Jane Ventura Cava Brut Rose
A unique Cava in that it’s made from 100% Garnatxa. The vineyard lives 2000+ feet high (in the Montmell Mountains, 25 miles west of Barcelona) and close enough to the Mediterranean to enjoy cooling from both elevation and the sea, which in turn means healthy acidity and ideal ripeness for sparkling. The Jané Ventura Cava […]
MARC HEBRART Champagne Cuvee de Reserve Brut
This is a very generous Champagne in its orchard (pear & apple) and citrus fruits, both nicely ripe giving impressions of sweetness. A smidge of breakfast pastry compliments the fruit. Think pear tart without the sugar. Creamy texture, a very “friendly” Champagne meaning all palates will like it. Not too dry, not too sweet. Just […]
La Taille aux Loups “Triple Zero” Brut
There’s hip wine and then there’s really really good hip wine. Jacky Blot and his son “J.P.” grow Chenin Blanc in Montlouis, Loire Valley. 40+ year old vine fruit picked at perfect maturity. A “Pet Nat” or Petillant Naturel: single fermentation (in barrel), transferred to bottle to finish its single ferment. Triple Zero as in […]
GIMONNET Champagne “Gastronome” 2014
“Crunchy” Chardonnay grown in the chalky Cotes des Blancs, 3 years on its 2nd fermentation lees (“sur latte”) and low dosage. The result is damn good. Nothing terribly surprising, frankly, as Gimonnet makes solid if not spectacular Champagne every time. This vintage of “Gastronome” is very generous in its green heirloom apple, white flower, ripe […]
MARC HEBRART Champagne, Brut Rose
I like Marc Hebrart Champagnes because you can’t put them in one stylistic box. I love the obvious orchard fruit and citrus flavors but their not fruity, per se. There is a definitive earthy component but it’s not earth-driven either. I find them, overall, quite friendly, but without sacrificing complexity. The Marc Hebrart Champagne Brut […]
SINOR LAVALLEE Ancestrale 2018
Extremely crisp, high acid sparkling wine from this very small San Luis Obispo producer focusing on earth-driven wines. Pinot Noir’s rose petal and raspberry aromas tip-toe in. Tangy citrus, yellow cherry and plum flavors shine in the mouth along with smidge of jasmine or honeysuckle. There’s a suggestion of rocky earthiness on the finish if […]
BLUET Wild Blueberry Sparkling Wine
The first time you try the Bluet you will probably be surprised. I, for one, didn’t know what to expect and was still surprised. Very aromatic, but it doesn’t shout out blueberries. I get cranberries, violets, black pepper and dark plum smells as much as blueberry. Ditto on the taste and it’s high acid and […]
Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Brut Rose
Highly regarded winery Lucien Albrecht was a pioneer in the production and sale of Cremant d’Alsace (which is methode traditionalle sparkling, or bubbles-made-in-bottle as I like to say), making it in 1976 when the French AOC for Cremant d’Alsace was established. Made from 100% Pinot Noir. Nicely on the very dry side of Brut, showing […]
JEAN DIOT Champagne Extra Brut
Family vineyard and winery started in the 1960s, now made and run by the 2nd generation (the kids of Jean Diot). Vallee de la Marne, 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier. I like the pop of citrus and then white peach and Fuji apple flavor in here. For an Extra Brut (meaning less […]
JEAN DIOT Champagne Blanc de Blancs
Vallee de la Marne producer gets Chardonnay from the Cotes des Blancs for their Blanc de Blancs Champagne. I like Chardonnay’s crisp lemon/apple character and “zip” character, followed by a round, voluptuous mouth feel and lightly toasty flavor that comes from the lees aging in bottle. This has something for fans of all styles of […]
SUBJECT to CHANGE Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc
Here’s an original. Sauvignon Blanc (from near Hopland, southeast Mendocino County) made into a lightly sparkling wine. Method Ancestrale means the wine, not a dosage, makes the bubbles. In this case it is a second fermenation. Subject to Change uses Sauvignon Blanc must that was frozen at harvest, then thawed and added to wine in […]
HENRI DOSNON Champagne Brut Rose
Tiny producer in the Côte des Bars, southern end of Champagne. The Brut Rosé is 90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay. Mid range on dosage for Brut at 10 Grams/Liter R.S. The dosage plus the Pinot Noir extraction makes for a red-berry heavy, fruity, off-dry sensation that is A) delicious and B) not everyone’s first choice […]
