I was not a fan at first. This was a little weird, a little ciderish, with a natural wine funk. Don't get me wrong, there was nice acidity and freshness as well. I tried it with a hard chill, and that only seemed to accentuate some of the less appealing characteristics. Finally, after a few hours, this was at its best as it warmed and aired. And in the end, it was actually pretty appealing and was enjoyed by all.
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Sweet lack of yeast, fruity, very pleaseant. Tasted side by side with Traditional method, JFK liked Traditional more, I liked this more. SO there is that. Drink now or hold
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Wow the reviews on this are all over the board. Floral/white stone fruit/melon aromas; the palate has white peach, canteloupe, yeast and floral notes. Light acidity/minerality/carbonation add structure. Not overly complex but unique and quite tasty.
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Moderate intensity with a nice orange citrus note, with a yeastiness. The dry profile, with the jumpy acids, make this drinkable -- but it lacks the depth of even basic Champagne. Like it - don't love it.
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Well this was not at all what I was expecting, but since it was D&R I should have expected that. Overpoweringly yeasty, almost like new beer on opening, it also showed a decidedly off-dry balance. So it was odd and OK. Well we were having Thai drunken noodles for dinner, and the wine and the food made a magical match. The noodles dried out and smoothed out the wine, and the wine tamed the spice of the noodles. I could not stop drinking it, and the bottle evaporated. Drink this with moderately spiced food and watch the sparks fly!
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I'll never begrudge D&R for experimentation, but this feels like one that should not have seen the light of day - especially at $36! No more complex or interesting than Martinelli's sparkling apple cider.
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Monthly Tasting Group: Whites at Monello (Monello, Mpls, MN): Drank 1 glass over 20 minutes. This was pretty weird. Lager-like, cereal palate, I get this massive taste of Captain Crunch. It was like I was 12 again and eating a big bowl of it without milk. Crushed almonds, almond paste. If not for it being so mono-dimensional I might of found it more appealing.
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-- popped and poured -- -- tasted non-blind over a couple hours --
NOSE: malt; malty apple; smells strongly of a cider.
BODY: rich, pale golden yellow color; light to medium-light bodied.
TASTE: tastes like sparkling apple juice; bit of a lager-like finish; off-dry; 11.2% alc. not noticeable; very apple cider-esque; took on an oxidized edge with 15 – 30 minutes in the glass; good-not-great --- it's tasty, I suppose, but it's not serious/structured/complex, rather it's a by-the-pool kind of wine, and my expectations were a bit higher at this price point.
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Obviously massive bottle variation but this was full on sweet. In and around the range of a demi-sec and maybe even a doux champagne. Very very smokey with bruised pear and apple
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Just a really fun sparkler, nothing too serious – which is a good thing! Bright yellow fruit. On the sweeter end of Brut, but with an excellent balance of acidity to back it up.
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First D&R sparkler for us. Drank the two versions side by side. This had a nice mix of acid, sweetness, and bubbles. Pear and apple driven. Very enjoyable.
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A jubilant sparkler that's just plain f'in delicious. Nice bubbles. Sharp white fruit. And some minerals to round it all out. If this is a "crowd pleaser" well then call me a part of the crowd.
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Pretty much what you'd expect of a D&R sparkler. This has a very light touch and fine bubbles, with ripe pear and green apple in the foreground. The first impression is that this is fruity and a touch sweet -- perhaps a touch too sweet -- but with air this settles down, some mineral elements emerge, and the fruit becomes a bit more savory. In the end, however, this remains is a relatively fruity sparkler that's sure to be a crowd pleaser. Also, a complete side-note: setting aside old-world classics, D&R has to have the best labels and bottles in the wine world, right?
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Very fine bubbles. Pronounced white fruit and buttered toast notes. Clean, rocky palate that finishes with nuts and a pronounced sweetness that I found pleasing, perhaps because of the food. Hardy says variations of 7-10 grams residual, this one is closer to 10, I assume. The nutty-sweetness is perfect with my leftover spicy Sichuan. Rip into these if you got a few. A fun, lively ride right now. Good stuff.
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5/20/2023 - Eric wrote: 89 Points
I was not a fan at first. This was a little weird, a little ciderish, with a natural wine funk. Don't get me wrong, there was nice acidity and freshness as well. I tried it with a hard chill, and that only seemed to accentuate some of the less appealing characteristics. Finally, after a few hours, this was at its best as it warmed and aired. And in the end, it was actually pretty appealing and was enjoyed by all.
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2/28/2020 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 92 Points
A little natural funk, with lovely lemony mineral tartness, still fresh and delicious, excellent.
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10/22/2018 - MWes wrote: 89 Points
Delicious. Someone said it reminded them of a pear cider,
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7/26/2018 - sunnylea57 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Better than anticipated, given some of the notes I’ve read. Good acidity and clarity, not overly sweet, bruised apple and lemon, a little yeast.
