Still a very vibrant wine of youthful fizziness and a mousse that doesn’t give up. Flavors of green apple (still indicating the wine needs more time) with a central core of lemon meringue, cream, and almond. There is clear RS in this tipple yet is balanced with acidity. Time will judge this wine, but currently, as pleasant as it is, it has yet to show the makings of complexity. 12.5% alc. With cashews watching the Southern 500 (Larson wins.) 09.03.23. Recommended.
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Always a solid pour. Generous mousse and continuous bubble bead. Notes of green apple and lemon meringue. Some RS but nicely balanced with the acidity. 12.5% alc. No food. Recommended.
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I absolutely love this wine. To me, this is one of the best domestic sparkling wines for the money. Quite golden in color. On the nose, this is quite yeasty/bready/leesy with a good amount of ripe red apples. On opening, this can be a tad muted but just give it 30 minutes or so and it will open up. Also, this benefits from being served a tad warmer than what you might expect (this will be a tad controversial but I serve this a tad cooler than a red wine). On the palate, the wine has a lot of body, it is quite luscious (in a good way), yeastiness, ripe apple, some honey, maybe a tad of caramel (light caramel), and some zestiness. Finish is very long.
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Just moved to Virginia and received this as a welcome gift. This is very good! Fresh, bright, crisp with light citrus, pear and brioche with a creamy finish. A good aperitif wine. I will definitely buy some of this, especially given the great price.
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Nose is mostly pear, maybe some French nougat. Nutty for sure. The palate is very creamy, with medium acid and fine mousse. More nougat and brioche on the palate. This is really quite nice, surprising for such a warm climate.
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I picked this to be my birthday wine this year. After all the hype, this wine didn't disappoint! Very crisp and fresh with apple and pear flavors. For a Virginia blanc de blanc, I'm impressed.
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A very nice, and very surprising, sparkling wine from the foothills of Virginia. Beautiful bubbles, nice citrusy nose, and bright acidity play together very nicely. Wish I had taken notes a few hours ago at dinner! This wine has gotten great reviews, and is one I intend to watch.
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A very nice surprise. Apple, toast a little lemon on the palate. A assertive fizz and a real creaminess in the mouth. Balanced acidity and some honeycomb/floral notes on the finish. A great sipper.
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Consistent with prior notes:"Bright gold color. 100% Chardonnay, great texture and fizz. Baked apples, pear and lemon/lime mousse. Yeast and the oak were well integrated...."
Noticed the texture a bit more with this bottle, nice mouthfeel and crisp flavors. The crowd liked this on balance (keeping in mind its not meant to compete with high end Champagne). Nice and unique wine/bubbly...good QPR for what I paid ($24)
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The Grinchman strikes again I'm afraid. In fact I give this particular bottle 3-Grinchies, one for the cost (at around $30 a bottle NOT a particular good deal), a second for the totally information-less self serving back label that was so full of hyperbole and self promotion that I nearly vomited before even opening the bottle, and of course the third one for the TOTALLY ORDINARY taste of the actual sparkling wine. It was fine (maybe even an 87 on taste alone) but the cost and hyperbole accompanying this stuff is off the charts.
I will (of course) spare you the back label except to highlight one particularly screaming howler - "They [apparently we are speaking ex-ante here about the "internationally acclaimed Winemaker" Claude Thibaut and "Manuel Janisson, Champagne Producer"] bring to this sparkling wine generations of tradition from the Champagne Region of France" (no mention about skill or expertise, but haaaay, in the face of generations of tradition what does that matter right?). "They have captured the flavors and essence of the Virginia Terroir".
Huh, come again? WTHeck are the flavors and essence of the Virginia Terroir? Pleeeze somebody help me here. Anybody, anybody (Ferris?)
I get the whole hyper Virginia pride and founding of our country history thing that goes on down there (its much worse than the more northerly version that you see in Massachusetts and if you've walked the Freedom Trail you know what I'm talking about). Everything that's great about this country was somehow started in or connected with Virginia, I know I know I know (I went to school down there and was inundated with Virginia history) with but "the flavors and essence of the Virginia terroir" ("the") as if its somehow become a specific identifiable taste. ROTFLMAO.
Anyway you get the drift. An OK sparkler that's over priced.
At the UVA alumni wine tasting, thanks to Gary for helping pick some great wines. Served as an aperitif - didnt expect a sparkling from Virginia to be this good...
