Piper Sonoma Brut Select Cuvee, Villa Granda Prosescco, Cupcake Vineyards Brut Rose of Pinot Noir

Value is always a priority, as nobody ever really wants to pay more for something than it is worth. Granted, when it comes to how we define value, everyone has a different scale. It could be that a $40 is an outstanding value because it really over delivers compared to other wines in that price point. That same $40 could still be much more money than some folks would ever pay, even if they have the means.

When I was in retail, I saw many definitions of what value was. One of my favorite customers was a retired commercial real estate developer who had done quite well for himself. He had a mountain home (not a cabin) with a newly built 1,000 bottle cellar and when he started shopping with us, his general spending limit was $20. When it came to Scotch, the story changed, but even then he always took two or three times of considering it before laying down the $100 or so he would spend. That was his value set and he was a great customer to work with because he’d buy two or three bottles, try them, then call us up to get cases of what he liked best. He’d load up in his decade old Chevy Suburban and head up to his mountain retreat to stock up. He was great fun to talk to and one of those customers that you really miss once you leave the business. No pretense, no consideration of what score the wine got, just someone who knew what he liked and could care less what anyone thought of his choices.

Then you have folks like this who think of an awesome $30 bottle of fine Loire Valley Chenin blanc as cooking wine. Jealous? A wee bit for sure, but more because I wonder if they really appreciate those wines and how they would judge things in blind tastings. And yes, I’d love to drink a few of those killer wines.

So, back to value. The following three are recently sampled sparkling wines, all of which were pretty good, though none of them really blew me away. The job got done, nobody got hurt and for the price I’d buy them on my own dime. FULL DISCLOSURE: All the following wines were received as samples.

NV Piper Sonoma – estimated retail $15: First up we have an entry from California. Those of you who are bubble heads may recognize the first half of the name, Piper. Yes, this particular California producer, like many, is owned by a Champagne house. In this case, it would be Piper-Heidsieck. The wine is brimming with crisp acidity, California citrus flavors and has a body that broadens on the palate. It was well balanced and easy to drink, with a style that neither pushes the edge, nor does it fall off the cliff. Good patio wine.

NV Villa Granda Prosecco IGT – estimated retail $11-12: Proseccos have come to become known as the go to wine for unwinding mid-week. They tend to be slightly lower in alcohol than other bubblies, though not by much since most sparklers top out at 12.5%, and on the fruitier side. Whether you are making a sparkling cocktail, having Sunday brunch with mimosas or kicking back and enjoying this fine spring weather, this is a good choice. Soft, with stone fruits that are fairly typical for the style, though I got a bit more mineral than others. Good for light appetizers, drinking alone or with mild cheeses.

NV Cupcake Vineyards Brut Rosé of Pinot Noir – estimated retail $12: A product of France, this bubbly was very tight lipped at first. After warming up, sweet strawberry and a slight hint of cherry came forward, though neither will knock you out with volume. Good acidity, enough to make food taste better and a wine that went well with grilled ham, jelly and cheese sandwiches.

Have a happy weekend and enjoy this fine weather!

Cheers,
Kevin

Remember the review on the three selections of Champagne Henriot? Well, those same friends are having a gathering next month and were having trouble in picking the sparkling wine to kick start said event. So, what else would a good wino do, but have a pre-event with a small group of fellow drunks oenophiles to select the starter wine.

All the wines were under the $20 price range and actually, came in under $15 each. The quality was pretty good all around, though I will admit that the constant drinking and eating didn’t give a fair chance to the last four or so selections. We had ten wines, all of which were served blind. I have them listed in order and have listed the names along with them, along with my notes and then thoughts about the wines after they were revealed.

First off, I’d like to say thanks to our friends for creating the event(s) and our gracious host and hostess who cooked dinner for us at their home. Food, conversation and company were all great and throw in 10 sparkling wines (after tasting six still wines at an earlier tasting) and yeah boy, you’ve got a party.

We were served food that was NOT the same as what the menu at the actual event would be, so I was taking the possible selections into mind when reviewing these wines. Like I was trained, I also considered the audience, which will include many folks who don’t really care that much about wine. Yes, they’ll drink it, but they aren’t as obsessed enthusiastic as the rest of us.

Adriano Adami Garbel Prosecco 13 - Depreville Brut Rose - Kingsley North Coast

NV Adriano Adami Prosecco Colli Trevigiani Garbèl 13 ($13.99): Pear, touch of mineral with a sweet-tart like finish that had a hint of pink grapefruit in it. Pleasant for a starter wine, but wouldn’t stand up to the suggested appetizers.

NV Depréville Brut Rosé $9.99: Pretty rose quartz color, with tart red berry flavors that finished a bit short and would actually work better at the end of a menu with some sort of tart. The ladies seemed to like this one if I recall, but I wasn’t counting the ballots, so what do I know?