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12/31/2017 - jfkwines wrote: 91 Points
Sweet lack of yeast, fruity, very pleaseant. Tasted side by side with Traditional method, JFK liked Traditional more, I liked this more. SO there is that. Drink now or hold
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10/6/2017 - David_T Likes this wine: 90 Points
Wow the reviews on this are all over the board. Floral/white stone fruit/melon aromas; the palate has white peach, canteloupe, yeast and floral notes. Light acidity/minerality/carbonation add structure. Not overly complex but unique and quite tasty.
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7/16/2017 - rc@ughey wrote: 87 Points
Moderate intensity with a nice orange citrus note, with a yeastiness. The dry profile, with the jumpy acids, make this drinkable -- but it lacks the depth of even basic Champagne. Like it - don't love it.
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11/23/2016 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 91 Points
This one is about expectations and pairing. Loved the off dry, funkiness paired to Chinese dumplings.
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8/27/2016 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Well this was not at all what I was expecting, but since it was D&R I should have expected that. Overpoweringly yeasty, almost like new beer on opening, it also showed a decidedly off-dry balance. So it was odd and OK. Well we were having Thai drunken noodles for dinner, and the wine and the food made a magical match. The noodles dried out and smoothed out the wine, and the wine tamed the spice of the noodles. I could not stop drinking it, and the bottle evaporated. Drink this with moderately spiced food and watch the sparks fly!
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7/31/2016 - pryby Does not like this wine: 80 Points
I'll never begrudge D&R for experimentation, but this feels like one that should not have seen the light of day - especially at $36! No more complex or interesting than Martinelli's sparkling apple cider.
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7/2/2016 - BigTex22 Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Not much to say on this wine. There was little aroma on the nose and it was very sweet.
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6/26/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 87 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: Whites at Monello (Monello, Mpls, MN): Drank 1 glass over 20 minutes. This was pretty weird. Lager-like, cereal palate, I get this massive taste of Captain Crunch. It was like I was 12 again and eating a big bowl of it without milk. Crushed almonds, almond paste. If not for it being so mono-dimensional I might of found it more appealing.
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6/3/2016 - grafstrb wrote:
-- popped and poured --
-- tasted non-blind over a couple hours --
NOSE: malt; malty apple; smells strongly of a cider.
BODY: rich, pale golden yellow color; light to medium-light bodied.
TASTE: tastes like sparkling apple juice; bit of a lager-like finish; off-dry; 11.2% alc. not noticeable; very apple cider-esque; took on an oxidized edge with 15 – 30 minutes in the glass; good-not-great --- it's tasty, I suppose, but it's not serious/structured/complex, rather it's a by-the-pool kind of wine, and my expectations were a bit higher at this price point.
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5/31/2016 - Sennma wrote:
This is really different (in a good way) more like a beer/cider hybrid than wine.
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5/30/2016 - Rob_Sutherland Likes this wine: 88 Points
Obviously massive bottle variation but this was full on sweet. In and around the range of a demi-sec and maybe even a doux champagne. Very very smokey with bruised pear and apple
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5/6/2016 - bpj87 wrote:
Just a really fun sparkler, nothing too serious – which is a good thing! Bright yellow fruit. On the sweeter end of Brut, but with an excellent balance of acidity to back it up.
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4/10/2016 - haldolugr wrote: 91 Points
First D&R sparkler for us. Drank the two versions side by side. This had a nice mix of acid, sweetness, and bubbles. Pear and apple driven. Very enjoyable.
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4/5/2016 - IzeAgeComing Likes this wine: 92 Points
A jubilant sparkler that's just plain f'in delicious. Nice bubbles. Sharp white fruit. And some minerals to round it all out. If this is a "crowd pleaser" well then call me a part of the crowd.
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4/3/2016 - tooch wrote: 90 Points
Fresh, & bright. Melon tones, light berry, and minerals. Will be great on warm summer days.
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3/29/2016 - rc@ughey wrote: 89 Points
Pretty much what you'd expect of a D&R sparkler. This has a very light touch and fine bubbles, with ripe pear and green apple in the foreground. The first impression is that this is fruity and a touch sweet -- perhaps a touch too sweet -- but with air this settles down, some mineral elements emerge, and the fruit becomes a bit more savory. In the end, however, this remains is a relatively fruity sparkler that's sure to be a crowd pleaser. Also, a complete side-note: setting aside old-world classics, D&R has to have the best labels and bottles in the wine world, right?
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3/26/2016 - decaturwinedude wrote:
Very fine bubbles. Pronounced white fruit and buttered toast notes. Clean, rocky palate that finishes with nuts and a pronounced sweetness that I found pleasing, perhaps because of the food. Hardy says variations of 7-10 grams residual, this one is closer to 10, I assume. The nutty-sweetness is perfect with my leftover spicy Sichuan. Rip into these if you got a few. A fun, lively ride right now. Good stuff.
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3/15/2016 - Bakerbd Likes this wine: 91 Points
Light, fine carbonation; white flowers, pear, lime, mineral; med acidity; off dry. This would go very well with spicy food (or fried chicken...)
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