DOSNON Champagne Recolte Blanche
All Chardonnay from the Cote des Bar, southern end of Champagne. Unsweetened apple sauce, lemon zest and quince paste, classic for Blanc de Blancs Champagne, is here in spades. Less chalky than Blanc de Blancs from the Cotes des Blancs. The Henri Dosnon Champagne Blanche is rich, textured mouthfeel and a 25 second long soft, […]
FRANCOISE BEDEL Champagne “Dis. Vin Secret”
Friendly, perfumed, intense and bold aromas of peaches, dried apricots and pears, roasted almonds and marzipan. And it keeps on going straight through its 25 second finish – fresh and dried orchard fruits, toasted pastries, wild red cherry peaking through now & then. Aged 5+ years en tirage. Mostly Pinot Meunier with a small amount […]
FRANCOISE BEDEL Champagne Origin’elle
Friendly aromas of ripe peach & apple plus cooked cream and pie crust. The taste is more crisp and dry than the nose suggests. Get red plums, citrus and quince. Then on the finish it gets rich again! Round texture, wheat toast, dry herbs come to mind. I like how this $50 Champagne is an […]
H GOUTORBE Champagne Special Club 2006
One of my top picks for special drinking Champagne for a great, under $100/bottle price. Facts are this: 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, all Grand Cru fruit, has gone through full malo, aged over 7 years on its lees. Get dried orchard fruits, both fresh and dried citrus zest, Gravenstein apples, sweet cream, etc. I […]
H GOUTORBE Blanc de Blancs Champagne
A total winner, especially for the price. All Chardonnay, all 2012 (a fantastic Champagne vintage). Went through full Malo, aged over 4 years on its lees before disgorgement. Super tasty, full of ripe lemon, green apple and crisp peach flavors. Great balance and delicious flavors start to finish. I want some Goutorbe Blanc de Blancs! […]
DUC de ROMET Champagne Cuvee Prestige
We all need as much high quality, under $40 Champagne as we can possible get, right? Duc de Romet is made by Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy of R. Geoffroy. It’s Blanc de Noirs: ¾ Pinot Meunier, ¼ Pinot Noir, 70% from 2013, a good vintage for the area, and the rest “reserve wine” from earlier vintages. 4 […]
R GEOFFROY Champagne Cuvee Volupte
Mark this down as a special Champagne to drink, which means for under $100 it really is an excellent value. It is 69% Chardonnay, 31% Pinot Noir from what Geoffroy considers their best plots in Cumieres, Vallee de la Marne. No malo…8 years on the lees before disgorgement. Solid vintage 2009: “Plump and approachable,” writes […]
VARNIER-FANNIERE Champagne Brut
Delicious Grand Cru, Cotes des Blancs Champagne. However, it’s delicious in a different way than you may expect. Instead of crisp, chalky and “racy,” this is more lush, round and what I call friendly. Could be the lower pressure of the wine, equating to less bubbly. Could be the vintages, 2014 and 2015, in this […]
JEAN LALLEMENT Champagne Brut Grand Cru
Always one of my favorite richer, rounder Champagnes, the Jean Lallement Champagne Brut is 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay from their multiple holdings on the Montagne de Reims. This is mostly 2014 vintage with 2013 making up the rest. Steel tank ferment and aged, full malo, 36 months on its lees after 2nd fermentation. The […]
Aubry Champagne Brut
A front-row recommendation for sub-$50, grower Champagne, this “entry level” wine from Aubry is full of pleasure. For the location (Montagne de Reims) and cuvée (55% Pinot Meunier, 25% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir) you’d expect a darker, denser style of bubbles. Actually, what you get is crisp, cool Granny Smith apples, myriad citrus flavors, a […]
GASTON CHIQUET Champagne Tradition
Always one of the best sub $50 non-vintage Champagnes on the market, the current release of Gaston Chiquet Champagne Tradition is as good as ever. It’s made from 40% Pinot Meunier, 35% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir from Chiquet’s vineyards in the Vallee de la Marne. With tank ferment and aging, going through malo then at […]
MOUSSE Champagne L’Or d’Eugene
If you don’t already, get to know the wines of Moussé from the Vallée de la Marne. The Mousse Champagne “L’Or de Eugene” (The gold of Eugene) is 95% Pinot Meunier and 5% Pinot Noir. Primary fermentation and aging is in steel tank. This release is half 2015 vintage and half a reserve cuvée of […]