NV Kingsley North Coast Sparkling Brut $12.99: Cooler climate from the higher acidity profile, with granny smith apple dusted with candied ginger, giving it spicy edge. I found this to be decent, but not well suited for the crowd.

De Chanceny Cremant de Loire - Rotari Talento - Segura Viudas Brut Reserva

NV De Chanceny Crémant de Loire Brut $12.99: The crowd favorite, this got a vote from everyone. While not my personal favorite, I thought this had been the easiest and smoothest to drink, but with more oomph than the first, which was just too light for food. I was also drinking this while eating marinara sauce, which was a mistake. I think the acidity in the tomatoes does nothing good for sparkling wines, but hey, I was hungry and the food tasted good.

NV Rotari Talento Trento Brut DOC $12.99 Golden apples with touches of bread and minerals. Lengthy and smooth on the finish, this was another crowd pleaser with broad appeal. Rotari makes three excellent sparkling wines and while the NV stuff is very nice, if you find the vintage, take a stab and see if you aren’t impressed for the money.

NV Segura Viudas Brut Reserva $7.99: This was one of the wines I’d suggested which made the list. At this point, everyone was more into the conversation than the actual evaluation of the wines and all I put was this had nice fruit and was a contender for the crown. I always think this is a good bottle to keep around the house for casual sipping or Sunday mimosas. Unfortunately, it didn’t add to my total in the race for 365, but that is fine, it was still good.

Rondel Pura Raza - Segura Viudas Aria - 2006 Saint-Hilaire - Depreville Brut

NV Rondel Pura Raza Cava $7.99: I guessed this was an inexpensive Cava based on the high acidity and the strong, simple citrus profile. I thought it was a nice wine for a starter and think it is one to take a look at if you can’t find the Segura Viudas. You could always do what we did and hold your own blind tasting.

NV Segura Viudas Aria Cava $10.99: Again I wrote Cava, with more richness than the previous two and strong hint of grapefruit. At this point, I was just ready to get done. I always like Aria, but as reviewed last week, find it has taken a bit of a downturn for me when compared to the $3 less expensive Brut Reserva.

2006 Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux $14.99: Umm…I got tangerine and citrus, which means I was too lazy to really try and sniff out what other (since tangerine is a citrus fruit) citrus I was picking up on. It was nice, but at this point, what wasn’t?

NV Depréville Brut $8.99: Austere and not pleasant. Even at this stage, I didn’t like this one. Probably the only wine I wouldn’t drink again. Skip this.

So, there you go. Ten sparkling wines, all tasted in a blind format (my favorite kind) that was really quite fun. The wines ranged from no way Jose to fill ‘er up Johnny and while none of them blew my socks off, I thought it was a very good lineup for the price range. Then again, I am bias to some degree when it comes to sparkling wines. I wonder how many Pinot Noirs in this price range you could find of similar quality? Even Cabernet Sauvignon, with the sheer number of choices to pick from, could be difficult, especially if you were picking out wines that you weren’t really familiar with.

Based on all factors (our votes, price, location, customer loyalty), Rotari is the winner and will be the wine we start the evening off with when the party actually takes place.

Once again, many thanks to P & C for having us as guests to the party and M & T for being such awesome hosts. We had a wonderful time and look forward to many more with everyone. It was also nice to put another 8 notches in the 365+ belt in one evening.

Cheers,
Kevin

Villa Granda Pinot Prosecco Rosa

FULL DISCLOSURE: I didn’t pay for this wine.

Pink Prosecco is something relatively new to me, with my first experience coming last year when Riondo released their version and you found stacks of it at Whole Foods. So far, in my opinion, the Italians are having more success than the Spaniards and their pink Cavas.

This brand is unknown to me, but our first introduction was a good one. The blend is 75% Pinot Bianco, 15% Prosecco and 10% Pinot Nero (which is what the Italians call Pinot Noir).

The wine is frizzante or slightly sparkling, coming under a standard cork that has been tied with string. For those of you who drink a fair bit of Prosecco, this should come as nothing new. The aromas and flavors are very straight forward, with light red strawberry and stone fruits dominating this easy drinking wine. The finish is moderately clipped, but that just gives you more reason to take another sip, right?

For patio sipping, warm weather (have no fear, it will return!) picnics or for the next casual party, this will do you right. I’ll be curious to see how the other 3 samples I’ve got stand up compared to this one.

Again, no haiku.

2007 Astoria Millesimato Prosecco

FULL DISCLOSURE: This wine was received as a sample from the generous folks at Prestige Wine Group, the importer of the wine.

