The Late Disgorged Brut is their best wine IMO and at $30 is
an incredible value that can
outperform most Champagnes at that price
point and well above. Since both the regular and Late Disgorged Bruts
are the exact same wine down to the dosage, it really makes me wonder
why they don’t just keep their regular Vintage Brut on its lees for a
few more years. If they did this, they would not only make a case for
making the best base level Vintage Brut, but they would also make a good case for
being the best California sparkling wine producer IMO. I also wonder what a late
disgorged Le Reve would taste like!
In addition to having great sparklers, I really enjoyed their facility.
It is beautiful, very relaxed, and staffed by one of the most
enthusiastic and knowledgeable groups around. I would recommend it to
anyone who was passing through the area. Domaine Carneros is a well run
operation that proudly carries on the
Taittinger tradition. The wines
are not similar in profile except to say that they are easy to drink and
sometimes the Domaine Carneros wines are better than the NV and Vintage
Taittinger cuvees.
There must be something in the water just off of Highway 12/121 in
Carneros because some of the best sparklers in California and the world
are being made by Domaine Carneros and a neighbor who will be reviewed
later.
Some quick facts/thoughts/opinions:
- All of the wines are a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with a
tiny bit (normally less than 5%) of Pinot Blanc.
- The Le Reve is a Blanc de Blanc of Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc.
It is all estate grown fruit.
- The Rosé is made by a combination of a very short saignee method
and a red wine addition to get the final product where they want it.
- I think most of the releases drink best within 1-2 years of
release (maybe you can take Le Reve out to 3 years). After that they
start a very slow decline, but still continue to drink well.
- The wines are normally dosed between 11 g/L and 13 g/L. The late
disgorged Bruts receive the same dosage as the original release.
- The late disgorged Bruts are left to age on their lees for an
additional 2-3 years.
- They do not do any malolactic on their wines and no barrel aging
is done.
As with all my other California notes, these wines were tasted
between September 12 and October 15 of 2006. They came from the
following sources: purchased at the winery, supplied by the winery,
tasted at the winery, new releases purchased from a store, and older
vintages from my cellar. Some of the wines were tried multiple times and
almost all were evaluated over a minimum of a 1 hour period. Glassware
was not consistent. With any older bottle, bottle variation can run
high. When a bottle was clearly flawed and there was no backup, I have
noted it. I have had many of these wines (and others not included below)
before and that has helped in shaping a perspective for when a wine is
dying and was not flawed.
2000 Brut
A creamy citrus and sweet vanilla nose lead into a slightly thin palate of
bright citrus dough, fluffy cream, and a hint of pear. Not a bad wine,
but it seems to have fallen from its peak. I would drink it up.
B- Find this wine
2001 Brut
The nose is a bit hard to find, but shows notes of walnuts, vanilla
cream, and citrus. The palate is much more open with flavors of clean
orange and lemon led citrus and creamy, fluffy dough. It finishes up a
bit thin and short. This is certainly a nice wine, but I would prefer a
bit more body and less fluffiness. B Find this wine
2002 Brut
Very fruit forward with floral pears, honeysuckle, citrus and hints of
dough on the nose. Flavors of pears, peaches and dough lead into creamy
floral spiced finish. This is ready to go right now.
Low B+ Find this wine
1999 Late Disgorged Brut (disgorged 2005)
Where have these late disgorged wines been all my life? The nose on this
shows a concentrated orange essence and toasty dough. Very rich in
flavor with sweet dough going both toasty and biscuity , well balanced
peach and citrus flavors, and hints of vanilla cream & almonds. Great
smorgasbord of flavors. This is the regular brut on steroids and I like
it. It is amazing what an extra few years of lees aging will do.
A- Find this wine
2000 Late Disgorged Brut (disgorged June 2006)
A very deep nose of unsweetened pears, citrus, and just out of the
toaster toast pull me in and scream, “Drink me!” So I do and I get
fluffy pears and peaches with a beautiful toasty flavor and nice citrus
backbone. I would swear this had a lower dosage than the original
disgorgement, but it doesn’t. This is killer stuff to drink over the
next couple years. A- Find this wine
NV Rosé
Domaine Carneros likes to promote this for young drinking and releases it
at around 2 years of age. They say they are shooting for a fine balance
of delicacy and fruitiness with this wine. I think it is a little too
plain. The wine starts off with a nose of light cherries and
strawberries and then goes into flavors of watery fruit punch. It is
enjoyable and not offensive, but I can only see using this as a cheap
party sparkler and it isn’t that cheap.
C+ Find this wine
1992 Le Reve
Hmmm... this one is not so good. Very astringent on the nose and palate
with bitter citrus leading into bubblegum and dry peaches. The finish is
short and creamy, but sweet and creamy. This one is gone.
C- but this is over the hill. Find this wine
1993 Le Reve
Biscuit dough and slightly bitter citrus mix with fluffy flowers and
toast. This one is on its last legs, but still fighting. Drink it
tonight (don’t wait for tomorrow - it might be dead) if you have a
bottle. B- Find this wine
1994 Le Reve
I am amazed that this is still so fluffy and peachy at 12 years old.
Even more so by the good dose of doughy biscuits, but even though this
shows young elements, it is starting to thin out. There is a fading
spice element in the mix that to me signals a downhill motion. Drink up.
B Find this wine
1995 Le Reve
Loads of citrus and cream mix with orange fluffy peaches and sweet
vanilla notes, but this just seems to be loosing some of its oomph and
taking on a thin acidic bend. It is still a nice drink, but I would
drink it up now. High B Find this wine
1996 Le Reve
Light citrus and honeysuckle mix with toast and a hint of sherry to form
an inviting nose that gives way to a palate of citrus yeastiness and
acidity that would normally lead you to believe that this would be on
the way up, but it is not. This wine shows why you need to know the
context of the wine you are tasting and why blind tastings can sometimes
be misleading. Most of the non-citrus fruit that was present in this
vintage has disappeared. This is actually going downhill as shown by it
turning a bit bland and a tad sweet. It is still quite good, but it was
better 2 years ago (a low A- in 2004). It now gets a
Low B+ Find this wine
1997 Le Reve
Big fluffy cream kissed by honey, peaches, and sweet flowers. I really
like this. It is wide open and showing a bit of wild yeasty dough that
is going toasty. At its peak, so drink it up.
A- Find this wine
1998 Le Reve
On the pour, this shows a nose of creamy walnuts and light citrus. With
some air, wonderful toasty aromas join in. The palate is full of bright,
dry, creamy peach and citrus fruit that screams New World to me. Some
spiciness enters in on the finish. This is a nice wine, but I would
advise you to drink up now if you have it. B+ Find this wine
1999 Le Reve
Tight and creamy with dried peaches and a kick of orange laced spice.
This is showing excellent acidity and good fruit that has yet to really
open up. You could wait another year for some fluffy fruit to appear,
but I like it now. B+ Find this wine
2000 Le Reve
A very closed nose right now. This shows a big creamy, yeasty flavor
with hints of earth, peachy spice and some mature notes. I think it has
excellent potential, but needs a year to come together. Certainly
enjoyable today, but more is to come.
B but clear B+ potential sometime in 2007. Find this wine
__________________
Brad Baker
California Sparklers
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