Champagne blend

This is a blend of 61% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir and 6% Pinot Blanc.  Light golden in color with slight salmon pink hues.  A nice mousse with lots of small bubbles.  Nice nose with strawberries, cranberries, slight citrus and a whiff of smoke.  Medium to full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, nice minerality with light cherries and some orange citrus.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now but seems a bit tight.  It took a couple of hours to open, so if serving, give it an hour or so to breathe.  It is very food friendly and would be great with duck or turkey.  A really nice value a

This California Sparkling wine is made in the Methode Traditionelle way.  Interestingly, it is a blend of 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Blanc.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  There is a nice mousse with small-ish bubbles.  On the nose, it has baked bread (Brioche?) along with a touch of lemon.  With air, some green apple scents emerge.  Medium bodied with excellent acidity.  The palate is more about minerality but also has some citrus.  Long finish that has a bitter almond (in a good way) note.  This is drinking well and should continue for another five years.  Very food friendly,

This is a blend of Chardonnay (56%), Pinot Noir (37%) and Pinot Blanc (7%).  Golden in color with some faded pink hues.  A nice mousse with small bubbles.  On the nose there is some strawberries, minerals, slight green apples and slight yeast.  Full bodied with good acidity.  On the palate, lots of minerality with cherries and green apples.  Long finish.  This is quite tasty now and should drink well for another five to seven years.  Very food friendly, this would work with most foods.  It was lovely with fried appetizers.  At $23, this is an excellent value and will be a great addition to

This is 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay.  Salmon pink in color with gold hues.  A moderate mousse with small bubble, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with strawberries, and slight orange peel.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  Less froth than the Brut.  On the palate, pomegranate and strawberry notes. Some orange notes.  Long finish.  This is ever so slightly sweet.  Drink over the next couple of years.  This would go well with Roasted Chicken or Duck.  

Made from organic grapes. 75% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir.  Pale, silvery gold in color.  A nice mousse of tiny bubbles, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lanolin, lemons and slight chalky note.  On the palate, this is frothy with good acidity.  Sweet/tart with green apple flavors.  Very tasty.  Nice minerality.  Long finish.  This is drinking quite well.  Drink over the next few years.  Very food friendly, this will work with just about any food you care to have it with.  It was also great with popcorn!  Great Value!

This is from the good if not great, 2014 vintage.  It is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay.  Light golden in color with a nice mousse of tiny bubbles.  Clear and bright.  The nose is smoky with lanolin, toast, slight ginger and a bit of chalk.  Full bodied.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is showing young-ish with notes of oranges, toast and an interesting chalk note especially on the finish.  Ripe.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue if well stored for another ten years.  Very food friendly, it would be very nice with lobster.  

An excellent vintage for this wine, it is in a great place right now.  The wine is a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir.  Light golden in color with a fine bead of tiny bubbles.

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.  

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.  

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