Astoria is a producer I’ve never seen, so my assumption is they aren’t sold here in GA, but hey, someday they might be or you could be traveling and see this name on a wine list somewhere and go, I remember reading about this wine. From what I can gather, this wine should retail somewhere around $20.

Prosecco is the name of the grape from which this wine is made, with some producers adding others into the blend. You’ll find most of them produced in the Veneto, a region in the northeast corner of Italy. The two sub-regions which are most often seen on labels are Valdobbiadene and Conegliano. Prosecco is probably most famous as being the wine of the Bellini, a mix of the bubbly and white peach nectar, invented at Harry’s Bar in Venice. Proseccos range from spumante to frizzante, which indicates the degree of fizziness. You’ll see some, including one of the biggest brands often stacked at Whole Foods, under a regular cork tied to the neck with a string. Prosecco is a great wine for mixing with fruit juices, especially apple or stone fruits.

The grapes for this wine are sourced from the D.O.C. region of Valdobbiadene (Vahl-doe-bee-ah-den-ay) on the hills of the Astoria estate vineyard “Costa del Sol”, at an elevation of 500 feet above sea level. Vines are located on the hillside with an east-to-west orientation, with 5,000 grapevines per hectare, each averaging 8 years of age. (Paragraph copied from Prestige website).

Grapes are harvested by hand in small lots as the beginning of September. Immediately after harvest, in accordance to strict D.O.C law, a gentle pressing occurs and the “free-run” juice is placed in stainless steel tanks for a brief cold maceration at 42°F to help stabilize the juice. (Paragraph copied from Prestige website)

Using select yeasts, primary fermentation takes place over 15 – 20 days at a temperature of 61°F. Before the primary fermentation process is concluded, the wine (which has a high content of sugar residues) is run into a pressurized tank where a second fermentation takes place allowing it to become sparkling. Final aging occurs in the bottle over 6 weeks. (Paragraph copied from Prestige website)

As you can see in that last paragraph, this wine receives its secondary fermentation in a tank. This is known as the Martinotti-Charmat method, a less expensive alternative to the traditional method. It is the typical method used for Prosecco, which helps to preserve the fruity profile of the grape which results in a fruity, easy to drink wine. This easy to drink profile, along with inexpensive pricing, has contributed to a substantial increase in sales over the past several years.

The 2007 Millesimato is made from 100% Prosecco grapes and is an extra dry, with a sugar level of 20 g/l and an ABV of 11.5%. The aromas are subtle and a tad less fruity than other Proseccos I’ve experienced, something I’ll attribute to the cooler climate in which the grapes are grown. It has a unique (to me) nose of vanilla toasted almond and white flowers, with a touch of green melon. On the palate, it tasted like someone had mixed together a tart white peach, green apple skin with some wet stones. The almond shows up with the stones in the finish. It felt very coastal in nature.

I was impressed with the distinctive character of this wine, so I give it high marks in the terroir department, for whatever that matters. While I was expecting more of the usual peach and apricot I associate with Prosecco, the different nature of this wine added to the tasty experience. The extra sugar is well balanced by the acidity, keeping it from being overly sweet. I perceived it more in the softer and rounder mouthfeel, with less bite in the finish, versus a real sweetness. We paired this with sushi, which may have also helped in masking the sweetness of the wine. I really do need to try and sip the wines before I have any food.

I’d say it is an above average example of what can be achieved with this style of wine and would definitely recommend it for any dish where almonds are used, as the similar note in the wine is fairly unique. I’m definitely looking forward to trying the two other Astoria Proseccos that Prestige was kind enough to share with me.

Haiku
Vanilla almonds
White flower and subtle fruit
Stony fruit finish

Thanks for stopping by. If you enjoy what I’m doing, please share with your friends and encourage them to do the same. If you are new and don’t realize my goal for this year, check it out here. All sparkling wine reviews on Twitter will have the hash tag #BoB. If you know a sparkling wine I should try, please email me the name and I’ll see if I can source it. If you have questions, send them along. Happy Monday to you!

As the weeks of 2009 count down, sparkling wine events awaken from an 11 month slumber and begin to multiply like rabbits. This is a great opportunity for you to get out and try a variety of bubblies, from Spanish Cava to the premium products of Champagne. You can say it all you want and I’ll agree, Champagne isn’t an absolute value in the wine world, but I will argue it is a relative value. That means in my experience, a $40 bottle of Champagne is more likely to please me than a $40 something else. Your mileage varies.

Yes, I dig on the domestic producers (many of whom are offspring of Champagne) and think there are some great wines from all over the world that do a great job at producing bubbly, but I still find Champagne to be the best. This past weekend was Chris Hinton’s annual sparkling wine tasting, a flight of six different bubbles, 4 from France, 1 from Italy and another from California. While I didn’t find anything new under the sun, it was still a great way to spend a bit of time on a dreary Saturday, for if I can’t get sunshine, I can’t light the sun on the inside with Champagne.

