Try singing that line to the tune of “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows,” the theme for which, as the musicologists or trivialists among you will know, comes from the Moderato cantabile section of Chopin’s — but, wait, no, you’ll just have to Google that for yourselves. Meanwhile, here’s a well-known rendition to watch and listen to as you peruse these notes on some sparkling wines and champagnes. The metaphor is not inappropriate for the most starry-eyed, evanescent and romantic of the products of the grape.
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Jack and Jamie Davies founded Schramsberg in 1965, dedicated to the principle of making high-quality methode champenoise sparking wine. The site was a long abandoned historic property in Napa Valley that had been established in 1862. Their efforts included restoring the house and winery, replanting vineyards and renovating the old cellars. While it’s true that the competition from other (mainly French-owned) estates in California is more intense than it was 40 years ago, the sparkling wines from Schramsberg possess a sense of elan and gravity that make them not only unique but expressively Californian. Jack Davies died in 1998, his widow 10 years later. The estate is now run by their son Hugh; he makes the wines with the assistance of Keith Hock. Here are reviews of three recently released sparkling wines from Schramsberg.
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The Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs 2006, North Coast, is a blend of 90 percent pinot noir grapes and 10 percent chardonnay. The products of Schramsberg usually consist of grapes from four counties; the proportion for the B de N ‘06 is Mendocino 56 percent, Sonoma 20 percent, Napa 18 percent and Marin 6 percent.

This sparkler is a very pale copper color tinged with pale salmon; the glass barely contains its upward flurry of silver-flecked effervescence. Dried raspberries, orange rind and roasted lemon explode from the glass, along with touches of almond skin, jasmine and damp limestone. In the mouth, we taste red currants, lime peel and cloves, nestled in a texture that balances crisp acidity with moderate lushness, all leading to an elegant, slightly austere, mineral-laced finish. Lovely, delicious. Excellent. About $40.
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Blanc de noirs means “white from black”; blanc de blancs, it shouldn’t be difficult to figure out, means — yes, class! — “white from white.” You’re thinking, “But F.K., a white wine is made from white grapes. Why bother to distinguish the whiteness of the white wine or sparkling wine?” Because, in Champagne, the traditional is to blend white and red grapes to achieve a consistent house style, whether in a vintage or non-vintage product; making Champagne solely from white grapes, that is, chardonnay, is much rarer.

So, the Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs 2006, North Coast, is made from 100 percent chardonnay grapes, from these county sources: Napa 60 percent, Mendocino 22 percent, Sonoma 15 percent, Marin 3 percent. The wine is palest platinum blond; myriad tiny bubbles fling themselves upward as insistently as moths to a flame. The bouquet is all steel and stones, the texture taut and crisp, a bow-string ready to snap. Yet intimations of toasted almonds, spiced and roasted pears and lemons seep in, and that sleek texture is balanced by a note of lush creaminess that spreads warmth through the structure. The finish, not surprisingly, is spare, dry and minerally. A notably elegant and high-toned blanc de blancs. Excellent. About $36.
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The third of this trio is the Schramsberg Brut Rosé 2006, North Coast. As is typical in Champagne, the Schramsberg model is made by blending red and white grapes, in this case 68 percent pinot noir and 32 percent chardonnay. The make-up by county is Mendocino 42 percent, Napa 31 percent, Sonoma 22 percent and Marin 5 percent; the emphasis is on pinot noir grapes from cool growing areas — the Napa contingent is Carneros — in order to provide piquant fruit and clean acidity.

The color is pale, ruddy copper-salmon, not as pale as the blanc de noirs; bubbles teem like a froth inside a tempest. Smoke, dried strawberries and raspberries, a hint of rhubarb waft from the glass. This sparkler is dry and crisp yet almost juicy, almost lush; with its snappy, close to audacious acidity, it offers terrific “point” and verve. A touch of yeast and buttered toast fills out the package, with a trace of roasted hazelnuts; the finish is like limestone with a squeeze of lime. Excellent. About $42.
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Laurent-Perrier traces its origins to 1812. When the long-lived founder, Alphonse Pierlot, died in 1881, the house was taken over by his cellar-master and heir, Eugene Laurent; his wife was named Mathilde Perrier, hence the name that continues to this day. The Nonancourt family acquired Laurent-Perrier in 1939 — not the most auspicious moment in history — and managed to revive its fortunes after World War II. Bernard de Nonancourtwho assumed leadership of Laurent-Perrier in 1949, still runs the company.

The Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut (nonvintage) is bottled sans dosage, that is, without the final “dose” of wine and sugar syrup that establishes a Champagne’s level of sweetness. Champagne tends to be so high in acidity that residual sugar is often undetectable. Even a Champagne labeled brut — “dry” — may contain up to 15 grams of residual sugar per liter and be perceived as a dry wine. Helpfully, an “Extra Dry” Champagne is sweeter than brut. In any case, eliminating the dosage creates a sort of ultimately dry Champagne, the driest of the dry. Some consumers find such Champagnes forbiddingly dry, but I love them.

The Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut is a blend of 55 percent chardonnay and 45 percent pinot noir grapes. The color is platinum blond; a perfect storm of tiny bubbles seethes skyward in the glass. One could say that this Champagne is all steel and limestone, lithe and sinewy, a Chrysler Building of a Champagne in its sheen and elegance, except that hints of camellia and honeydew melon, yellow plums and peaches creep in from the crisp edges, making this not only dry, chalky and minerally but subtle, nuanced and delicious. Dry — to reiterate — it certainly is, and it brings assertive acidity to the point of brinksmanship. Yet it is ultimately, ultra-ly, serene, poised, whispery, a little detached. Were I facing a duelist’s pistol at dawn tomorrow, I would want this Champagne at my side. Excellent. About $85.

For Mother’s Day this year, I reviewed the Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut, while the Laurent-Perrier Brut L.P. and Grand Siècle Brut were among my “12 Days of Christmas” selections in 2007/08.
Imported by Laurent-Perrier U.S., Sausalito, Cal.

Occasionally we read in the more high-toned wine publications articles that pose the ancient, imponderable and futile question, “Is Great Bordeaux a Greater Wine Than Great Burgundy?” or the reverse. And occasionally you see the comment, usually from an old school writer about wine or from the notes of a famous old connoisseur that Bordeaux is a young man’s drink while Burgundy is for middle age; understand that we’re referring to red wines.

Well, fie, what does all that folderol mean anyway? Great Bordeaux wines and great Burgundy wines are, you know, great. It’s like comparing kumquats and toothbrushes (especially electric toothbrushes). The geography is different, the climates are different, the philosophies and systems are different, not to mention, of course, the grapes. (Have you ever noticed that when people say, “not to mention,” they go ahead and mention whatever it is they pretend that they’re not going to mention in the first place?) Bordeaux wines are almost always blended; Burgundies are 100 percent varietal, that is, pinot noir for the red wines. Before the Revolution, most of the famous vineyards of Burgundy were owned and farmed by religious orders; Bordeaux, on the other hand, was the home of the well-known rationalist and skeptic, Montaigne, who served as mayor of the city from 1581 to 1585. See? You can’t compare these places.

Here’s a story:

In December 1999, actually on my birthday, I stood in the chilly cellar of Domaine G. Roumier in the village of Chambolle-Musigny, in Burgundy, as winemaker Christophe Roumier, grandson of the domain’s founder, piped a dribble of dark purple Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1998 from the barrel into my glass. I sipped. I trembled. I succumbed. I thought, “Holy shit, that’s the best wine I have ever tasted in my life.”

Three days later, I stood, still chilly, in the surprisingly modest old stone building that connoisseurs around the world recognize as the seat of Chateau Petrus in Pomerol, an hour’s drive northeast of the city of Bordeaux, maker of the best merlot-based wine in the cosmos. I take a sip of a barrel sample of Petrus 1998, so dark that it’s almost black, and feel as if a thunderclap has gone off in my head. “Holy, shit,” says the thought-cloud above my cranium, “this is the best wine I have ever tasted in my life.”

