Vértice Gouveio 2011

The 2011 Gouveio Espumante Bruto (Vértice), disgorged in January 2019 after 72 months on the lees, comes in with six grams of sugar, 7.2 grams of total acidity and 12% alcohol. About 40% of the blend was aged in used French oak. This is the first disgorgement. Compared to the lower-priced sparklers here, this is about the complexity. There's an oxidative touch on the nose and a whiff of wood, but it also has fine concentration and that complexity. It happily has the concentration to balance the power, but there's also impressive power here. The acidity refreshes this wine, making it enlivening. The winery does plan other disgorgements—the only problem there being that I wonder if this will stay fresh. It's great now, but there are some signs of age. In the meanwhile, this is a very serious sparkler. There were 5,878 bottles produced.