2009 Sparkling Wine Tasting

2005 Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux, France – $14.99 Here we have a sparkling wine from the Languedoc region of France. There are four different AOCs for the region, three of which are sparkling wine. I can’t recall ever having a bubbly from this part of the world and according to the information I found, this is France’s oldest sparkling wine producing region. There is your trump card the next time your know it all wine geek friend starts babbling on. Throw that one at ‘em and watch them stumble. Hey, before today, it would have gotten me.

As for the wine, I can’t find the exact composition, but Chardonnay, Chenin blanc and Mauzac (new one to me) are the major grapes of the region. This got an 88 point rating from Wine Enthusiast, but I didn’t see it. As a matter of fact, nobody at our table did. There seemed to be a bitter edge to the wine that I didn’t find appealing. It could have been the toppings on the brie that also did the wine in. There was one that was fig preserves and the other was something that had cranberries, cinnamon and walnuts in it. Both were yummy, but next time I’d skip them as they definitely changed the tasted perceptions. For me, this was a pass, but I did hear some folks talk about it favorably after the tasting. Me, I’ll stick to Cava.

Lamarca Prosecco, Italy – $15.99 For those who don’t like the tart, more biting edge of Champagne and other sparklers, I always pushed them towards Prosecco. I always found them to be a tad softer, with pretty peach and apricot fruit tones on a silky light weight mouth feel that made them perfect for summer time sipping. Granted, there are some made with a bit more stuffing, but this one falls right in line with the pleasant to drink on its own during the warmer months. It finishes with a bit of tart apple and is very easy to drink. While Prosecco in general isn’t my preferred style for this time of year, I’d keep this one in the memory banks to celebrate the return of warm weather.

NV Deutz Classic Brut Champagne – $44.99 This wine floats across the palate like Dorothy Hamill skates across the ice. Wow, did I just date myself or what? I’m sure you’ve read the word ethereal in tasting notes before and here, it really applies. For me, more than other wines, texture and mouth-feel are more integral to the appreciation and savoring of Champagne and sparkling wine than others. Dessert wines as well, which perhaps explains my affinity for both. While the wine floats in your mouth, as if suspended above your tongue by its very effervescence, it is in now way lacking for flavor. It teases and tickles more than it probes and punches. This is definitely an apéritif style wine that will be best suited for starting off a meal and pairing with only the most delicate of dishes.

NV Louis Roederer Premier Brut Champagne – $36.98 Of the three Champagnes we were delighted with, this was the most classic and resonate of the region. It showed the connection to time and ocean, with the chalky terroir underpinning the bright citrus, ginger and toasted character which define and set apart Champagne from all others. Not quite as full bodied as I was expecting (it has been a while since I’ve had this), it was somewhere in the lower end of middle weights and was very appealing. A solid value in big house brand Champagne that will work across the entire spectrum of the meal, save for dessert which is best left in the hands of other libations.

NV Duval-Leroy Cuvée Paris Brut Champagne – $34.99 This wins the prize for best bottle design, a silkscreen from American artist LeRoy Neiman. If you want something unique to give and your recipient loves Champagne, this is an excellent choice at a value price. Another lighter weight Champagne, I think this should have been served before the Roederer. It has a distinctive graphite, pencil type aroma that was lesser than previous releases, but still played a supporting role to the delicate pink grapefruit and vanilla flavors. The length was a bit clipped and while this paled in comparison to the last time I had it, I’ll be trying this next year in the quest, as I think it has more to share with a bit more time in bottle.

NV Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rosé Sparkling Wine, Calistoga, CA – $24.99 The first thing we all noticed (our table was the same group as Thanksgiving when we had a bottle of this) was the color was slightly paler, indicating a change in the blend of still Pinot Noir to give the color. Now, before I even wrote that, I’m only guessing this is the production method that Schramsberg uses, since it is the most common. Excuse me while I do some research…
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Okay, so a quick read on their website doesn’t exactly straighten it out for me. There is a line that says Pinot Noir lots, including a few fermented with skin contact,, which indicates the saignée method. Oh well, it doesn’t matter that much, as it was still rockin’ good and an excellent value.

For food, there is no better sparkling wine selection (in general) than a good rosé. This one in particular is filled with beautiful red berry aromas and flavors and is so easy and delicious to drink, you don’t really want to pay attention to the notes. You just want to sit back and let the symphony take you away.

Overall, an excellent tasting, with only one speed bump to overcome for me.

Haiku
Bubbles make happy
Company adds to delight
Sun shines from inside

Hope you have a great Monday and if you like what I’m doing, please pass it along to your friends, email me questions, tell me opinion or tell me why you think differently. If there is anything I can do to help, please ask. Cheers!