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December 15, 2006
2002 Schramsberg Vineyards Blanc de Blancs, California: REVIEWED
In 1965, Jack & Jamie Davies revived the historic Schramsberg winery property on Diamond Mountain. It was originally established by Jacob Schram in 1862 as the second winery and first hillside vineyards in the Napa Valley. The Davies’ goal was and still is to produce world-class Méthode Champenoise wines using Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. left click image to enlarge:
The Estate:
The Schramsberg estate is tucked into the Napa Valley’s western hillside on Mount Diamond just a few miles south of Calistoga. Tall trees and lush vegetation surround this registered historic landmark, painstakingly restored by the Davies family. The picturesque Victorian house, built by Jacob Schram in 1889, the winery, an old barn and historic caves (the first ones in the Napa Valley) hand-dug by Chinese laborers in 1880 remain virtually unchanged since Schram’s days. The Schramsberg estate totals 220 acres with 42 acres planted to vineyards.
The Vineyards:
For sparkling wines, Schramsberg uses 80 different vineyards covering 258 acres in Napa-Carneros, Mendocino County and the Sonoma and Marin coastal areas. This vineyard variety yields the cool climate diversity necessary for premium quality sparklers with depth and complexity. J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon is estate grown on the 42 acres of historic Diamond Mountain vineyards located adjacent to the winery.
The Winemaking Philosophy:
Blanc de Blancs(white from white) made from Chardonnay is the counterpart to the Blanc de Noirs (white from black), made from the Pinot Noir. Blanc de Blancswas the first wine we produced in 1965 and was America’s first commercially produced Chardonnay based sparkling wine. The Schramsberg style of Blanc de Blancsis dry and crisp. Small lots of malolacticand barrel-fermented wines are added for complexity. The wine is aged on the yeast lees in the bottle for three years prior to disgorgement.
Schramsberg barrel ferments 25% of the base wines in French oak. Méthode Champenoise is then used to make the sparkling wines. Bottles are aged in the caves for 3-10 years, with 2.4 million–THAT’S MILLIONS–bottles en tirage at this time.
REVIEW:
2002 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs California; ; $25.00, (90 points.)--APPEARANCE: Brilliantly bright, medium sized frothy bubbles against a pale lemon green hue; NOSE: Clean, moderatly pronounce grape, yeast, fruit and complex spice, citrus aromas: apple, cherry, plum, pear, fig, ginger, almond, toasted oak and biscuit yeast; PALATE: Dry, integrated, crispy, balanced, full and smooth; rich creamy flavors of yeast, spice, vanilla, toast, apple, plum, luscious fig, fresh apple, almond and citrus.
CONCLUSION: I could go on and on about this wine--stone and floral overtones, long, layered, complex to say the least, but I think it best you just go out, get a bottle and see for your self. Impresive.
ADDITIONAL TASTING NOTES: This wine would be great with aged Gouda or other hard cheeses and as a counterpoint to soft triple creams, as an aperitif, perfect with fresh oysters and other shellfish, crab cakes, cevicheand grilled sea bass. I imagine it’s delicious with lemon chicken and even Thai curries.
Statistics:
100% Chardonnay
53% Napa Co.
21% Sonoma Co.
20% Mendocino
Co.6% Marin Co.
Alcohol 12.9%
TA 0.90g/100ml
Residual Sugar1.15%
Bottle Sizes: 375ml/750ml/1.5L/3L/9L
Release DateMarch 1, 2006
Contact Notes:
1400 Schramsberg Road Calistoga, CA 94515
Tel 707-942-6668
Fax 707-942-5943
Website: www.schramsberg.com
Posted by fortna at December 15, 2006 06:15 PM
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