Bright gold color. 100% Chardonnay, great texture and fizz. Baked apples, pear and lemon/lime mousse. Yeast and the oak were well integrated. Really nice, great QPR
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Wish we had more of a chance to try wines from Virginia. This was quite a surprise. It is not your typical sparkling wine. The base wine had some or all barrel exposure, leaving a very expressive feeling of richness almost non existent in sparkling wines. It does not have almost unending aggressive little bubbles. The bubbles exist more to deliver the character and structure of the base wine. Does not have that overt crispness characteristic of most sparkling wines harvested at very low brix. The end result is relatively brisk wine with loads of texture and rich mouth feel. 100% Chardonnay, there is pear and baked apple flavor with slight apricot flavors and spice. Can't wait to take another sip.
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Do we have good "champagne" in Virginia? Yes we do!! This Thibaut J. is terrific. Consistent from year to year, it has medium acidity, long on the palate and with some fruit and lots of bubbles. Delicious!
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As good as the first bottle. The yeast, oak and citrus melded together beautifully as the wine warmed a touch. Really wonderful effort from such an unexpected source.
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Wow! Who'da thunk?! This is some major league stuff! From Virginia?! An honest to goodness, Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine of high quality and under $30 a bottle! There's a gentle mousse, with lemony flavors that are long and complex. We actually had this bottle with a dinner of striped bass; a perfect accompaniment. Hope I can find a source for some more of this juice!
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Bubbly surprises (Private home in Arlington, Virginia): Surprise, surprise. This wine obtained a whopping 12 votes – 3 for first place, 6 for second, and 3 for third – because it was so smooth and soft and lively too. I went back to this and just loved it. The initial nose, when first tasted, made me think “this is Blanc de Blancs Champagne” because it was so clean and smooth and appealing like a Blanc de Blancs can be. As NY Times wine writer Eric Asimov recently wrote, they tend to be the lightest and the driest and this one seemed that way, too – although I would say that it was just a touch on the sweeter side of Brut! But it is made from vines grown in Virginia, and the price is hard to beat. TWELVE VOTES. Wine of the tasting.
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A terrific offering from Virginia! Wonderfully bubbly on the palate with a long finish. As it warms up it just gets better and better. No wonder they served it at the White House Dinner!
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Uncomplicated and very easy to quaff. Sweet chardonnay fruit and nice persistent bubbles. Lacks the yeast and bite of Champagne. Good acidity begets a fine long finish. Drinking at peak.
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UK State Dinner (Washington DC): My first ever Virginia sparkler. Quite clean, whiff of smoke, adequate acidity. Chill it hard and enjoy it. Nice wine.
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Actually a little disappointing after enjoying Janisson's French bottlings. I like my sparkling wine to be toasty yeasty, but here I think the effect was too dry, emphasizing straw and pencil flavors. Maybe I'm picking nits, it was still very good, but not great.
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Nice pour with beautiful bubbles. Nose of dry straw, pear and green apples. Apples and citrus early with a burst of something sweet like mellons. There is a nice dryness in a finish flavored with sublte wood or almond. Smooth and easy to drink. I think these guys have figured out how to make "Champagne" in Virginia!
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9/3/2023 - timewithwine wrote:
Still a very vibrant wine of youthful fizziness and a mousse that doesn’t give up. Flavors of green apple (still indicating the wine needs more time) with a central core of lemon meringue, cream, and almond. There is clear RS in this tipple yet is balanced with acidity. Time will judge this wine, but currently, as pleasant as it is, it has yet to show the makings of complexity. 12.5% alc. With cashews watching the Southern 500 (Larson wins.) 09.03.23. Recommended.
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12/3/2022 - timewithwine Likes this wine:
Always a solid pour. Generous mousse and continuous bubble bead. Notes of green apple and lemon meringue. Some RS but nicely balanced with the acidity. 12.5% alc. No food. Recommended.
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1/3/2022 - VAGentleman wrote: 93 Points
Old Champagne Style. An inviting frothy toasty crème over green apples and notes of passion fruit. Comparable to those costing twice as much
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12/31/2020 - Markvhartman wrote:
Very good
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12/29/2020 - Sanfoan Likes this wine:
I absolutely love this wine. To me, this is one of the best domestic sparkling wines for the money. Quite golden in color. On the nose, this is quite yeasty/bready/leesy with a good amount of ripe red apples. On opening, this can be a tad muted but just give it 30 minutes or so and it will open up. Also, this benefits from being served a tad warmer than what you might expect (this will be a tad controversial but I serve this a tad cooler than a red wine). On the palate, the wine has a lot of body, it is quite luscious (in a good way), yeastiness, ripe apple, some honey, maybe a tad of caramel (light caramel), and some zestiness. Finish is very long.