And yet … about the greatest pinot noir wines, whether of Burgundy or certain very specific spots in California or certain very specific spots in Oregon’s Willamette Valley (I’m not sold on New Zealand), in addition to their profundity, their gravity, their nobility (qualities they often share with Bordeaux wines), there wafts the elusive ineffable, what Christophe Roumier described that day, in connection with his Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1998, as “the power of delicacy.” It diminishes the mystery to call it “roses and slate” or “violets and wet bark” or “satin and loam.” It’s that almost indescribable marriage of opposite forces that leads pinot noir lovers ever onward in search of the grail.

All this serves as prelude to reviews of four groups of three pinot noir wines, one from a great estate in Burgundy, Mongeard-Mugneret, the rest from California.
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Yes, three more mystery wines, wrapped in black tissue, and all I knew was that they represented pinot noir of three vintages from the same producer in California.

Here are my notes, transcribed from my little blue notebook:
>Mystery Pinot Noir #1: “Medium ruby-purple color; red currant — blackberry — cranberry & cola; pretty classic; dried cloves w/ a hint of allspice astringency; v. dry — slightly herbal; succulent but demanding too & w/ a shyly austere finish… lots of tone & grip, a little brambly, foresty and earthy, good acidity.”
In other words, “pretty classic” indeed, with keen acidity cutting a swath on the palate and making, along with the wine’s gentle but persistent tannins and subtle oak influence, a structure both purposeful and suave. A compelling young pinot noir of a recent or most recent year. Excellent.

>Mystery Pinot Noir #2: “Color a touch lighter than the previous example; a little earthier, a little funkier — fruit ripe and more macerated, black and red fruit but adds a note of rhubarb and hint of sassafras — very well-knit, smooth and polished; the spicy element unfolds slowly — intriguing touches of old saddle-leather, moss and beetroot to compose the earthy quality.”
So, an older year, a slightly more mature pinot noir, recognizably in the same style, that is, smooth, satiny, supple and subtle and with fruit opening and softening. Absolutely delicious. Excellent again.

>Mystery Pinot Noir #3: “Just lovely … tobacco — lavender — roses — slate; macerated and roasted blue and red fruit; very dry, austere, briers and brambles, hints of sassafras and wheatmeal… years to go.”
A fairly paradoxical pinot noir, opening with tremendous sensual appeal and then, once you get into it, closing down and turning a blank, almost truculent visage to the drinker. Try in two or three years. Excellent but more in potential than present enjoyment.

It turned out that these wines were from Cuvaison, an all-estate producer specializing in chardonnay and pinot noir. The pinots I tasted — in this order, according to the way they were wrapped and numbered, 2007, 2005, 2006 — are from the winery’s Carneros estate in the Napa Valley. The winery was founded in 1969, near Calistoga, in the northern part of Napa. Cuvaison has been owned since 1979 by the Schmidheiny family of Switzerland. The wines have been marketed and nationally distributed since 1996 by Terlato Wines International (formerly Paterno). Winemaker is Steven Rogstad.

I was happy to discover that these beautifully balanced and proportioned pinots came from Cuvaison, because I blow distinctly hot and cold on the winery’s chardonnays, some of which I find unbearably overwrought. It’s interesting, or strange, that a producer is capable of making chardonnay in a manner so flamboyant and strident that my palate finds them undrinkable, and yet fashion pinots in a finely knit, elegant and spare style. Some mysteries are just unfathomable, I suppose.

