Champagne & Sparkling Tasting Notes

Korbel Sonoma County Champagne Natural Score: 87.0 "Natural, the driest of champagnes, has always been Korbels forte. A 60/40 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, it has crisp acidity and creamy bubbles, and the fruit is reminiscent of fresh pippin apples and minerals. Works equally well as an aperitif, or as a wine to pair with delicately flavored foods such as sole in a lemon-butter sauce." Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Sparkling Wine Brut Score: 89.0 "Fresh yeast and Chardonnay fruit (tart apple and a hint of vanilla), crisp, well-balanced, on the high side of Brut (i.e. tending toward extra dry), good length, lemony, tart on the palate with some creaminess from the tiny perisitent bubbles." Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Sparkling Wine Brut Rose Score: 90.0 "Very pale salmon, strawberry fruit and yeast bread nose, almost dry on the palate, with a tart, leesy finish. Miniscule bead, with good persistence. " 1994 Roederer Estate LErmitage Anderson Valley Sparkling Wine Estate Bottled Score: 93.0 "Blind tasting through a line-up of champagnes and sparkling wines, I knew Id come upon a special wine with the first sniff - a complex melange of white peach and pear (like a fruit pie), lemon, yeast, toast and mineral; dry with a lingering finish. " Champagne Deutz [sparkling] Brut Classic Score: 87.0 "Angular, toasty, candy apple and citrus fruit, medium-bodied; small, persistent bead, tart, with a dry impression on the mid-palate, and a long, off-dry, yeasty finish." 1992 Gloria Ferrer Vintage Reserve Royal Cuvee [sparkling] Brut Score: 88.0 "Fresh yeast bread nose, tiny bead, creamy texture, delicate fruit and yeast on the mid-palate, quite dry and refined, with tart, citrusy fruit on the finish. " 1991 Gloria Ferrer Carneros Cuvee [sparkling] Late Disgorged Brut Score: 88.0 "This wine was aged 'en tirage' for almost 8 years before 'degorgement,' yet its quite fresh and citrusy. On the dry end for Brut, it has some round bread and butter aromas, creamy texture and lemony fruit with mineral overtones on the palate." Gloria Ferrer [sparkling] Brut Score: 90.0 "The advantage of a non-vintage sparkler is that older vintages can be added to the blend to give more dimension, and thats the case here. The nose is round and subtle, with nuances of apricot, vanilla and toasted nuts. Dry and medium-full bodied, with creamy texture, and a complex lees, citrus and nuts finish, Gloria Ferrers flagship wine is the most complex of its current releases. " Louis Roederer Champagne [sparkling] Brut Premier Score: 91.0 "Like adult candy-its hard to put it down. Smooth and elegant, full-bodied, creamy, toasty, and on the high end of the Brut range (almost an extra dry) with excellent balance, nut, toast and muted apples on the mid-palate, tart and citrusy through the finish." 1995 Champagne Deutz [sparkling] Brut Score: 93.0 "Brut: I usually expect the non-vintage blends to be better balanced than their vintage dated counterparts, but in this case the 1995 outshines its stablemate in every regard. A blend of 60% Pinot Noir, 10% Pinot Meunier, and 30% Chardonnay, the nose carries the subtle scent of strawberries and apple blossoms and the faintest hint of butter, while the palate is tart and citrusy, with yeast and mineral overtones that carry the long finish. The fine bubbles give it a full mouthfeel. This is on the dry side of brut, and another version of the '95 is available as a slightly sweet Demi-sec. Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs [sparkling] Score: 84.0 "Pale copper, light, tart and leesy, with tiny persistent bubles. Somewhat creamy on the palate, dry, with muted strawberry fruit and an ephemeral finish." Piper Sonoma Methode Champenoise [sparkling] Brut Score: 86.0 "Tight and balanced, lemon and apple aromas, with a little toast and vanilla on the palate. " Piper Sonoma Methode Champenoise [sparkling] Blanc de Noir Score: 87.0 "A true BLANC de Noir, having no color, and a nose of strawberry and raspberry. On the palate its lively and fresh, and has a creamy texture." Chandon Etoile Napa-Sonoma Counties sparkling wine Score: 89.0 "Etoile is a dry, full-bodied, creamy sparkler with ripe apple and tart citrus fruit character, moderate yeastyness, and a citrusy finish. " Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne [sparkling wine] Score: 91.0 "Bright lemony fruit with a fresh bread yeasty nose and toasty undercurrents, dry (almost a naturel), light-bodied, austere, with a complex, dry, yeast and mineral finish of extraordinary length."

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