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11/15/2020 - acidqueen wrote: 88 Points
Just moved to Virginia and received this as a welcome gift. This is very good! Fresh, bright, crisp with light citrus, pear and brioche with a creamy finish. A good aperitif wine. I will definitely buy some of this, especially given the great price.
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9/11/2020 - mkribar wrote: 89 Points
Nose is mostly pear, maybe some French nougat. Nutty for sure. The palate is very creamy, with medium acid and fine mousse. More nougat and brioche on the palate. This is really quite nice, surprising for such a warm climate.
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7/6/2019 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 88 Points
I really enjoyed this. Crisp and bright but a nice amount of apples, pears, honeyed depth, with salty, biscuit notes. Impressive.
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3/30/2018 - g8rgrl30 Likes this wine:
I picked this to be my birthday wine this year. After all the hype, this wine didn't disappoint! Very crisp and fresh with apple and pear flavors. For a Virginia blanc de blanc, I'm impressed.
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1/1/2017 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 86 Points
Still loving this wine!
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7/4/2016 - brujazz wrote: 91 Points
Just absolutely lovely. Tasted like real champagne. Nice yeast and long finish.chardonnay upfront but not overpowering. Great sparkling wine effort.
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6/7/2016 - afoster Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice
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5/21/2016 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 86 Points
A very nice, and very surprising, sparkling wine from the foothills of Virginia. Beautiful bubbles, nice citrusy nose, and bright acidity play together very nicely. Wish I had taken notes a few hours ago at dinner! This wine has gotten great reviews, and is one I intend to watch.
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4/2/2016 - Sijan Likes this wine: 90 Points
Really nice sparkling wine with good perlage - bright lemon curd notes on nose & palate.
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12/3/2015 - vinorsk wrote: 88 Points
A very nice surprise. Apple, toast a little lemon on the palate. A assertive fizz and a real creaminess in the mouth. Balanced acidity and some honeycomb/floral notes on the finish. A great sipper.
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11/26/2015 - walkerjfw wrote: 89 Points
Thanksgiving at Chez Walker w/Jeroen,Isobel and family (Princeton, NJ): Great way to welcome everyone to a nice Thanksgiving dinner...served as an aperitif to a mix of US/European guests.
Consistent with prior notes:"Bright gold color. 100% Chardonnay, great texture and fizz. Baked apples, pear and lemon/lime mousse. Yeast and the oak were well integrated...."
Noticed the texture a bit more with this bottle, nice mouthfeel and crisp flavors. The crowd liked this on balance (keeping in mind its not meant to compete with high end Champagne). Nice and unique wine/bubbly...good QPR for what I paid ($24)
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6/13/2015 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 86 Points
The Grinchman strikes again I'm afraid. In fact I give this particular bottle 3-Grinchies, one for the cost (at around $30 a bottle NOT a particular good deal), a second for the totally information-less self serving back label that was so full of hyperbole and self promotion that I nearly vomited before even opening the bottle, and of course the third one for the TOTALLY ORDINARY taste of the actual sparkling wine. It was fine (maybe even an 87 on taste alone) but the cost and hyperbole accompanying this stuff is off the charts.
I will (of course) spare you the back label except to highlight one particularly screaming howler - "They [apparently we are speaking ex-ante here about the "internationally acclaimed Winemaker" Claude Thibaut and "Manuel Janisson, Champagne Producer"] bring to this sparkling wine generations of tradition from the Champagne Region of France" (no mention about skill or expertise, but haaaay, in the face of generations of tradition what does that matter right?). "They have captured the flavors and essence of the Virginia Terroir".
Huh, come again? WTHeck are the flavors and essence of the Virginia Terroir? Pleeeze somebody help me here. Anybody, anybody (Ferris?)
I get the whole hyper Virginia pride and founding of our country history thing that goes on down there (its much worse than the more northerly version that you see in Massachusetts and if you've walked the Freedom Trail you know what I'm talking about). Everything that's great about this country was somehow started in or connected with Virginia, I know I know I know (I went to school down there and was inundated with Virginia history) with but "the flavors and essence of the Virginia terroir" ("the") as if its somehow become a specific identifiable taste. ROTFLMAO.
Anyway you get the drift. An OK sparkler that's over priced.
