Conde de Subirats Brut Rose Cava Review Date - 5/1/2009 Score - 89 Tasting Note: From the very birthplace of Cava itself, this wine brings the joy of bubbles to causal fare while being light on the wallet. It’s a treat for the eye as well with its medium-deep reddish pink color. A brut, its 10 grams of residual sugar are well within the limits for brut. Prepare for a trip back in time to childhood, as this medium-bodied dry sparkling wine puts forth aromas of candied apple and cinnamon hearts. The palate amasses a bouquet of red fruits, from pomegranate to raspberry to red currant. The crisp, clean finish makes it lovely for a wide variety of foods. This is an exciting value. Grapes: Trepat (90%); Pinot Noir (10%). Foods: five-spice powder dusted slow-roasted pork belly with apple juice; barbecued ribs or chicken; mildly seasoned chili or Brunswick stew; roast ham or grilled ham steak; pork or duck rilletes; Mongolian beef and other Asian meat and chicken dishes with spice, Serrano ham, paella. Georgia Distributor: Avant Partir $15.00 1 + 1 = 3 Cava Brut Review Date - 5/1/2009 Score - 90 Tasting Note: Cava is the term Spain uses to denote sparkling wines made in the traditional method; that is, with the second fermentation taking place in the specific bottle you hold in your hands. This one is a medium-bodied dry sparkling wine that exhibits a lovely pale straw color and zippy small-bead bubbles. On the nose, initial citrus-focused aromas develop into more focused lemon curd aromas. The palate shows a lovely spice-centered core, with a hint of ginger, restrained fruit and a clean, crisp, long finish. Moderate alcohol (11.5%), allows one to enjoy multiple glasses of this well-priced sparkler. Grapes: 45% Xarel.lo, 35% Parellada, 25% Macabeo. In Spain, cava often is offered after a meal, but it makes a lovely aperitif as well. Foods: Greek taramosalata on a sea-salted potato chip (hard to stop tasting this one!); salmon caviar on a salted potato chip with a dab of Mexican crema agria; pistachios; potato-based nibbles, such as tiny potatoes stuffed with sour cream, chives, and either a bit of salmon caviar or some smoked salmon; dim sum; Korean egg-and-crab pancakes; shrimp-based dips or salad; calamari with lemon aioli; sushi. Georgia Distributor: United Distributors $22.00 2005 Jean Pierre Dirler Crémant d’Alsace Review Date - 5/1/2009 Score - 88 Tasting Note: Outside of Champagne, regions making sparkling wine need to use the word “Crémant,” not to be confused with Cramant, one of Champagne’s grand cru villages. So a sparkling wine from Alsace, Burgundy, the Loire, Bordeaux will all be designated “Crémant.” Alsace’s major white wine grapes play roles in this example: Pinot Noir (30%); Pinot Gris (35%); Auxxerois (35%). This wine displays a medium gold color, an ample mousse, and in the aromas, hints of ginger, flowers and exotic spice. On the palate, look for a sublime richness and complexity, with well-evolved yellow fruit flavors and a silky texture. The long dry finish hangs on to the fruit. There is no dosage (the sugar-adjusting liqueur usually but electively inserted into the wine at the end of sparkling wine process). The vineyards are biodynamic. Foods: Rich foods, such as slow-roasted spice-rubbed pork belly or roast pork loin; chicken thighs braised on a bed or caramelized onions; roast chicken; all manner of Asian dishes (even egg foo yung, Mongolian beef, pepper steak); rich creamy cheeses (goat brie, Delice de Bourgogne). Georgia Distributor: Avant Partir $15.00 Domaine des Aubuisieres Vouvray Brut Review Date - 5/1/2009 Score - 91 Tasting Note: Bernard Fouquet is esteemed as one of the principal winemakers of Vouvray, in the Loire Valley, enclosing France’s longest river. Vouvray is all about the Chenin Blanc grape, a grape that often gets no respect in America. But if the naysayers could just taste these wines! This sparkling wine is medium-bodied with persistent tiny bubbles and a medium pale yellow straw color. On the nose, the aroma of honey and white fruits provides a fine introduction to the wine. Fleshy, ripe fruit flavors with slight ginger and exotic spice notes in the finish govern the palate, and good, crisp acidity lends substantial backbone to this well-balanced wine. The mousse seems to continue in the mouth, as the pétillance (sparkle) has a good bit of verve and spirit. Pure delight and a great value. Foods: boiled peanuts; Ikura (salmon caviar) on lightly salted potato chips and Mexican cream; sushi; dim sum; taramosalata; sweetwater fish delicately prepared and lightly sauced; baked scallops with a creamy sauce and mashed potatoes; chicken breast roasted atop a bed of thinly sliced onions and garlic; Asian poultry and seafood dishes; chicken salad; sautéed soft-shell crab; crab cakes; king crab legs with drawn butter, creamy full-flavored cheeses (goat brie). Georgia Distributor: Unique World Wines $15.00 2002 Spiropoulos Ode Panos Review Date - 5/1/2009 Score - 88 Tasting Note: Do we think of Greece as a producer of sparkling wine? Well, think again, because it is. Greek law doesn’t allow vintage or appellation to be applied to sparkling wines, so don’t be