So, again, here are the wines in the order of tasting: Cuvaison Point Noir 2007, 2005 and 2006, all Napa Valley, Carneros, all rate Excellent. The 2005 and ‘06 are about $30; the 2007 is about $33.
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The Mongeard family has been making wine in Vosne-Romanée since the middle of the 18th Century. The domaine owns about 65 acres of village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards in Côte de Nuits, the northern part of Burgundy proper. These pinot noir wines tend to embody old-fashioned virtues like reticence, intensity and concentration, representing a sense of decorum and elegance, yet not neglecting sensible, even rigorous structure. The wines will be released at the end of 2009. They are imported by Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, Ala.
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The first words in my notes about the Mongeard-Mugneret Savigny-lès-Beaune Narbantons Premier Cru 2007 are “Lovely, sleek.” The bouquet teems with lilac and rose petals, smoke, black cherries and currants. This pinot noir is quite dry and earthy, packed with juicy black and red fruit flavors cloaked in soft grainy tannins and polished oak for an effect that’s high-toned and elegant. The domaine owns 1.39 hectares (3.57 acres) of the 9.49-hectare (24.38 acres) Narbantons vineyard. The vines average 53 years old. The wine sees about 35 percent new oak. Drink now through 2013 or ‘14. Very Good+. About $43.
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The Mongeard-Mugneret Echézeaux Grand Cru 2007 did not allow many ways in; it frankly rebuffed ingress by its formidably sizable and tannic character. What one perceives — or is allowed to perceive — is a sense of dark, immutable vibrancy and resonance coupled to a depth of rich spicy fruit that feels both inchoate and unfathomable. This needs years, say from 2013 or ‘14 through 2019 to 2024. Echézeaux, at 96.8 acres, is by far the largest vineyard in the great and glorious commune of Vosnes-Romanée; Mongeard-Mugneret owns a hair over 7 acres. Excellent potential for the patient and well-heeled. About $98.
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This is the bouquet that you write love letters to, though they may be returned unopened, the bouquet that turns you into a stalker, a hopeless romantic and victim of obsessive love, finally flung into a sordid gutter, a dried-out, pathetic husk of your former self. Of course, you reveled in every moment of your seduction and degradation. And then comes the water-boarding of the tannins, the thwack of 100 percent new oak against your tongue, the impenetrable blackness of fruit, the unerring aim of drone acidity and yet — AND YET! — the wine’s structure is not only monolithic but balletic, elevated, ineffable, a model of pinpoint balance and poise. The wine is the Mongeard-Mugneret Grands-Echézeaux Grand Cru 2007, from a 23.5-acre vineyard of which Mongeard-Mugneret owns 3.7 acres. The vines are 40 to 68 years old. Enormous potential, but don’t touch until 2013 or ‘15 and then consume until 2020 to ‘25. About $163 (a bottle).
(more…)

I could tell you go go out and spend $300 on a rare bottle of tête de cuvée Champagne for your mother, but I’m not going to do that. I’m going to tell you to go out and spend $100 on slightly less rare bottles of Champagne, because nothing is too good for your mother. I mean, she hoed the row, she toed the line, she felt the pain and you, my friend, were the gain, at least I hope you turned out that way.

These selections are appropriate not only for Mother’s Day but for celebrating other great occasions, for example, when the bank — for once! — honors that suspect check and you can turn those annoying deputies away from your front door, or when the appeals judge quashes the pesky little indictment that has been following you around ever since the bridge collapsed. There’s so much to feel good about!

But now, we’re thinking of Mom, and I think I’ll propose something interesting, two Champagnes, one made from all pinot noir grapes, the other from all chardonnay, and a sparkling wine from California made from a traditional blend of chardonnay and pinot noir. Anything to keep the old girl happy!
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The Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut, 100 percent pinot noir grapes from Grand Cru vineyards, offers an entrancing color that’s like slightly tarnished rose-gold overlaid with tarnished silver; millions of tiny bubbles explode in an exhilarating upward froth. Beguiling scents of dried raspberry and dried red currants are woven with smoke, orange zest and lime peel and a profoundly deep mineral quality. The balance between a creamy texture and finely resonant acid keeps the wine vibrantly poised, with its spare elegance constantly weighted with an impression of lushness, while to a palette of red fruit flavors, a touch of wild berry paints a more intense tone. All of these elements are sustained by a tide of limestone that dominates the finish. Excellent. About $100.

