Domaine Carneros Sparkling Wine : Simply Delicious

I had big plans for reviewing this fancy organic sparkling wine. I was going to host a vegan feast, prepare a menu from a vegan cookbook, and videotape the event so I could post clips of my guests comments about the bubbly.

But...it was my birthday, and my hosts starting drinking early, and I was scurrying around making sure I was part of every conversation.....and as the night wore on, the camera seemed too complicated to operate. So, you'll have to trust me about the comments my friends made. (I should also warn you that none of us know anything about wine or sparkling wine or champagne, so our descriptions are pretty pedestrian). The important thing to take away from this review: we loved the sparkling wine.

We saved the bubbly for cake time because that's the way I wanted it. A bottle of Brut Cuvée 2005 and a bottle of Brut Rosé. I should note here that I don't normally drink, but I believe that when someone offers me champagne (or fancy organic sparkling wine) it would be rude not to accept. Plus, I love champagne. It's bubbly, it's sweet, it's fun, and I always have a good time when I drink it.

So, for my party I was looking forward to sampling the Domaine Carneros offerings with my organic vegan carrot cake. I started with the Brut Rosé. It was fresh, crisp, and had a pleasant, subtle taste of fruit. I thought maybe grapefruit? Jason wasn't sure if it was a melon or berry taste he recognized. We all agreed it was not too sweet, not sugary, not too dry, and totally superior to most of the champagne we'd had at other parties. (Check the manufacturer's websites for actual flavors -- we got the fruit part right, but were off base with our guesses.)

What I liked about both sparkling wines was their subtle flavors and small bubbles. What I mean is: I've had a lot of bad champagne that just tastes sugary sweet and super bubbly-like the bubbles are too big and fizzy. With this type of (inferior) champagne I get a sting I when I swallow, so I gulp it to avoid the overpowering bubbles. I had a totally different and completely pleasurable experience with the Domaine Carneros Sparkling Wines. They were so much more refined. Each glass was elegant, went down easy, and tasted delicious. Okay, I knew I was drinking alcohol, but nothing about the drink felt overpowering. It was as if every element was balanced just perfectly.

Kamie thought the Brut Cuvée was nice and dry. I noticed a hint of citrus, maybe lemon, and again appreciated how smooth it was -- no sting, no fizz, but perfectly small-bubbled and with real flavor. Dickie and Thom also gave both wines high marks. (Our young guests had Martinell's sparkling apple cider.)

Travis also loved the sparkling wines, although he had plenty of wine leading up to cake time, so his comments were unintelligible.

So, for a inexperienced, unsophisticated group of taste testers, we may not impress anyone with our simple comments, but I will say this: those bottles were empty very quickly and the other open champagne bottles in the kitchen remained there - half full. Who could go back to that ordinary stuff after our fancy organic sparkling birthday wine?

See what the experts say on the Domaine Carneros site, link below.

Bottom Line: You don't have to have sophisticated tastes to notice a really nice sparkling wine. It tastes better, it feels better, and there's nothing you have to "put up with" to have that lovely bubbly experience.--E.D. (Dec 09)

Buy Online: $25-35 at various online retailers, such as www.winechateau.com

Manufacturer's Site: www.domaincarneros.com

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