2017 Cantina di Montalcino Brunello di Montalcino, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$30.00USD

Cantina di Montalcino is the only cooperative in the Brunello DOCG.  It has just under 100 members who are for the most part, small vineyard owners.  This is an excellent wine and don't be afraid of buying from a co-op.  The vintage, 2017, was hot and dry, and the wines produced were more generous and flashy than a more typical vintage.  The wine is purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, dried cherries, cigar tobacco, spice and slight char.  Full bodied with medium to firm tannins.  On the palate, cherries, black cherries with som

2016 Travaglini Gattinara Riserva, Italy, Piedmont, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$68.00USD

This is the wine that comes in an odd shaped bottle that almost looks like it melted and was disfigured.  Made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes, this is the Riserva version which means the best parcels are harvested from Travaglini’s oldest vineyards (35-60 years).  The wine is aged for 4 years: 3 years in Slavonian oak casks of different sizes. The wine then rests in bottle for 12 months.

NV Santa Margherita Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Brut, Italy, Wine Review

Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$17.00USD

Silvery/gold in color.  A moderate mousse with medium sized bubbles.  Clear and bright.  The nose is nice with a hint of green apples and slight peach notes.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has a soft, easy to drink texture.  Apples and peaches with good acidity.  Moderate finish.  This drinks well on its own, but should be better with food.  Very food friendly.  It would go well with pasta with a cream sauce.  Drink now.  

2018 Huia Blanc de Blancs, New Zealand, Marlborough, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$36.00USD

This is 100% sparkling Chardonnay from New Zealand.  Silvery/gold in color, clear and bright.  A good amount of medium to small sized bubbles.  The nose peach with toast.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is concentrated and tight.  It took some time to open showing peach with some yeasty  notes and underlying char.  Good finish.  This drinks well on its own and should be very foo friendly.  A nice wine with a BLT or a Veggie Burger.  Drink over the next five years.

2018 Roger Goulart Cava Gran Reserva Extra Brut, Spain, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$20.00USD

This cava is a blend of 35% Chardonnay, 35% Xarel·lo, 15% Macabeo, and 15% Parellada.  Light golden in color, clear and bright with a nice mousse of medium sized bubbles.  The nose has seltzer, slight diesel notes (which blew off with air), almonds and green apples.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has  a nice complexity to it.  Lemons, grapefruit, yeast and slight minerals.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  Hard to beat this for value in sparkling wine.  Nice on its own, but better with food.  Paella would be an obvious choice.  Drink over the next few years.  

2019 Domaine Christophe Mittnacht Terres d'Étoiles Cremant Extra Brut, France, Alsace, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+

This is a certified biodynamic wine made from 60% Pinot Auxerrois, 10% Pinot Blanc, 10% Riesling, 10% Pinot Gris, and 10% Pinot Noir grapes in Alsace, France.  Silvery/gold in color with a modest mousse of smaller bubbles.  The nose features orange peel, slight floral note and minerality.  Medium  bodied.  On the palate this is lighter in style.  Citrus with underlying minerality.  Nice finish.  This drinks easy on its own but will work better with food.  It would be very nice with an Onion Tart.  Drink over the next few years.  

2019 Domaine Carneros Brut, USA, California, Carneros, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$30.00USD

This is from the American sparkling wine outpost of Taittinger.  Green gold in color with a nice mousse of very small bubbles.  The nose has pears, slight lemons, toast and a hint of vanilla.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, the pears with underlying char.  Some lemon notes on the finish.  Good finish.  This is nice on its own and should be very food friendly.  A great wine to share with popcorn when streaming a movie.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

NV Ferghettina Franciacorta Brut, Italy, Lombardy, Wine Review

Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$31.00USD

This is 95% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Noir from Italy.  Franciacorta is a great region for sparkling wines.  Light golden in color with a nice mousse of smaller bubbles.  The nose is big with cream soda and a bit of hazelnuts.  Full bodied.  On the palate, it seems to have just the slightest bit of residual sugar left.  Some citrus and plenty of minerality.  A bit shorter on the almond finish.  This is nice on its own and very food friendly.  It went great with assorted hard and soft cheeses.  Drink over the next ten years.  

2017 Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant Brut, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$26.00USD

This is a lightly sparkling wine made from Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley in France.  Golden in color, the mousse quickly fades in the glass.  Medium sized bubbles.  The nose is different with yeast, slight doughy notes along with a bit of salinity.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this is refreshing.  Dry.  Notes of honey (not sweet) and crushed shells.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This drinks well on its own but really needs some food.  It would be very nice with a wide range of foods from a Beet Salad to a Quiche.  Unique and not a substitute for a Champagne styled wine.  Drink

NV Banshee Ten-of-Cups Brut, USA, California, Wine Review

Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$18.00USD

My first time trying this wine and it is an excellent value in sparkling wines.  It is a blend of 50% Pinot Noir, 48% Chardonnay, and 2% Pinot Meunier from various sites in California.  It is quite frothy in the glass with lots of tiny bubbles.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with vanilla, lemons and slight almonds.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, there is plenty of depth.  Notes of lemons and oranges with a touch of char/toast.  Long finish.  This is a serious sparkler that will compete with wines twice the price.  Very food friendly, this would be excellent w

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