Great celebrations cry out for something bubbly. My wife and I celebrated a wedding anniversary recently and decided to crack open a Calistoga sparkler that had gone unused last holiday season. It was a wine we had bought for $28, if memory serves.
The Bottle: A traditional Champagne-style bottle houses this sparkling wine. The label describes the wine as 100% Chardonnay and 13% abv. It's a Brut style sparkler produced in the traditional Methode Champenoise manner of secondary fermentation in the bottle. There is some barrel fermentation employed.
The Nose: This Blanc de Blancs pours up a very pale gold with a tall white layer of foam on top. The nutty nose shows lots of minerals and a bit of a funky side, probably a by-product of the wood.
The Taste: There's a strong sense of lime zest on the palate along with some tropical notes. It's a dry taste that frankly left me rather cold at first. I found that it grew on me, though, after a couple of of glasses. I don't normally have sparkling wine with food - I'm one of the few not that attracted to sparkling wine in the first place - but this time I had it with English farmhouse cheddar on a wheat cracker. It was really quite nice.
The Bottle: It may come in a Bordeaux bottle, but this white wine is all Italian. Made from Trebbiano and Grechetto grapes, this Umbrian mainstay is named for the Village where it was made. The abv is 12%. I seem to remember it was a real steal, right around $5.
The Nose: Orvieto has a warmer climate in central Italy and chalky, limestone-laden soil that imparts a serious terroir to the wine. If you are a fan of dry whites that have minerals to spare, an Orvieto may be a good choice for you. I get a nose full of minerality when I smell it, along with a hint of citrus. By the way, coloring is very pale and there are a few bubbles clinging to the glass.
The Taste: Very earthy and tangy, this Orvieto is a basic, no-frills Italian white wine. Dry as a bone and quite refreshingly crisp, it's a wine that begs for food. Let me correct that. It's a wine that begs for scallops in a butter sauce. It's a wine that begs for shrimp scampi. It's a wine that begs for crab cakes. Sure, you could sip it on the porch and it would serve you very well. But look around you. Is the grill nearby? Fire it up and throw some skewered shrimp on there. The Orvieto will thank you.
I just wanted to put a quick note in this space about a really nice wine I had last night. Livernano L'Anima Bianco is a wonderful Tuscan white wine. I had it in the bar at Morton's, Beverly Hills. It was a featured wine on their bar menu in the by-the-glass section. This wine is a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurztraminer. I'm a sucker for an interesting blend, and this really grabbed me.
The nose was very floral, as was agreed upon by everyone in our party. I picked up what I interpreted as a petrol aroma, for which I was roundly criticized. Perhaps it was a grassiness that came through from the S. Blanc which I interpreted incorrectly. Crisp and clean on the palate, there was a zestiness I really loved. The acidity was perfect for food - crabmeat salad, maybe - and it finished well, too.
I conducted a cursory web search and didn't find it for sale, but I'll keep looking. In the meantime, it's worth a trip to Arnie Morton's bar to have a glass.
The Bottle: A slim Burgundy bottle belies the wine inside. No big, fat, overblown Chardonnay bottle here. This lean, unoaked wine gets a container that's lean, too. Chamisal Vineyards - formerly Domaine Alfred - is in California's Central Coast appellation, near San Luis Obispo and Edna Valley, home to some very fine white wines. The abv on the label states 14.1%. I'm ready for the pure taste of Chardonnay.
The Nose: Pure fruit, no oak at all. This is a really beautiful smelling wine. Apples seem to dominate for me, but there's a tropical or citrus angle at play, too. The aromas are quite vibrant, giving me the impression the taste will be amazingly fruity.
The Taste: Apples, then peaches, then a zippy, zesty flavor on the finish give my taste buds an E-ticket ride. The acidity is quite nice; not overwhelming, but definitely able to handle some swordfish or cod. The finish is rather lengthy, and the clean, crisp minerals linger after the fruit has finally faded.
