Soft, nutty, and easygoing. Pleasant but unremarkable.
Maybe it’s just the mild head cold and stuffiness I’m experiencing, but this is severely underwhelming. A bit rubbery both to smell and taste, and the biscuity/doughy note doesn’t really compensate for the almost astringent, thin character. Still, we took posession of the new house, and needed to celebrate that along with Repeal Day. Good [...]
Neon pink, dry, almost tannic. Totally acceptable for the price, but not really exciting. 11.5% ABV ($6, Trader Joe’s)
2001(?) Domaine Carneros “Le Rêve” Blanc de Blancs – Musky, maybe very lightly corked or maybe just very leesy funky. A bit fat and fruity for my taste in bubbly. 1999 Dom Perignon – Best bottle of this I’ve tasted so far, very pleasant and balanced Champagne with proper toast and yeast character and fine [...]
Fizzy pink demi-sec Gamay from Beaujolais. You’d expect it to be pretty laughable, but aside from the funny name and the sparkly bottle, there doesn’t seem to be much of any funny business here. It’s toasted up front, yeasty/caramel-y in the middle, fruity at the finish, and absolutely delightful all the way through. Very fine [...]
Subtle, round, a little off-dry, and slightly flat due to acidity slightly lower than I’d like. Still, a tasty and well-behaved aperitif. ($14, Whole Foods Market)
75% Muscat Petit Grains, 25% Clairette. Method Dieoise. An interesting take on fizzy muscat. Not particularly similar to Moscato d’Asti, despite the similarity in grapes. More bubbly, less sweet (though still decidedly sweet), this wine brings to mind rose petals and candied ginger. I really wish it had just a touch more acidity, though. As-is [...]
A white sparkling wine that smells and tastes quite a bit like a red wine – and I don’t say that about most Blancs de Noirs. This one has berries in it. Lots of California fruit here, but the end result (lightened by the reasonably-fine bubbles) is only slightly cloying. Not bad at all for [...]
IHNJIJLTS “Heidsieck”. VERY pink. Almost deep red. No other notes remembered.