Tis the season to raise a glass of bubbly and toast the dawn of a new year, a ritual that can be as simple or as extravagant as you like. Whether your beverage of choice is a modest Prosecco from Italy or an expensive tetes de cuvee Champagne, on New Year’s Eve it’s all about the bubbles.
For me and mine, this year we plan to ring in the New Year with extravagant simplicity. That means a roaring fire, grilled lobster tails with mayonnaise, and a fine sparkling wine.
Once upon a time calling for a fine sparkling wine meant popping the cork on a bottle of Champagne. For many wine enthusiasts that remains a truism, but in reality other wine producing regions in France and around the world now make bubbly that can compete with Champagne at virtually every level.
I offer a few suggestions from California and Italy in this week’s tasting notes, as well as a classic tetes de cuvee Champagne from Charles Heidsieck, the 1995 Blanc des Millenaires, which I’ve bestowed with one of those rare 100-point ratings.
The sparkling wines from outside the Champagne region are all made using the traditional Champagne technique of inducing a second fermentation in the bottle, which produces the bubbles. In the United States producers generally call this methode champenoise. Metodo classico is the term used in Italy for the same technique.
The best Champagnes are typically aged anywhere from three to 10 years prior to the time they are disgorged (a process that removes the dead yeast cells that were used to induce the second fermentation) and placed under cork prior to being shipped to market. In recent years more New World producers have adopted the French passion for aging better bubbly, and the J Vineyards 2003 Late Disgorged Vintage Brut recommended this week is an excellent example of the result.
Sparkling wines that are aged longer generally exhibit more richness and complexity. They also are more rare and therefore tend to be more expensive.
Charles Heidsieck 1995 ‘Blanc des Millenaires’ Champagne Blanc de Blancs, France ($170) – Rating: 100.
Gosset Grand Blanc de Blancs Champagne, France ($110) – Rating: 95.
J Vineyards 2003 Late Disgorged Vintage Brut ($90) – Rating: 95.
J Vineyards 2005 Vintage Brut, Russian River Valley ($48) – Rating: 93.
Ferrari Brut Rose, Metodo Classico, Trento DOC, Italy ($37) – Rating: 92.
Mumm Napa 2007 Blanc de Bancs, Napa Valley ($38) – Rating: 88.
Follow Robert on Twitter at @wineguru & @WhitleyOnWine.
8