concerned about that. Moscofilero, a crisp, light white wine grape, is the grape type used to produce this crisp sparkler whose second fermentation occurred in a tank (Charmat method). These grapes are grown organically at Domaine Spiropoulos, founded in 1879. This medium-bodied dry white sparkling wine shows a very pale yellow color and a moderately persistent fine bead. Delicate aromas of citrus and quince prepare the palate for the same characters. There’s a good mid-palate and the flavors continue through a moderate finish. Residual sugar (.9) keeps it within the “brut” range. Foods: Classic French onion dip and unsalted potato chips (doesn’t like the salted ones); taramosalata (excellent); smooth liver mousses; calamari with lemon aioli; fried cheeses-stuffed zucchini blossoms; stuffed vine leaves (dolmades); deep-fried Greek potato balls; vegetable croquettes; raw oysters with lemon and other lightly cooked seafood. OK with salmon caviar, but not exciting. Georgia Distributor: United Distributors $19.00 Villa Granda Prosecco I.G.T. Frizzante Review Date - 5/1/2009 Score - 88 Tasting Note: Prosecco is a grape type from which Italy makes its classic, light-bodied, crisp Italian sparkling wine, made in the Charmat method. This is usually a very well priced category of wines ($15-25), and provides a lovely opportunity to enjoy sparkling wine at a beach picnic or at brunch. You’ll have to open this one with a corkscrew. The wine shows a pale yellow color and a fine, rather persistent bead. A slight almond note in the aromas introduces a well-balanced off-dry sparkling white wine with a pale yellow color. The wine’s delicate scent hints of citrus and flowers, while on the palate crisp, clean white fruit flavors including a bit of white peach make this a wine useable in many circumstances. Great value. Foods: petizers: aroncini (deep-fried rice balls); taramosalata; calamari with lemon aioli; grilled scallops with classic rémoulade (not Creole); raw or roasted oysters with lemon; Main dishes: delicate poached or baked seafood and fish with delicate sauces, pasta or potatoes; pasta with pesto and shrimp; shrimp salad; spaghetti squash or cappellini with fresh basil and Manchego cheese, olive oil; sautéed soft-shell crab with a little curry powder in the dusting flour. Georgia Distributor: United Distributors $11.00 Billecart-Salmon Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve Review Date - 5/1/2009 Score - 95 Tasting Note: I was in South Africa when I first tasted Billecart-Salmon. It was the rosé, and I went into instant high swoon. On the spot. Derived from the early 19th century marriage of Nicolas François Billecart and Elizabeth Salmon who founded the house in 1818, Champagne Billecart-Salmon is operated today by the fifth generation successors. Full-bodied and showing a medium straw color, with persistent bead, the wine is a brut (dry). What aromas! Toasty, but with brilliant pear-and-melon-like fruit, cushaw or golden watermelon. Elegant and refined. On the palate, brioche and ripe fruit vie for attention, as the complex yet elegant flavors conclude in a mouthwatering acid-backed finale. Well cellared, it should keep about a decade from when first disgorged. Grapes are the usual: Pinot Noir; Chardonnay; Pinot Meunier, but percentages vary slightly from year to year. All grapes are from the Marne department. Foods: Pistachios; eggs Benedict and similar brunch egg-based dishes; crab Benedict; eggs Sardou; chicken liver mousse on small toasts; kura caviar with Mexican cream on a baked, low-salt potato chip; taramosalata; French onion dip; poulet à la crème; lobster; King crab legs with drawn butter; crab casserole; roast chicken; prime rib; and, yes, my friend’s lightly salted “boil’” peanuts. Delicious, in fact. Georgia Distributor: Avant Partir $55.00 Baumard Crémant de Loire Review Date - 5/1/2009 Score - 90 Tasting Note: In Anjou, a rosé, whether still or sparkling, will be made from one of the Cabernets, most likely Cabernet Franc. That’s the case with this delightful sparkling wine, made entirely from Cabernet Franc, thus is a “blanc de noir.” With a visually enticing delicate pale pink color, this medium-bodied dry sparkling wine shows a fine persistent bead. The aromas announce an elegant wine, with delicate red fruit characters and some herbal notes. On the palate, Cabernet Franc’s character shows, with a suggestion of cold tea in mid palate. A slight, pleasant malt note closes the crisp finish. Good acidity. Foods: spiced pecans; liver mousses; marcona almonds drizzled with honey; caprino (creamy goat cheese); grilled shrimp with sun-dried tomato aioli; shrimp paste or pickled shrimp with tomato; rillettes; pork roast; roast chicken. Georgia Distributor: Atlanta Wholesale Wines/NDC 2003 Bruno Giacosa Spumante Brut Review Date - 5/1/2009 Score - 88 Tasting Note: Pinot Noir is one of the three classical grapes of Champagne. It can be used alone and made into a white sparkling wine simply by not allowing any juice-skin contact. This is a “Blanc de Noir” or white made from black grapes. And that’s what we have here in this Italian spumante or sparkling wine, which is entirely