great finds. Rarely does a sparkling wine, or any wine for that matter, garner so much attention the first time we taste it or prove itself so far above the competition that it becomes a first-time must-feature for The International Wine of the Month Club. Kudos belong to the folks at Krone for fashioning such a splendid Méthode Cap Classique Brut.

The historic Twee Jonge Gezellen farm in Tulbagh, South Africa is the home of Krone, a historic estate dating to 1710 that fashions an enviable collection of exceptional, vintage-only South African sparkling wines using the traditional bottle-fermented method employed in Champagne. Méthode Cap Classique is the name used in South Africa to denote wines made using the traditional, painstaking method responsible for the sparkling wines of Champagne. At Krone, all of the grapes for their Méthode Cap Classique wines, including the 2015 Borealis Vintage Cuvée Brut (this month’s feature), are produced from grapes grown and night-harvested from Twee Jonge Gezellen’s vineyard on the sheltered slopes of Saronsberg Mountain. The growers arise during the night to pick in order to preserve the quality of the grapes and the delicate aromas and flavors that would be lost if picked during the heat of the day. Only Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the traditional Champagne varietals, are used in the production of Krone’s Borealis Vintage Brut and other Méthode Cap Classiques. We invite you to take part in the heritage and contemporary renaissance at Twee Jonge Gezellen by tasting and enjoying the exceptional 2015 Krone Borealis Vintage Cuvée Brut.