Jul 29th 2008
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Vintage: 2007
Purchased: Jul 19th 2008
Price: $11.99
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Tasting Notes:
This was wine number three for the night, served with a lemon and olive oil cake. This is just a fun wine. It's frizzante, so it sparkles but not a lot. It has a wonderful golden color, darker than you would expect. The aroma is a great mixture of vanilla, honey, and tropical fruits. In the mouth, the dominant flavor is one of pineapple. There is just a hint of vanilla creaminess and honey there as well. The finish is long. Not the most complex wine in the world, and perhaps a touch sweet. But it is a fun wine.
Comments(1)
Jun 24th 2008
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Vintage: 1992
Purchased: Apr 5th 2008
Price: $12.00
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Tasting Notes:
This isn't a bad sparkler, but I get the impression that it wasn't intended to bottle age for this long. Perhaps it got lost in a cellar somewhere? The color and nose are outstanding, but the primary fruit character seems to have faded. There are hints of apple and pear, but they are buried underneath the lime like intense acid. This isn't something I'd buy again.
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Apr 28th 2008
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Vintage: 2004
Purchased: Apr 13th 2008
Price: $12.00
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Tasting Notes:
Kathrine really wanted to pick this up, but I wasn't sure. I tend not to like Australian wines at the lower price points as they seem too fruity and sweet to me. I was worried that this wine would even go further in that regard than usual.
It has the typical inky black/purple color, with a nice frothy bead to it. The nose is super fruit forward with blackberries and blueberries. I didn't notice any non fruit aromas. In the mouth it's creamy with the same fruit flavors dominating. There is just a touch of tannin that comes through the bubbles. It actually was quite pleasant at first. But the more you drink, the more it tastes like a fruit candy. It just began to wear me out. This might be an ok wine for an aperitif for a group of people, but don't expect a small group to finish a bottle.
Comments(1)
Feb 21st 2008
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Vintage: NV
Purchased: Dec 30th 2007
Price: $38.00
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Tasting Notes:
This is the most expensive sparkling wine I've ever had, and the first real Champagne I think I've drunk. In the glass it was a fairly dark golden color. The bead was very fine and quite impressive. The first whiff brought bread dough and green apple. It's very yeasty on the nose, but not so much on the palate. The palate is mostly green apple with a hint of citrus. It's very creamy and mouth filling. The finish is long and quite mineral tasting.
I don't want to drink any sparkling wine but Champagne again.
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Jan 7th 2008
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Vintage: NV
Purchased: Apr 26th 2006
Price: $12.99
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Tasting Notes:
I had originally planed to open this on New Years eve, and had already purchased a replacement sparkler to go into the cellar. Of course, our hosts had plenty of wine ready, and we never popped the cork on this. I decided to pair it with a chicken pot pie a few days later. Maybe not a classic pairing, but one that went well.
The color is a deep golden, with just a touch of copper in the middle. It has a very foamy head at first pour and then settles down to a fine stream of very small bubbles. The smell is dominated by green apples, with just a touch of pizza crust yeastiness. In the mouth, there is a very creamy feel with the tastes of green apple and a touch of lemon zest. The finish was short with just a touch of vanilla and bitter almond.
This is a fairly complex wine at this price point. I wish it was a little more yeasty however.
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May 6th 2007
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Vintage: NV
Purchased: Mar 24th 2007
Price: $6.99
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Tasting Notes:
We were invited to a Cinco De Mayo party for some chipotle ribs. I decided to break out the Spanish wine for the occasion.
We had this with appetizers before dinner. It was very impressive pink in the glass with a very fine bead. It had a muted nose of red fruit and yeast. The texture in the mouth of very good and thick. The initial taste was of strawberry with the fresh baked bread taking over on the end. Not a lot of acid, and no sugar to speak of. This was not a great sparkler, but for the price it is hard to complain.
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Apr 30th 2007
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Vintage: NV
Purchased: Jan 2nd 2007
Price: $6.99
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Tasting Notes:
Opened this for a simple Friday dinner of cheese, cured meats and fruit. This is my go to sparkling wine. You can always find it for less than $7 and it's often on sale for $5.99.
It's a green-gold color in the glass with a fairly impressive bead. There are a few larger bubbles in there, but it is mostly very small and uniform. On the nose I smell green apple and fresh baked bread. Not overly complex, but it is appealing. On the palate this wine is dry and crisp. In the beginning the tastes of green apple and lemon dominate. I didn't get a lot of other fruit tastes, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are there. As the tastes continue you get a really good yeastiness that I miss from most cheap sparklers. It's like a very good pizza crust. I also got just a touch of vanilla on the finish.
This is a great sparkler to keep around. It's cheap enough to use for cocktails. It's also good enough to drink on it's own. Plus, you don't have to feel like you are celebrating when you open it.
Comments(0)
Mar 19th 2007
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Vintage: NV
Purchased: Feb 24th 2007
Price: $12.99
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Tasting Notes:
This wine is all about the packaging. The only reason I bought it was because Kathrine really thought the little cans were cute.
I'm not a huge fan of blanc de blancs. They tend not to be fruity enough for me. This was no exception. Not much of a nose on this at all. What little fruit on the palate was mostly green apple. It was pretty tart. I appreciated the lack of sweetness, but Kathrine thought it could use a little more sugar. I also missed the yeastiness you get from something made in the champagne method.
All in all, this is drinkable. But for less money you can get a very good cava. And for the same money or just a little more, you can get a cremant, a prosecco, moscato di asti, or new world sparkler of higher quality. Unless you need something for a party or a picnic, I'd hold off on this.
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Feb 21st 2007
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Vintage: NV
Purchased: Jan 26th 2007
Price: $12.99
Purchase Location: QFC
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Tasting Notes:
I love sparkling wine. The problem is Champagne is very expensive, so I tend to stick to Cava. When I saw this sparkler at QFC marked down from $24.99 I thought it would be perfect to the first course of the Valentine's dinner I was making for Kathrine.
In case you didn't know Cremant is the generic French name for sparkling wine made in that country outside the region of Champagne. This rose sparkler comes from Burgundy. It is made of 65% chardonnay and 35% pinot noir, the traditional grapes of Burgundy. It just so happens that those are also the traditional grapes of Champagne, so this wine should be very similar to its more expensive siblings. The pale pink color comes from the addition of pinot noir to the wine when the lees are disgorged.
The wine was very rich and fruity but just off-dry on the finish. It seemed much sweeter than it was due to the fruit, but be warned do not drink this with dessert. I tasted a sip after I had eaten dessert but without cleansing my palate and it seemed super acidic. With the Pacific Oysters on the half shell though it was heavenly. And the color was just a perfect way to begin Valentines.
Comments(0)
Not Yet Tasted
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Vintage: NV
Purchased: Jan 9th 2008
Price: $36.80
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Tasting Notes:
N/A
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