Imported by Laurent-Perrier U.S., Sausalito, Cal.
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The 100 percent chardonnay Champagne is the Delamotte Blanc de Blancs Brut 1999, also made of grapes from Grand Cru vineyards. The color is about as pale blond as you can get and still be considered blond; the bubbles resemble a surging tempest of foam. Aromas of fresh bread and biscuits, roasted almonds and almond blossom fill the nose. The wine is scintillating in its crispness and achingly dry, boldly effervescent, high-toned and elegant yet earthy and almost succulent in its roasted lemon and lemon curd flavors lit by a touch of spicy tropical fruit. The limestone quality that provides the foundation for this panoply is awesome. 750 cases imported. Excellent. About $92.

Imported by Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, Cal.
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We turn to California for the J. Schram 2001, North Coast. This sparkling wine is a blend of 77 percent chardonnay and 23 percent pinot noir grapes drawn from four counties: Napa (48%), Sonoma (26%), Mendocino (20%) and Marin (6%). A dark gold sparkler of remarkable tone, resonance and balance, this is toasty and nutty and bready, richly dimensioned, more powerful than elegant. Flavors of roasted lemon and pear with macerated lime peel are layered with baking spices and crystallized ginger, high-lighted with hints of caramel and toasted almonds. Very dry, persistently effervescent, loaded with mineral elements, the wine finishes with austerity so profound that it could be called Olympian detachment, except that the thing is so damned delicious. Excellent. About $100.
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OK, if a $100 sounds a bit steep, you ungrateful wretches, here’s an alternative from Argentina, Mendoza in this case, where a few producers are beginning to make sparkling wine in the traditional Champagne method.

The non-vintage Bianchi Extra Brut, from Bodega Valentin Bianchi, is composed of 60 percent chardonnay and 40 percent pinot noir. This is a delightful, very pale sparkling wine, offering notes of chalk and limestone, lime zest, toasted hazelnuts and fresh bread. It is indeed quite dry, as the designation “extra brut” implies, spare and elegant, with whiplash acid to electrify the package and mountains of minerals. Altogether, it displays charming balance between delicacy and earthiness. Very Good+. About $30.

Imported by Quintessential, Napa, Cal.
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Old-fashioned nostalgic image of motherhood from TheParentingMagazine.com.

Image of a highly idealized Ma Barker from Today’s Inspiration, a wonderful blog devoted to the pulp fiction and magazine illustrations of the 1940s and ’50s. This illustration was created by Ken Riley and originally ran in the June 1955 issue of Saturday Evening Post. The blog’s proprietor, Leif Peng, describes Ma Barker here as looking like “a younger, hotter, deadly June Cleaver.” Everybody’s favorite Mom!

My linkedin profile.

The 12th Day of Christmas falls on Monday this year, a work-day, and back to work for me, blessedly off since Christmas Eve. Twelfth Night was traditionally a festive time, with feasts and music and plays, such as Shakespeare’s great comedy of ambition, crossed love, mistaken identity and chastisement, Twelfth Night, or What You Will. We live in a different world than that of medieval and renaissance England, however, less attuned to the year-long procession of holidays and fetes that once ruled the rhythms of people’s lives, even through the 18th Century.

Well, no matter. I suppose I try in my way to reinforce the sense of Yuletide gladness through this “12 Days of Christmas” countdown with Champagne and sparkling wine — because what beverage is more festive than a glass of pale, invigorating bubbly — though I have been deeply suspicious for decades about Christmas itself and its meaning and my place in it. A different bottle of Champagne or sparkling wine every day goes a long way toward dissolving end-of-the-year depression.

So, let’s close this second annual countdown with a glass of the delightful non-vintage Marcato i Prandi Durello, from the Lessini denomination of Italy’s Veneto region. Lessini is a hilly area lying between the venerable cities of Verona and Vicenza; it received official DOC status (denominazione di origine controllata) in 1987. This light, bright, uplifting sparkling wine is made primarily (85 percent) from the rarely seen durello grape; the rest is chardonnay.

