Retail $22. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (905g; 1lb 15.9oz). 75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Blanc. Another second bottle for the Sixth Annual Blind Tasting of American Sparkling Wine and another wine I really loved then (96 Points). Colorless to light straw in the glass with a fantastic nose of citrus and yeast, with a touch of salinity. The palate is a touch sweet, but otherwise well-balanced and lovely. Yeah, this is Outstanding. 94 Points.
Retail $22. 75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Blanc. I received two bottles of this wine for my Third Annual Largest Blind Tasting of American Sparkling Wine and I liked/loved it back then (90 Points). As I open this second bottle for my in-laws? I might like it even better. Set aside the perhaps obvious "my in-laws are coming over, I need some wine" aspect to focus on the wine. It is a bit of a dichotomy. On one hand is the nose, which is loaded with yeasty goodness and a marzipan aspect. Sure, there is some citrus fruit, but the autolysis aspect is the driving force. The palate (on the other hand)? Reverse those emphases. Much more fruit (citrus) driven here as the yeast and nuttiness plays a significant back seat. Lovely.
The Third Annual Blind Tasting of American Sparkling Wine: Retail $22. 75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Blanc. Very light straw with a bit of funk, almost a caramel/marzipan thing going on here. The palate is nice and tart, not much creaminess to speak of, but that is OK, not all sparklers have to be laden with freshly-baked croissant. The nose and the palate could not be much further apart. Again, OK, but it causes a bit of inner angst since I like the palate a bit more than the nose. Luckily, the palate is the more important of the two, at least for me. 90. thedrunkencyclist.com
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4/11/2024 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 94 Points
Retail $22. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (905g; 1lb 15.9oz). 75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Blanc. Another second bottle for the Sixth Annual Blind Tasting of American Sparkling Wine and another wine I really loved then (96 Points). Colorless to light straw in the glass with a fantastic nose of citrus and yeast, with a touch of salinity. The palate is a touch sweet, but otherwise well-balanced and lovely. Yeah, this is Outstanding. 94 Points.
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1/15/2024 - tjtrot Likes this wine: 87 Points
crisp clean, light to medium bodied, short clean finish...dont see how anyone could rate this in the 90's.
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12/9/2023 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 96 Points
The Sixth Annual World's Largest Blind Tasting of American Sparkling Wine (Houston, Texas): Retail $22. 75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Blanc. Incredible nose of yeastiness and subtle but ripe fruit. Whoa on the palate. Rich, yeasty, complex. Wonderful. Outstanding. 96 Points.
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3/7/2021 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 90 Points
Retail $22. 75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Blanc. I received two bottles of this wine for my Third Annual Largest Blind Tasting of American Sparkling Wine and I liked/loved it back then (90 Points). As I open this second bottle for my in-laws? I might like it even better. Set aside the perhaps obvious "my in-laws are coming over, I need some wine" aspect to focus on the wine. It is a bit of a dichotomy. On one hand is the nose, which is loaded with yeasty goodness and a marzipan aspect. Sure, there is some citrus fruit, but the autolysis aspect is the driving force. The palate (on the other hand)? Reverse those emphases. Much more fruit (citrus) driven here as the yeast and nuttiness plays a significant back seat. Lovely.
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12/14/2020 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 90 Points
The Third Annual Blind Tasting of American Sparkling Wine: Retail $22. 75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Blanc. Very light straw with a bit of funk, almost a caramel/marzipan thing going on here. The palate is nice and tart, not much creaminess to speak of, but that is OK, not all sparklers have to be laden with freshly-baked croissant. The nose and the palate could not be much further apart. Again, OK, but it causes a bit of inner angst since I like the palate a bit more than the nose. Luckily, the palate is the more important of the two, at least for me. 90. thedrunkencyclist.com
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