“Some sparkling wines are Champagne without the
geography…. or the price tag.” …… James McMillan
At the risk of being taken for a snob, I’ll admit to preferring
French Campaign – or something intended to be entirely different (like
Prosecco). There are exceptions, of
course, and I’ve written about some domestically made sparklers (on my Facebook
page [like “Etoile” Brut from Domaine Chandon] and on this blog (see https://www.winemizer.net/2018/04/domaine-chandon-etoile-brut-sparkling.html)]. Now it’s
time to mention another: Scharffenberger
Cellars' “Brut Excellence”.
Scharffenberger began in 1981 in the village of Philo in the
heart of California’s Anderson Valley. Only a few miles from the Pacific Ocean,
the area benefits from the region’s noted sunshine moderated by the cooling fog
coming into this protected valley from the coast.
Scharffenberger has no “French Connection” I’m aware of though I
doubt Gene Hackman would refuse a glass. It is, however, made in the methode traditionelle (traditional
method), or methode champenoise (Champagne method) meaning
fermented twice in bottle. You may see
terms like metodo classico on
sparkling wines from Italy, Cava from
Spain or even Cremant (Also from
France but not made within the designated Champagne region). Ageing requirements may differ, but be
assured it is made in the twice-fermented-within-the-bottle style.
And while neither the name Scharffenberger nor the winemaker’s
names (previously Tex Sawyer, now Jeffrey Jindra) bear much French resemblance,
this sparkling wine is classically made and offers very good value. “Creamy and lively, with festive apple and
spice flavors,” says Wine Spectator. One of the Top 100 Wines (of 2013) per
the San Francisco Chronicle. A wine
that’s remarkable for the money, says me.
On the nose, aroma of green apple and kiwi bathed in lactic
acid. There’s a “sour” gooseberry-like note that is difficult for me to narrow
down more precisely but I found it very pleasant. Regardless, a note of plum
fruit and Rainier cherry balances this perfectly. On the palate, I loved the
yeasty introduction of brioche with lemon (another taster said “lemon curd”).
My opinion? The “curd” reference is more apt to the wine’s creamy texture from
the juice resting on its lees for almost two years and the wine undergoing 100% malolactic fermentation.
The wine is dry (Brut, my favorite) and complex with notes too
of almond and lychee nut. Fine, persistent bubbles. Other tasters said they
enjoyed flavors of Bartlett pear, fig and mandarin orange. (I get the pear now
that they mentioned it). Either way, at about $17, this sparkler screams out
value. About two-thirds Pinot Noir and one third Chardonnay from their own
vineyards and others nearby1 in cool growing Mendocino County
(Anderson Valley) California. (Another reviewer reversed this percentage2.
I’m going with the information provided by the winery itself as to the percentage
of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay).
If you find many sparkling wines (or Champagne) too acidic and
crisp, while Scharffenberger’s Brut does provide a crisp clean finish, it is
rounded and creamy with vanilla notes and smoothed in its texture with surprising
body. It’s fresh, yet richer and deeper (yet
with subdued fruit flavors) than other wines similarly priced. I found it lacking
in nothing and with excellent, spot-on balance.
I tasted the wine without pairing it, but would suggest it is a
(if not the) perfect match for trout
amandine. Consider also, breast of chicken in a creamy white sauce, stuffed
mushrooms or better yet deviled eggs topped with caviar/roe for the saltiness.
Cheers!
………………. Jim
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biased (though they may not be appropriate to your individual and unique
palate).
ETC:
1)
Scharffenberger
Cellars also has long-term contracts with select vineyards within greater
Mendocino Country and from whom they may source grapes. The same practice is
used in Champagne.
2)
Another
reviewer stated the blend as two-thirds Chardonnay and one third Pinot Noir. My
source for the blend is from the winemaker’s notes: “The wine is approximately
two-thirds Pinot Noir and one-third Chardonnay.”
Appellation: Mendocino
County
Fermentation: Twice
in bottle
100%
Malolactic
Aging: On
Lees, Average 2 Years
pH: 3.27
ALC: 12%
Exclusively represented by Maisons Marques & Domaines USA
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