The color is pale gold; the bead is flowing and nicely expressed. Scents of bread and biscuits, wet stones, lemons and almonds stir in the nose; the entry is soft, at first, but the wine turns austere toward the finish with steel and limestone, though the overall impression is of spicy citrus flavors and a hint of toast. The mantra here is “Easy to Enjoy,” and truly, the personality is gratifying for a sparkling wine made in tank, that is, not receiving a second fermentation (and bubbles) in the bottle. Very Good. About $16.

Imported by Kysela Pere et Fils, Winchester, Va.

The Marcato Durello Brut would be a good sparkling wine to sip while watching one of our favorite movies, the Twelfth Night (1996) directed by Trevor Nunn and starring Imogen Stubbs as Viola and Steven Mackintosh as Sebastian, the brother and sister separated on the coast of Illyria by a shipwreck, and Helena Bonham Carter as the aristocratic woman who is somehow in love with them both.

We continue with reasonably-priced alternatives to Champagne.

The non-vintage Charles Duret Crémant de Bourgogne is composed of 70 percent pinot noir and 30 percent chardonnay grapes. Made in the venerable champagne method — or méthode traditionelle — this delicate, taut and paradoxically creamy sparkling wine offers uplifting aromas of biscuits and hazelnuts and enticing meadowy scents. It’s fashioned in a light, tight, satisfyingly effervescent manner, with a sense of lovely well-knit tone and presence. Flavors of toast and lime zest lead to a slightly spicy, limestone-etched finish. Very Good+ and Great Value at about $20.

Imported by Kysela Pere et Fils, Winchester, Va.

Our revels now have sort of ended, meaning that Christmas and New Year’s are over, but the Yuletide season continues until January 6th, the day of Epiphany — and boy, I could use one of those this year! — hence this “12 Days of Christmas” countdown with Champagne and sparkling wines, Twelfth Night being Epiphany Eve, if you will.

So, let’s tamp things down a bit and relax with a glass of Prosecco, the sparkling wine from northeastern Italy, mainly from the Veneto but produced in other close-by regions too. Prosecco is made in tank, that is not in the traditional champagne method, and is always non-vintage. At its worst, Prosecco, named for the grape from which it is made, is bland fizzy plonk that features a few wobbly bubbles of unseemly size; at its best, while still basically a simple quaff, it displays keen acid, bright citrus flavors and a fine mineral edge.

Such an example is the Dom Bertiol Proseccco Veneto, a superior rendition of the genre that offers a pale straw-gold color and a persistent cloud of tiny bubbles. Aromas of almond blossom and apple lead to a sparkling wine that’s clean and fresh and nicely defined. Citrus flavors are highlighted by snappy acid and a characteristic nutty-metallic blade as limestone takes over from mid-palate back through the finish. This is as close as Prosecco gets to elegance. Very Good. About $16 but often discounted to $14 or less.

Opici Import Co., Glen Rock, N.J.

