Cook’s Brut Grand Reserve: Review

Cook’s Champagne Cellars

Madera, California, USA

Cookschampagne.com

11.5% abv

They say it has a ‘special dosage of Brandy’

Appearance: crystal water with plenty of bubbles

Aroma: citrus … and I am thinking of a dusty citrus … no … toasted white bread and a soft citrus peel – Yes. With a touch of floral.

Flavors/Mouthfeel: on the bottle it says, ‘hint of delicate vanilla’ – a little redundant.  Maybe if there was a hint of vanilla I might pick it up or maybe if the vanilla was just delicate I might pick up the aroma and/or flavor of vanilla … but, no … it had to be a ‘hint of delicate vanilla’ and I don’t get it at all.  No vanilla for me.  I pick up white bread on the front with apple and then the bubbles explode on the palate followed by dry citrus meat and tart apple on the mid and finish along with plenty of effervescence to keep it lively; nice tartness that lingers on the palate for a minute or so; damn, I think I noticed a ‘hint of delicate vanilla’ as I was trying to figure out the aftertaste … maybe it was a delicate hint of vanilla … a whiff … a trace … a vestige …

To the Point: for a cheap sparkling wine this is not all too bad; if you are having a big group this should do; if you are looking for an everyday type of sparkling wine this should do; if you are looking for a sparkling wine to go with a fruit tray or salad this should do;

Side Note: to me Champagne is like Single Malt Scotch.  Some people go by price to say, this is a great … fill in the blank.   The guys at the cigar store did it with Single Malt Scotch and Blended Scotch … they said, ‘Johnny Walker Blue Label was the best and they could pick it out of any line up of Scotch.’  So, I called their lame little bluff (knowing they would never buy Blue for $200 a bottle) I said, I’ll buy five or six different Scotches and you could never tell which one is Blue.  Well, we did a blind tasting and Blue was ranked #5 out of 6 and Macallan 10 was the number one pick and nobody picked the right name for it – but, they liked it the best.  I think Champagne is the same thing.  With opened eyes and know the price they pick they fancy one; with a blind tasting … you would have a different result.  

Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Brut: Review

California Sparkling Wine

Cuvee

Woodbridge winery

Madera, California, USA

Woodbridgesparkling.com

12% abv

100% Chardonnay

Appearance: light straw

Aroma: hint of pear, not much else

Flavors and Mouthfeel: pear and a touch of apple, dry on the finish and aftertaste which carries a very light lemon rind twist, light green apple on the finish

To the Point: this sparkling wine would be good as a mixer, orange juice, cranberry or pomegranate.  By itself, well, it is just boring.  

M. Lawrence Green Sparkling Wine: Review

Extra-sec

M. Lawrence SPW

Suttons Bay, Michigan, USA

Mlawrence.us

$15.00 a bottle

11% abv

Blend: Cayuga and Vidal wine grapes

Appearance: pale straw

Aroma: light touch of fruit and I mean light;

Flavors: this is a hard one here to breakdown; here is my best shot, green melon, pineapple and citrus meat,

Mouthfeel: nice semi-dry feel, nice fizzy feel, dry on the aftertaste with a light citrus

To the Point: nice, nothing special, I like his Sandpiper Sparkling Wine better. 

Fizz Sparkling Wine by M. Lawrence: Review

Demi-sec

Batch #31

#2081 of 2640 bottles

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

Cuve Close Method

M. Lawrence SPW

Suttons Bay, Michigan, USA

Mlawrence.us

Lmawby.com

11% abv

$14.49 Wine Barrel in Livonia, Michigan

Appearance: as light of a straw-yellow without being water; plenty of bubbles on the pour

Aroma: a light fresh chilled green apple, pear, and light biscuit; yes – a very light bouquet

Flavors: lively note of fresh sweet red apple on the front, slightly tart green apple on mid and finish, crisp clean pear, do they have a pear flavored cotton candy at the local fair? … if not this will do.   

Mouthfeel: it is a Demi-sec so it is on the sweet side without being overly sweet. Super fine fizzy bubbles help to tingle the tongue for a crisp feel. Slightly tart finish that lingers on the palate along with the dominate cotton candy sweetness.   

