Wine Wednesday: Schramsberg Champagne

This holiday season my parents were kind enough to send me two bottles of Schramsberg sparking wine. And this time one of the bottles was Blanc de Noir. In case you don't read French that reads (approximately) "black of whites." And THAT means that this golden liquid of sparkling bubbling goodness came from the red wine Pinot Noir grapes.

Question: If that's the case, then why isn't this sparkling wine red?

Answer: Magic! It isn't red because the dark colored /red skins were removed early in the process. Thereby removing the red coloring from the liquid.

Ok. I'm done with the lecture. Let me just say this was the BEST bottle of champagne sparkling wine that I've ever had. Period.

My wife and I inhaled this bottle over some take-home sushi and pot-stickers from eeZ. The sweetness of the sparkling wine was a perfect counter point to the heat of the pot-stickers. But the flavor wasn't so overpowering that you couldn't taste the sushi. All-in-all it was a very good meal, elevated to "excellent" by the sparkling wine.

New Years is rapidly approaching. If you're looking for an EXCELLENT bottle of bubbly. I highly recommend the Schramsberg 2006 Blanc de Noirs. It just doesn't get any better.

Rating:
Score: 5/5

Price: $$$$ (approx $34)

Sparkling Wine Info:
Schramsberg 2006 Blanc de Noirs; Brut
Schramsberg Vineyards
1400 Schramsberg Road
Calistoga, CA 94515
p) 800-877-3623
http://www.schramsberg.com/