… I’ll post an entry about these sparkling wines from Frank Family Vineyards in Napa Valley (separate from the “12 Days of Christmas” series) because the quality is extraordinary. These sparking wines are available only at the winery or through the winery’s website, so if you live in one of the states in which direct shipment is permitted — and it should be permitted in all states — here’s your chance. Each is produced in amounts of about 400 cases.
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LL took one sniff and sip of the non-vintage Frank Family Vineyards Blanc de Noirs, Napa Valley, and said, “Can this be our house champagne?” I couldn’t disagree. Made completely from pinot noir grapes, it offers an enticing color of tarnished gold infused with pale silvery-peach; the bubbles thrust upward in a constant stream. Aromas of fresh biscuits, hazelnuts and toasted almonds, lime blossom, cinnamon toast and orange zest are irresistible. In the mouth, this sparkling wine is very crisp, very taut, to the point of austerity. It presents that paradox of warm toasty spice and yeasty elements with cool finesse and nuance. It’s almost creamy yet vibrant with acidity, and in the finish, limestone and grapefruit take over, for an exquisite frisson of spare elegance. Exceptional, balletic, inspiring, and a steal for about $35.
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The Frank Family Brut 1997, Carneros, a blend of 60 percent pinot noir and 40 percent chardonnay, rested on the lees for eight years before being disgorged and readied for release. This is a substantial sparkling wine, dense with dimension and detail, yet never heavy, never obvious. It’s very individual, with that tannic sense of hazelnut and almond skin. a whiff of resin, an astringent herbal note, like dried thyme or rosemary, but with fatness of hazelnuts, the richness of fresh-baked bread and nutty yeast. it’s certainly full-bodied yet with real acidic edge and effervescent vibrancy, bright, crisp and clean. It might be lacking a tad in the finesse department, but it’s quite impressive, regal, dignified, except for a wild, untamed note of happy eccentricity. You sort of have to smell and taste it to believe it. Excellent. About $65.
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So, it’s a little after 6 on New Year’s Eve. This is my final post for 2008. Happy New Year! Keep those cards and letters coming in for 2009. And … be careful out there tonight.
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Numerous people, perhaps millions, will rush out tonight in a mad abandoned attempt to bring a dismal year to a close and welcome a year that has so many expectations attached to it that if it had any sense it would stay in its cave and never come out. If ever a year was required to be All Things to All People, 2009 is it. So good luck.

New Year’s Eve requires bubbles, and assuming that you’re not going to go out and get so drunk in your search for oblivion that you don’t give a good goddamn about what you slosh into your mouth, here are some recommendations.
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Say you’re hosting a party the size of which would accommodate the complete cast of The Wire (including Snoop, Chris and Omar), what you want is something decent, tasty and affordable to purchase by the case. Turn to the non-vintage Domaine Laurier Brut which, despite its French name, is from California and one of the better products of Fred Franzia’s Bronco Wine Corp. This sparkling wine, made in the traditional champagne method, is a medium gold color and offers a consistent and satisfying up-rush of tiny bubbles. Aromas of wheatmeal, lime and almond blossom presage a wine that is spare, clean, lively, citrusy and close to elegant. Very Good and a bargain at about $12. That’s the suggested retail price, but you find this sparkler discounted as low as $9.
Image from insidebayarea.com.
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Looking for more character at a higher but still reasonable price? Try the delightful “metodo classico” non-vintage Rotari Rosé, a blend of 75 percent pinot noir and 25 percent chardonnay from Italy’s northeastern Trento region. The color is an entrancing pale copper-salmon; the bubbles insist on pin-point persistence. The wine is unexpectedly (for the price) rich, meaty and earthy, with a bouquet of spiced apple, melon, blood orange and almond skin. The effervescence is giddy; the acidity clean and crisp; flavors tend toward fresh bread, lime and limestone, with the stony aspect increasing on the finish. Very Good+ and a Great Bargain at about $14.
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O.K., well, let’s forget all the freaking fiscal austerity and pretend that, as the old song from the Depression goes (you know, the other Depression), we’re in the money, and that maybe tonight’s festivity is aimed at a small group or even just two. It would be fitting, then, to open a bottle of the Taittinger Brut Millésimé 2002, a cool, elegant Champagne — half and half pinot noir and chardonnay –that will leave you feeling optimistic and (fleetingly) wealthy. The color is pale gold with a shimmer of silver; the bubbles are classically tiny, like seething flecks of celestial ore. Aromas of warm bread, dried spice, lemon pie and meadow honey draw you in. The texture is exquisitely poised between crisp nervosity and creamy lushness, with flavors packing hints of baked apple, lemon curd, crystallized ginger and orange rind wrapped in toasty bread, all of this subdued to the resonance of liquid limestone. A Champagne of tremendous breeding and finesse. Excellent. About $90.
Imported by Kobrand Corp., Purchase, N.Y.
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Since New Year’s Eve is the biggest champagne and sparkling wine night of the year, let me append some tips on proper serving.

1. Champagne and sparkling wine should be served chilled, straight from the refrigerator.

2. They should be consumed in tall “flute” glasses, not the shallow “coupe” glasses said to have been modeled on one of Marie Antoinette’s breasts. I wonder which one.

