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Champagneinhand Likes this wine:

Saturday, October 19, 2013 - Okay, I wil admit that going into this bottle I really wanted to "Hate it." I have been grumbly about some wA Grenache based rhone blends and their over-romancing, especially compared to the real deal in the Southern rhone. No problems with WA Syrah as it is great. Anyhow, I had some bias against this going in and expected nothing special, but I WAS WRONG!
So when you compare this with other Chardonnay sparklers, even real Champagne, you need to give this wine its props. It has all the acids to keep this lively on the palate. This is the first American/domestic Champagne that actually had the mineral base I so associate with vintage champagne. It was also filled with those leesy flavors of dead yeast cells, that enhance the orchard and citrus flavors to go with the acids and mineral that keep this warm vintages ample fruit in check. Really this was a delicious bubbly, enjoyed with hot popcorn that was dosed with a tbsp of bacon drippings. The warmth of the vintage gives this a very fruity profile, and in a CA sparkler, this might be fat or they would overcompensate with added acids. This is not a lean bottle meant for long term cellaring. Much like many of Champagnes 2005 vintages sparklers, meant for short term consumption while you let vintages from 90, 96, 98, 02 and '04 to age. Like many 00 and 03, drinking sooner is better and while this pains me, I find this to be one of the better domestic champagne blends, especially in the BdB category. I thought Roederer Hermitage and Schramsberg were supposed to be top cuvees in the domestic area or at least Iron Horse Wedding Cuvee, but this best them all. I should say this is more like an extra dry, rather than a typical brut, but its because of the high temp in 2009. It has the right amount of ABV at 12%. A great mousse and great finish. Normally I would scoff at spending $40 on a domestic when adequate sparklers from greet, Iron Horse and even vintage Domaine Chandon or Domaine Carneros exist at far better pricing. $40 can buy real Champagne, though NV, but this is a good vintage domestic BdB and worth the $40 price tag as long as you don't hold for more than 10 years...... Now if the Syncline Subduction could best my opinion of it, I would be really happy. 92+

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