Just a Thought on Champagne...

Now there are virtually thousands of styles of Sparkling Wine in the world. From the fine American houses of Schramsberg to famed legends of Prosecco to the new kids on the block, making sparkling Shiraz, there is nothing quite like a chilled glass of Champagne in a flute.

Dom Perignon is quoted to usher everyone to where he was saying "I see stars!" I'm sure he said the same thing in the morning after consuming enough of his product... but much more quietly.

Champagne is a tribute unto itself. No, it wasn't the first area in the world to produce Sparkling Wine. Their cousins to the south of their own country in Limoux established sparkling wine in 1531, more than 100 years before the Monks in Northern France "invented" Champagne. But what the Monks in the Abbey of Saint Hilaire missed out on, the Monks of Northern France took advantage of and exploded their product (as often as their corks) into the mainstream market.

Today there are hundreds of Champagne houses in the Champagne region of France. And while we can't get a hold of them all here in little old South Carolina, I would like to help you get a bearing on some of the amazing wines that are in fact available.

Ok, we all know about the Champagne giants like Veuve Clicquot, Perrier Jouet and Moet Chandon. What I want to talk to you about are maybe "lesser known" houses. Not to bad mouth the houses that I just mentioned, but there is so much more out there!

For example, there is a large Champagne house called Duval-Leroy that produces high volumes of wine. It is full bodied with aromas of honeysuckle, toast, roasted pear and follows with tastes of baked apple and just delicious acidity.

Pierre Moncuit is another great Champagne, but from a much smaller Champagne house (I will get into differences in Champagne Houses another time). To sum this wine up as well as I can, it is a locomotive that has let out the throttle on flavor and won't stop any time soon!

I will sum this up quickly with a shout out to Diebolt-Vallois. I recently had a big day and at the end of that day, there was nothing more satisfying than diving into that delicious bottle of Diebolt-Vallois. As elegant as Donna Reed and as seductive as Anne Hathaway, this wine is everything you could want in a special occasion. Why? because it didn't matter that I was celebrating a big event. Opening the bottle was special enough!

Go out and try these wines for New Year's Day, or any day! You will be happy that you did!

--Cheers!

2011 McManis Merlot

100% Merlot
Ripon, California
84 Points

Now in the interest of full disclosure, I had not tasted McManis wines before. As a matter of fact, I had been trying to get rid of this wine from my store.

Now those of you that know me know that I am fairly stubborn and sales sometimes dictate what I think will and won't sell in the future. Then I read up on this wine in Wine Spectator's "Top 100 Values" List and decided to taste for myself.

Vibrant red fruits such as cherry, pomegranate race to the nose with just a hint of cedar, telling me that this wine is going to be simple. In this case, simple is good in that it isn't trying to be more than what it is. It isn't blowing me away with complexity and for a wine that retails for only $8.99, it really shouldn't.

There is a little weight in the mouth with consistent flavors of Bing cherry.

Granted flavor-wise, this wine is a one trick pony, but once again, that isn't a bad thing.

I rate this wine 84 Points based on nice aromas, good weight and consistent and pleasant taste and the major fact that this wine is a value. I have tasted wines like this for more than $10 that I wouldn't rate as high as this.

Get it, know it. It is good for entertaining people or just a glass or two at the end of the day.

2011 Thomas Jefferson Vineyards Viognier

Charlottesville, Virginia
100% Viognier
88 Points

It's always nice to have the time to go home for Thanksgiving and for this past one, I made a little pit stop to get some of the great wines that Virginia has to offer.

My selection for here is from none other than a winery honoring one of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson.

TJ, like many of our founding fathers, was an avid wine collector (amongst a billion other things he did) to the point where he hired an Italian gentleman named Filipo Mazzei to establish a vineyard next to Monticello, where the present day Jefferson Vineyards are located.

Throughout time, (In my opinion), the best grapes to grow in this area have become Norton, Cabernet Franc, Riesling, Barbera, and Viognier. This selection is the latter.

The nose? Imagine cutting open a perfectly ripe peach. That aroma, along with a great floral component dominate the aromatics with just a slight touch of petroleum (trust me, this is a good thing).

This wine had a nice balance of acid and a very nice weight in the mouth. It isn't light and crisp, nor should it be. It has a thicker viscosity with tastes of apricot and peach.
The finish doesn't linger the way in which I enjoy my wines, so it doesn't get a 90+, but the wine is of very good quality. If the pricepoint where just a little lower ($25) at maybe $19, this would be a steal.

So the TJV is just a little pricey, but it really is a delicious wine. Enjoy this wine with Chicken with Herbs, Fried Chicken (yes, I said it.), Fruit Salad, Ham (Christmas Wine?), Thai Foods and baked Butternut Squash.