3. Never try to open a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine with a cork-screw. Strip off the foil capsule and untwist the wire cage that surrounds the cork. With a dish towel or napkin over the bottle, grasp the cork in one hand and the bottom of the bottle in the other. Extract the cork by twisting the bottle, not the cork.

4. Now matter how plastered you are or how much hilarity you anticipate, NEVER push the cork out with your thumbs, hoping for a loud POP, a gush of foam and a cork careening about the room. The pressure inside a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine is enormous, and the cork will rush out at great speed and force, enough to damage an eye.

5. Champagne and sparkling wines are versatile enough to be served with all sorts of party foods and dinner courses, but the best beverage to go with caviar is chilled vodka.

That is, J Cuvée 20 Brut, a non-vintage sparkling wine from Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley. Cuvée 20 was designed to celebrate J’s 20 years of making sparkling wine, though the winery also produces chardonnay, pinot gris and pinot noir wines. A blend of chardonnay grapes (49 percent), pinot noir (49 percent) and pinot meunier (2 percent), J Cuvée 20 Brut is made in the traditional champagne method of second fermentation in the bottle.

A glimmering pale gold color, this sparkler delivers classic aromas of fresh biscuits and lightly buttered toast, almond and almond blossom, roasted lemon and limestone. It’s full-bodied and creamy, yet taut with lively acidity; cinnamon toast and crystallized ginger, Key lime pie and orange zest add detail to the dimension of this wine’s depth, density and intensity, a satisfying model of the marriage of power and elegance. The finish is properly dry, austere and stony. Excellent. On the Internet prices range from $20 to $33, so let’s say about $25 to $28 is right.

We’re on our way toward New Year’s Day in the “12 Days of Christmas” countdown with sparkling wine and Champagne, and today, Monday, I offer this sweetheart of a non-vintage sparkler, “La Cueille” Vin du Bugey-Cerdon (I love this old-fashioned label; let’s hope it’s never modernized) from the producer Patrick Bottex, and no, you don’t rub it on your sad, old wrinkled forehead. This bottle of bubbly conforms to our purpose in this “12 Days of Christmas” series to keep prices lower than usual and (or) to offer alternatives to Champagne by 1. being from a little-known appellation in France; 2. including a little-known grape in its blend; 3. by offering an affordable price, depending on what part of the country you occupy.

Bugey lies in eastern France, not far from the point where Switzerland dips the western tip of Lake Leman (or Lake Geneva) into the French Alps, in the Ain département. Though scattered geographically, the Bugey region is small, totaling only about 1,250 acres of vineyards, mostly planted to white varieties. The wines here, mainly consumed in the region, are classified VDQS, that is, Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure, a tiny category above Vin de Pays that exists as a sort of holding pattern for wines assumed to be elevated to Appellation Côntrolée status, and, in fact, in April 2008, Bugey filed papers for such a change.

The principal grapes in Bugey are the white chardonnay and aligoté, altesse, jacquere and molette, and the red poulsard, mondeuse, gamay and pinot noir.

So, on to today’s sparkling wine. Patrick Bottex’s completely delightful “La Cueille” Vin du Bugey-Cerdon, a blend of 80 percent gamay and 20 percent poulsard, is the pale, pale pink color of Bazooka Bubble Gum. It froths with tiny bubbles and offers aromas of, yes, bubble gum, raspberry, mulberry and stones. It’s slightly sweet, but not dominated by sweetness, and, in fact, after the initial entry, the wine goes dry, bolstered by walloping acidity and layers of limestone and shale, while flavors stay steady in the ripe (and slightly spicy) red fruit range. At about 8 percent alcohol, it won’t do much damage to your sad, old wrinkled synapses. Perfectly appropriate as an aperitif, for those who want a touch of winsome sweetness, or as a light sign-off to a winter dinner. Very Good+. A word about prices. In my neck o’ the woods, this wine sells for an unaccountable $30; nationally, look for $18 to $24.

Imported by Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, Ca.