This is exactly the same cuvée as the first release of Blanc de Blancs, which benefited from having six years of aging before disgorgement. The extra five years has given it some new flavors and even more complexity and richness, while absolutely maintaining the wonderful bright fresh fruit character of the original release. 

The first cuvée was allowed to be designated as Extra Brut because it only had six grams of dosage as opposed to the industry standard of around 18 grams for Brut. Because of the extra aging, this cuvée will be even more Extra Brut, meaning it will have even less dosage than the six grams that was in the first cuvée. How about Extra Extra Brut ????   🙂

The grape source for the Blanc de Blancs, the Beckstoffer Las Amigas vineyard, has deservedly become even more highly regarded since the 2010 harvest. The blend is 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir.

Unfortunately we have sold out completely of the first release Blanc de Blancs and the Blanc de Noirs. There will not be another En Tirage cuvée of this or any other release from this vintage. Thank you for enjoying them so enthusiastically!

— Don

We are happy to announce that when we start traveling again, we will be able to  purchase En Tirage in Denmark, Korea and Japan.

Bon Voyage! — Don

I was naturally very pleased to read my first international review of our En Tirage in the English magazine, A Glass of Bubbly — a whole magazine dedicated JUST to sparkling wines from all over the world.  I love it!

How appropriate is it that there is now an English magazine dedicated only to sparkling wines? It is not really that surprising since the English have been the largest market for Champagne for centuries. Another reason is that most of the south of England now has the same climate that was present in Champagne only forty years ago. There is now a veritable rush of new sparkling wine producers growing grapes for their sparkling wines in England. I have tasted a few of them and they do actually taste very similar to many Champagnes!

Check the review out here: 2010 Extra Brut En Tirage California Sparkling Wine.

We are once again very grateful that the well-respected San Francisco Chronicle wine editor, Esther Mobley, has published a new article about En Tirage. This one is to announce our recently disgorged and released 2010 vintage, and it’s entitled, “Sonoma’s most elusive sparkling wine is back.”

We loved working with her when she interviewed us last year to research her earlier article about our 1990 and 1992 vintages, ‘The hunt for Don Baumhefner and his elusive Chateau Beaux Hauts bubbly.” While she was here, we invited her to sabre open the bottle we were going to taste together, and she performed that duty admirably.

In her new article, Esther gives her tasting impressions of both the 2010 Blanc de Blancs and 2010 Blanc de Noirs, compares them with the 1990 and 1992 vintages, and lists the restaurants and stores where you can currently purchase En Tirage. She also hints at what releases might be in the future for En Tirage.

“Sonoma’s most elusive sparkling wine, En Tirage, is back.” — Esther Mobley, SF Chronicle

After my interview experience with Esther Mobley, the San Francisco Chronicle wine expert, I think her clearly informed passion for both digging out and writing up the uniquely personal stories behind each wine, would leave anyone thirsting for more. This article about my sparkling wine–making adventures first hit the news stands on Christmas Day, 2016, and now, The Press, SF Chronicle’s new California wine country guide, has just chosen to include it in their first edition, as “one of the most compelling stories they have told this year.”  — Don Baumhefner

Read Article

I released the 1992 En Tirage in 2011, after 18 years of aging. In 2012, the wine importer and distributor, Bartholomew Broadbent, tasted this wine and really appreciated what it was all about. Then on his next trip to England, he took along a bottle for his father, the legendary Michael Broadbent (and my favorite wine writer), to taste. And that’s where he captured the moment with this video, which originally spanned 16 minutes of Michael’s focused half hour evaluation. I couldn’t have felt more honored and grateful.  — Don Baumhefner