Gloria Ferrer’s sparkling wines have been on a decade-long roll, so hardly anything GF does surprises. The latest and greatest from the Gloria Ferrer team is the 2010 Anniversary Cuvee, aged more than five years prior to disgorgement and priced remarkably low (for this genre of bubbly) at $40. So what’s in the bottle? It’s a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, top-heavy on the Pinot, and it’s a major triumph for Gloria Ferrer. Fresh and inviting, yet toasty and mysterious, with complex layers showing notes of pear and spice. With exceptional depth and impressive length, this is immediately one of California’s most formidable sparkling wines, a worthy alternative to more expensive vintage Champagne.
Gloria Ferrer, Carneros (Sonoma County) 2010
By Robert Whitley