France's Oldest Sparkling Wine
90 Points Decanter
First brought to America by Thomas Jefferson himself, the monks at Saint-Hilaire have been making Mauzac-based sparkling wines since 1531. Delicious and fairly dry with a lighter body and leaning heavily into citrus, apple and pear profiles, this Limoux sparkling wine carries yeasty aromas and creamy textures all the way through the refined finish.
History of Saint Hilaire  
Blanquette de Limoux is probably the oldest sparkling wine in the world. We know that in 1531, the Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire were already producing Blanquette de Limoux which certainly makes it France's Oldest Sparkling Wine preceding Champagne by more than a century The Limoux vineyards are located in Languedoc, in Southern France, at the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains. The grapes are selected from clay-limestone plots that capture both the Oceanic and Mediterranean influences.