made from Pinot Noir (or, in Italian, pinot nero). This medium-bodied dry white wine shows a medium pale straw yellow color. Done in the traditional method (that is, fermented in the bottle you hold), the wine presents a strong, persistent bead. On the nose, toasty aromas with ripe fruit characters introduce a dry, generous, distinctive palate with just a hint of butterscotch. With just three grams of residual sugar, it falls into the “extra brut” category. Very dry. The crisp, clean finish and moderate acidity (just 5.5g/l) make it an excellent food wine with rich fare. Offered by the glass at Eno. Foods: terrines; spiced pork belly; roast chicken; grilled duck breast rubbed with Chinese five-spice powder; grilled or roasted Cornish hen; meat pies; as an aperitif with meat-filled empanadas; lamb lollipops; or meat-focused dim sum. Georgia Distributor: Empire Distributing $35.00 2007 Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut Rosé Stellenbosch Review Date - 5/1/2009 Score - 92 Tasting Note: South Africa’s answer to the need to rename its sparkling wine in deference to Champagne “Cap Classique,” a term that denotes the traditional method of making sparkling wine with the second fermentation occurring in the bottle you hold. Normally, this wine also has a bit of Pinot Meunier, but not the 2007 vintage as a heat wave caught the Pinot Meunier harvest unawares and rendered it unbalanced. So, this example is 90% Pinotage (a cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsault), with 10% Pinot Noir. It shows an intense reddish pink color, and pours a fine mousse and a steady pinpoint bead. Intense berry aromas greet the nose, while on the palate fresh red berries yield a rich, rewarding experience. A long, crisp, clean finish invites another sip. Residual sugar levels of just 6 grams/liter take it to the bottom of the brut scale, which, combined with good acidity (6.6 g/l), yield a wine that handles a wide variety of foods. Foods: Think spice: spice-rubbed pork roast, duck; lamb; South African specialties, such as bobotie; biltong; roti (South African Malaysian fare); mushroom salad with red onion and herbs; Southern barbecue with tomato-based sauce; barbecued chicken; smoked meats; smoked or cured salmon; grilled salmon; lamb lollipops; Asian meat dishes with exotic but not hot spices; goat brie (stunning!), red fruit desserts that aren’t too sweet; dark chocolate-covered red fruits. Georgia Distributor: Atlanta Wholesale Wine/NDC $25.00 2004 Iron Horse Brut Sonoma County Green Valley Classic Vintage Review Date - 5/1/2009 Score - 90 Tasting Note: Iron Horse is practically synonymous with American sparkling wine, certainly more so than any other winery. Its Russian Cuvée crafted especially for the Reagan-Gorbachev summit is a bit sweeter and creamier in texture than this one. Grape types: Pinot Noir (68%) and Chardonnay (32%). Full-bodied and dry, with a pale gold color, the wine offers positively heady red cherry/apple aromas, while the palate presents tangy lemon and Fuji or Braeburn apple characters that precede a long, crisp, clean finish. Aged three years on the yeast lees, the wine shows a lovely creaminess and complexity. Foods: Winery says comfort foods, and I agree: French onion dip and lightly salted potato chips; classic mac ‘n’ cheese; fries and aioli; deep-fried catfish (or other seafood) with tartar sauce; lightly salted pistachios; oysters (raw or cornmeal fried) with lemon; creamy soups; deviled crab; chicken pie. Georgia Distributor: National Distributing $30.00 J Brut Cuvée 20 Russian River Valley Review Date - 5/1/2009 Score - 94 Tasting Note: This is one of the most all-purpose sparkling wines, with an ability to pair with food that is frankly uncommon. Cool-climate vineyard sites in this sparkling wine-focused AVA yield a blend of classic grapes, the same blend that Champagne uses to make its icon wines: Chardonnay (49%); Pinot Noir (49%); and Pinot Meunier (2%). Some 25% of the wines were oak cask finished, contributing substantially to the wine’s richness, along with extended sur lie aging. This is a delicious piece of work, whose residual sugar just barely crawls over the “brut” line, at 1.65%. The wine is disgorged (readied for market) after three years of bottle age. The very pale silvery yellow color invites the eye, and the lively bead keeps the palate engaged. Crisp, clean, and rich, this full-bodied sparkling wine shows a lively lemon-kissed aroma, with rich, complex lemon, baked apple, nuts, and toast flavors. As it warms and opens in the flute, it becomes even richer. Foods: pistachios; raw or roasted oysters with lemon or mignonette; ikura (salmon roe) with Mexican cream on a low-salt potato chip or blini. Asian dumplings with ponzu sauce for dipping; cornmeal-crusted calamari with lemon aioli, creamy liver pâtés; creamy seafood or other bisques, lobster with melted butter and lemon, crab cakes; sautéed soft-shell crabs; baked fish; roast chicken; grilled steak with horseradish sauce; grilled scallops with Creole-style rëmoulade or lemon aioli; mild triple-cream cheeses (St. André; Explorateur). Georgia Distributor: National Distributing $35.00