There is good news for the world of bubbles. In 2021, 9 million more liters of sparkling wine were sold than during the previous year and there was a 42.4% increase in exports, according to the report from the National Institute of Viticulture. 89% went to the domestic market and 11% was exported mainly to the United States, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Uruguay. These figures indicate the category of sparkling wines, as the one with the highest growth in relative terms in the last year. “We observe a deseasonalization of the consumption of sparkling wine in Argentina. Before, it was more associated with the celebration and although today it still is, there was a change in the Argentine consumer: enjoying a bottle of sparkling wine with your partner or in social gatherings is ideal for any moment”, explains Diego Ribbert, director of oenology at Chandón Argentina.
In this setting, Baron B presented a new edition of Héritage, the sparkling wine that pays tribute to the legacy of the brand’s creator, Baron Bertrand de Ladoucette, a man characterized by his audacity, vision and pioneering spirit when he left France in search of of new horizons where to make sparkling wines. After traveling thousands of kilometers, he found in Mendoza the place he was looking for. “With Héritage, Baron B added a product to his portfolio in a higher segment, generating an ultra-premium novelty where there are not so many sparkling wines. It is always a challenge to seek excellence within this segment”, continues Ribbert. Héritage is the maximum expression of Baron B, they are limited editions that the winery’s oenological team decides to share with Argentine consumers who are looking for more complex and sophisticated products.
HEIGHT BUBBLES. For each edition of the Baron B Héritage, vintages are selected that, due to their exceptional characteristics, are in their prime. “This 002 edition was born at the end of 2016 through the assemblage of a 2014 vintage Chardonnay, from the Clos de Baron B located on his Cepas del Plata estate (1,550 meters above sea level-) and a 2016 Pinot Noir, from
his farm El Espinillo (1600 masl) in Gualtallary. These two authentic expressions of height, with characteristics of each year, were perfectly integrated and harmonized over 60 months on lees to create this new edition”, says Ribbert. The Baron B Héritage Edition 001 had been the result of the combination of three exceptional vintages: 2001, 2011 and 2015 from the Caicayén, Cepas del Plata and El Espinillo estates, respectively.
Clos in French Champagne is called a sector that delimits an area that expresses something unprecedented, which is not possible to obtain in other parcels. The Clos Baron B is a sector of only 1.9 hectares that could be delimited thanks to many years of observation, study and analysis. Today we work in a personalized way to ensure that it expresses its full potential and quality. “The Clos de Baron B is a plot that, among many other factors, has an absolutely particular soil composition. It is a portion with very old soil material, metamorphic rocks, sedimentary limestone and other elements that describe its antiquity -details the director of oenology- freshness, elegance and depth produce a natural tension between acidity and volume, aspects that are achieved through of the development of vineyards in that area of the Andes Mountains”.
A DIFFERENT PAIRING. The change in the concept of seasonality of consumption also promoted the idea of pairing meals with this drink that for a long time was marginalized as a toast. “Baron B Héritage 002 can be enjoyed on its own or it can be accompanied with different dishes such as cold starters, seafood tapas, smoked salmon and grilled fish with roasted vegetables – advises Ribbert – it also goes very well with fresh fruits, a creamy dessert like Lemon Pie or the Crème Brûlée”.
Alone or accompanied and on any occasion, to enjoy with a meal or for the simple desire to toast, sparkling wines are gaining ground in the preferences of Argentines. Long live the bubbles.
Image gallery