To the Point: a very nice demi-sec sparkling wine.  The nose is light and the flavors are lively.  Would make a nice dessert wine or maybe pair it with a fresh fruit salad.  I have to admit that I am not a fan of dry to sweet, extra-dry is ok, but I prefer brut to brut nature.  With that said, I do like this Fizz.   

Here are a couple of pictures from the winery when I was there in March

Korbel Sweet Cuvee: Review

California Champagne

F. Korbel & Bros. Inc.

Guerneville, Sonoma, California, USA

Korbel.com

750ml bottle

Around $12.00/sale around $10

Appearance: straw color with plenty of bubbles

Aroma: light, touch of sweet pear, fresh apple

Flavors: candied white summer fruit that reminds me of pear, red delicious apple, peach, and a hint of sweet pineapple

Mouthfeel: sweetness dominates and then the effervescence, the sweet fruity style lingers on the palate

To the Point: would make a good dessert wine all by itself and because of the price point (inexpensive) it would be good for a large party; it might be too sweet for me to pair it with a sweet edible dessert; it is too sweet for me all by itself for one glass is enough.  

Freixenet Sparkling Wine: Review

(Fresh-eh-NET)

Freixenetusa.com

Cordon Negro

Brut Sparkling Wine

Spain

12% abv

Under $20 a bottle

The Black Bottle Bubbly

Appearance: ultra-pale straw, tons of bubble when fresh,

Aroma: very light and crisp red apple with a hint of citrus meat; pour a glass and let the bubbles hit the nose – that nasal fizzy blast is much more interesting than the nose of this sparkling wine.  Once the wine has settled in the glass there’s not much at all to the aroma.

Flavors: follows the nose with the apple and citrus meat; lemon bitterness on the finish

Mouthfeel: very crisp, light, a citrusy bitterness builds on the aftertaste making for a dry feel, super fizzy at first and mellows a bit with time … look at the bubbles coming from the bottom of the glass … how fast they are rising will dictate how fizzy the carbonation will feel. 

To the Point:  it’s an okay sparkling wine, I would say it is not one for sitting around to just enjoy by itself … it should be good to go with a fresh salad with mandarin oranges … pair it with a tropical chicken breast or white fish. 

   

L Mawby Conservancy: Review

Extra Dry Sparkling Wine

Methode Champenoise

L. Mawby

Leelanau Peninsula

Suttons Bay, Michigan, USA

12% abv

$21.99 Westborn Market

Lmawby.com

Cuvee 189

en tirage - May 2010

degorgement - January 2011

The Detroit Tigers are heading to the World Series so I had to open this bottle and enjoy a little bubbly like the players are doing in the club house.  Go TIGERS!  Forgive me for all the things I said about you during the regular season.  Well, they did look like crap at times during the regular season.

How about the TV announcers talking about those Tigers and how they came together and played great baseball in the post season - Oh, they didn't! All we heard in the last two or three innings of the game was all about the Yankee Stankees.

The Detroit Tiger were up to bat in the 8th inning and there was dead silence while Young was batting.  To break the dead silence they had to chime in about Derek Jeter.  REALLY - the Detroit Tigers are heading to the World Series and three outs away and they bring up Jeter.  These announces will probably go to the Yankees room after the game and hang out with those losers because they love them.       

Appearance: light straw, nice head, plenty of bubbles

Nose: nice sweet fruits; apples, pear,

Flavors and Mouthfeel: tart apple, sweet pear, dry lemon bread, very dry on the palate and finish, smooth with a fine fizzy feel

To the Point: a nice bubbly for the price, set up the fruit and chocolate fountain and this should be a winner.  

Isidor’s Choice 2009 Blanc de Noir

Sparkling Wine

Leelanau Peninsula

BlackStarFarms.com

Suttons Bay, Michigan, USA

100% Pinot Noir

12% abv

$22.00 a bottle

I reviewed this Sparkling Wine back in the middle of summer.