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5/30/2015 - walkerjfw wrote: 90 Points
At the UVA alumni wine tasting, thanks to Gary for helping pick some great wines. Served as an aperitif - didnt expect a sparkling from Virginia to be this good...
Bright gold color. 100% Chardonnay, great texture and fizz. Baked apples, pear and lemon/lime mousse. Yeast and the oak were well integrated. Really nice, great QPR
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3/2/2015 - Mike Kopanski wrote: 88 Points
Wish we had more of a chance to try wines from Virginia. This was quite a surprise. It is not your typical sparkling wine. The base wine had some or all barrel exposure, leaving a very expressive feeling of richness almost non existent in sparkling wines. It does not have almost unending aggressive little bubbles. The bubbles exist more to deliver the character and structure of the base wine. Does not have that overt crispness characteristic of most sparkling wines harvested at very low brix. The end result is relatively brisk wine with loads of texture and rich mouth feel. 100% Chardonnay, there is pear and baked apple flavor with slight apricot flavors and spice. Can't wait to take another sip.
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12/6/2014 - wicho Likes this wine: 90 Points
Do we have good "champagne" in Virginia? Yes we do!! This Thibaut J. is terrific. Consistent from year to year, it has medium acidity, long on the palate and with some fruit and lots of bubbles. Delicious!
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8/18/2014 - brujazz wrote: 92 Points
As good as the first bottle. The yeast, oak and citrus melded together beautifully as the wine warmed a touch. Really wonderful effort from such an unexpected source.
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4/17/2014 - nicole3eyes wrote: 90 Points
If you're looking for a source for this wine, try Mountfair Vineyards in Crozet, VA.
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3/31/2014 - brujazz wrote: 92 Points
Wow! Who'da thunk?! This is some major league stuff! From Virginia?! An honest to goodness, Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine of high quality and under $30 a bottle! There's a gentle mousse, with lemony flavors that are long and complex. We actually had this bottle with a dinner of striped bass; a perfect accompaniment. Hope I can find a source for some more of this juice!
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3/30/2014 - nav2u Likes this wine: 88 Points
Vivid gold. Citrus, flowers, and mineral notes on the nose and rich palate. Pretty impressive stuff from Central Virginia.
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2/16/2014 - csnash22 wrote: 91 Points
Exquisite.
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1/12/2014 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine:
Bubbly surprises (Private home in Arlington, Virginia): Surprise, surprise. This wine obtained a whopping 12 votes – 3 for first place, 6 for second, and 3 for third – because it was so smooth and soft and lively too. I went back to this and just loved it. The initial nose, when first tasted, made me think “this is Blanc de Blancs Champagne” because it was so clean and smooth and appealing like a Blanc de Blancs can be. As NY Times wine writer Eric Asimov recently wrote, they tend to be the lightest and the driest and this one seemed that way, too – although I would say that it was just a touch on the sweeter side of Brut! But it is made from vines grown in Virginia, and the price is hard to beat. TWELVE VOTES. Wine of the tasting.
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1/5/2013 - Flamemark Likes this wine: 88 Points
Smooth and very drinkable. Low acid. An enjoyable wine.
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12/15/2012 - wicho wrote: 89 Points
A terrific offering from Virginia! Wonderfully bubbly on the palate with a long finish. As it warms up it just gets better and better. No wonder they served it at the White House Dinner!
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11/4/2012 - melzar wrote: 90 Points
Uncomplicated and very easy to quaff. Sweet chardonnay fruit and nice persistent bubbles. Lacks the yeast and bite of Champagne. Good acidity begets a fine long finish. Drinking at peak.
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3/14/2012 - Eric wrote:
UK State Dinner (Washington DC): My first ever Virginia sparkler. Quite clean, whiff of smoke, adequate acidity. Chill it hard and enjoy it. Nice wine.
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11/12/2010 - Colia wrote: 88 Points
Actually a little disappointing after enjoying Janisson's French bottlings. I like my sparkling wine to be toasty yeasty, but here I think the effect was too dry, emphasizing straw and pencil flavors. Maybe I'm picking nits, it was still very good, but not great.
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12/26/2008 - skidder7 wrote: 87 Points
Nice pour with beautiful bubbles. Nose of dry straw, pear and green apples. Apples and citrus early with a burst of something sweet like mellons. There is a nice dryness in a finish flavored with sublte wood or almond. Smooth and easy to drink. I think these guys have figured out how to make "Champagne" in Virginia!
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