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Prepare Yee With Bubbly For the Holidays!

By Darryl Beeson

The following splurge is a quick overview of sparkling wines recently reviewed in time for the fall holidays. Most are fantastic. They are all priced accordingly. For more details visit the A-Z section of www.wineontheweb.com.

Champagne Deutz Brut, Champagne NV
Price $48
Rating 93
Earthy, toasty elements in the complex sip resound that this Champagne house deserves serious recognition. Toasted whole wheat bread, toasted almonds and a touch of citrus blossom are in the long, complex length.

Champagne Deutz “Cuvée William Blanc” Brut, 1996
Price $138
Rating 97
This fine sip is luxury in a glass. Earthy mineral, wheat crackers, brioche, toasted nuts and bright citrus are all found in the long length.

Freixenet “Cordon Negra” Brut, Penedès NV
Price $8.99
Rating 81
The Freixenet cava business started in 1914. Pere Ferrer Bosch was the son of "La Freixeneda", the family estate located in the Alt Penedès region since the XIIIth century. Right from the start they decided to produce only cava, a natural sparkling wine, following the method used in Champagne (France) for a couple of centuries.

Greg Norman Estates Sparkling Chardonnay, Yarra NV
Price $18.99
Rating 88
The wine is a pale straw green in color. On the nose there are lifted strawberry, citrus and nutty aromas with just a hint of sherbet character. On the palate it is a medium to full bodied style with generous stonefruit and citrus flavors and a very smooth, yet generous finish.

Iron Horse Blanc de Blanc, Green Valley 1995
Price $30.99
Rating 93
Made from 100% Chardonnay and aged eight plus years on the yeast, this wine redefines elegance and complexity. Some describe the flavors as being similar to a perfectly browned slice of sourdough toast.

Korbel Sparkling Chardonnay, Sonoma NV
Price $12.99
Rating 89
This crisp, cleanly made sparkling wine boasts the added vigor of 100% Chardonnay, a California mainstay. It refreshes as well as stands up to more assertive holiday food selections. This racy bubbly is understated and elegant, though.

Louis Roederer Brut Premier, Reims NV
Price $39
Rating 91
Complex entry flavors of lime peel, brioche, honey suckle blossom along with firm mineral are all found in the glass.

Louis Roederer Brut, Reims 1996
Price $49
Rating 93
Bracing mineral and crisp, yeasty lemon in the first sip. This is elegant and classic Champagne.

Louis Roederer Brut Blanc de Blancs, Reims 1997
Price $49
Rating 94
Reviewed 9-11-04
Big, bright lemon and lime lead in the sip, then roasted nuts and some tropical in the elegant finish.

Louis Roederer Crystal, Reims 1997
Price $199
Rating 97
The flavors are big and ponderous. There is an elegant yeastiness with firm mineral base. There are roasted nuts, brioche, toasted wheat bread and any number of other fine complexities.

Mumm Cuvée Napa “Brut Prestige” Napa NV
Price $18.99
Rating 93
Imagine nuances of vanilla and melon, with firmly crisp acid and racy structure. Medium to full-bodied, with excellent mousse (the foam formed from the tiny bubbles) and a rich lingering finish, the producers suggest that it is equally at home with a plate of iced oysters, fried calamari, chicken or a favorite pasta with a mild sauce.

Mumm de Cramant, Champagne NV
Price $59.99
Rating 93
This beauty has been made in the purest Champagne tradition since 1882. A single cru cuvée of incomparable pureness, blended in the time-honored tradition with a strict selection of 100% Chardonnay Cramant wines. This is truly a special Champagne to grace any holiday or celebration of an occasion.

Piper Heidsiek Cuvée Brut, Reims NV
Price $34.99
Rating 97
This is certainly one of Champagne’s best high quality values for the money. It is assertive in flavor and not fearful of being served throughout dinner. A yeasty, toasty mouthful of charm with beautiful crispness, just try it, please.

Pommery Brut Royal Champagne NV
Price $45
Rating 91
This terrific champagne is a blend of 40 carefully selected crus from the Champagne region. It is made up of three grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and about one-third Chardonnay. This subtle blend is then aged in the Pommery cellars for about three years.

Roederer Estate Brut, Anderson Valley NV
Price $19
Rating 92
Bright, yeasty citrus in the sip with a long, complex finish with nice mineral

Roederer Estate Brut Rose, Anderson Valley NV
Price $25
Rating 93
The lean and dry entry contains firm mineral and lilting citrus blossom, as well as yeasty elegance in the long length.

Roederer Estate “L’Ermitage” Brut, Anderson Valley 1998
Price $35
Rating 94
Lots of mineral elements, roasted nuts, brioche and citrus are in this elegant bubbly from California.

Scharffenberger Brut, Mendocino NV
Price $18
Rating 93
Crisp entry in the sip, this by more than one name on the label (name change to “Pacific Echo”), has always been one of the best sparkling wines from California. There are flavors of citrus blossom, limestone and lime peel within the good length.

Darryl Beeson travels the world looking for great wine values. In the past, he has been wine steward or cellar master for The Mansion on Turtle Creek, Voltaire, and The Adolphus Hotel. Not one for stuffiness or secret handshakes relative to wine, this Texan might now be described as a "ki-yi-yippee sommelier, sommelier." Beeson reports on wine, spirits, food and travel for numerous publications.

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