Appearance: bridal blush pink

Aroma: bubbles tickle the nose, dusty grapes,

Flavors and Mouthfeel: the first thing I notice is the effervescence and then the dry mouthfeel, hint of muskmelon with a touch of strawberry, lightly tart cranberry, with a pinch of pink peppercorn

To the Point: I don’t know about having this sparkling wine on a hot summer day like today (95 degrees with 80+ humidity).  I wanted something different on this hot day and this has been sitting there waiting to be selected for at least six months.  I thought a little sparkling wine might go well on a hot day.  I don’t think the dry mouthfeel fits the bill.  Save this for a cool fall night. 

I do like this sparkling wine just not on a hot day.  

M Lawrence SEX Sparkling Wine

L. Mawby

Suttons Bay, Michigan, USA

12% abv

$15.00

Brut Rose

1019 of 2542 Bottles

Batch #81

A sexy blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

Cuve Closed Method

lmawby.com

When I was in Traverse City I stopped by a bar called Phil’s on the Front – Restaurant & Chocolate Bar.  Chocolate and alcohol – I’m there.  I ordered a glass of M Lawrence SEX and a triple chocolate cake.  I figured I was going to M. Mawby’s the next day I might as well try this sparkling wine ahead of time.  It was a perfect match.  If you make it to TC stop by Phil’s. 

Appearance: Soft pink rose’ (double bubblegum color) with some slowly rising bubbles.

Aroma: strawberry soda fizz

Flavors and Mouthfeel: dry on delivery, mid-palate, and very dry on the finish.  The fizz seems moderate.  The mouthfeel is the main profile of this bubbly.  A soft blend of strawberry and raspberry.  There is an undertone of sweetness but, you may have to look for it for the dry fizzy profile demands your attention. 

To the Point: This Brut Rose’ is dry and the touch of red fruit is tasty.  Get a piece of dark chocolate and enjoy. 

I do not like Rose’ wines but, for some reason I find Rose’ Sparkling Wines fun to drink. 

If you like sweet bubbly go with the M. Lawrance Detroit.  If you like it really dry go with this Brut Rose – SEX. 

M Lawrence Sandpiper: Review

Sparkling Wine

Extra Dry

Batch #30

12% abv

$11.00 a bottle

L. Mawby

Suttons Bay, Michigan, USA

Lmawby.com

If you get a chance to visit this winery you will be greeted with a complimentary glass of bubbly.  The first glass is Sandpiper.  This is, let’s say, the middle of the road from very dry to sweet bubbly.  After this glass they will ask you if you want to go drier or sweeter and they offer you a second glass.  From there you head to the tasting bar and sample some more for a little tasting fee. 

There are two different line-ups.  The M. Lawrence and the L. Mawby lines.  On their web site it says, “Our M. Lawrence sparkling wines are produced in the cuve close method, are given less aging, and are less costly than the method champenoise sparkling wines.”  The L. Mawby line uses the ‘method champenoise’ and are aged longer. 

When I visited this winery I bought four different sparkling wines.  I’ll start with the Sandpiper just like they do.  I’ll also be reviewing SEX, Consort, and Detroit.  I am looking forward to trying all of their sparkling wines – they have 15 different ones. 

Let’s get to the review:

Appearance: fizzy straw

Aroma: fruity nose that is very pleasing.  Apricot and pear is the best I can come up with. 

Flavors: ripe pear, fresh apple and tart apple, with the oak hitting the back of the palate.  On the Lmawby web site they call it ‘sweet/tart’ and I can see (taste) why. 

Mouthfeel: wonderful fizz, dry on the finish, the fizz continues to tingle the palate on the aftertaste. 

Overall: I really like this bubbly.  Nice taste, good effervescence and what a price! Only $11.00 

SEX is next

Mascaro Cava Brut Sparkling Wine: Review

12% abv
Product of Spain
$15.00 at The Fine Wine Source

This sparkling wine has some fresh fruit and a spicy note to tingle the nose. There is fresh apple and pear on the taste and plenty of effervescence to enjoy any celebration. This is a tasty sparkling wine.