In my opinion, those wines didn’t fair too well under his lead, and
the quality actually regressed during this time. A similar trend seemed
to occur at Mumm Napa, as (I feel that) after Rob took over, Mumm fell
from the top tier of US Sparkling wine producers.
Why did this happen? There are many reasons, but I believe the key is
that Rob has always been a big advocate for malolactic fermentation and
easy drinking wines that may be more appealing at the time of purchase,
but sometimes taste a bit forced and fake to me. Mumm Napa has done well
for itself, but they never reach the heights they could and should.
Right before the 2002 harvest, Rob McNeil took on more management
responsibilities and brought in Ludovic Dervin
to take over the winemaking. I think this was a wise move, as Ludovic
has helped lift Mumm Napa up once again. They still have a way to go to
reach the big 3 of Gloria Ferrer, Roederer Estate, and Domaine Carneros,
but they are clawing and scratching. Ludovic brought out the very tasty
and successful Mumm Napa Cuvee M and helped blend the very tasty 2004
25th Anniversary Cuvees. I still think he needs to reel back on the
malolactic, because the wines have an excellent acidity and could age
well and reach greater heights with a gentler malolactic touch. The DVX
and even the basic wines showed this in the mid 1990s. They could once
again.
I also wish Mumm would limit the number of Cuvees that they produce.
Just take a look at their lineup below. I’m surprised they haven’t come
out with a DVX Pinot Meunier Rose Justin Timberlake Demi-Sec Extended
Tirage Cuvee yet. Looking at the list below, can you explain the
differences between them all to me
Brut Prestige
Brut Prestige Extended Tirage
Reserve Brut
Blanc de Blancs
Blanc de Noirs
Demi-Sec
Cuvee M
Cuvee M Red
Winery Lake
Grand Annee
Sparkling Pinot Meunier
Sparkling Pinot Noir
DVX
DVX Santana
DVX Rose
Despite my complaints, Mumm Napa makes very good wines. I just can’t
help but feel that the wines can and should be better. Mumm Napa should
be one of the great ones.
Some quick facts/thoughts/opinions:
- The Blanc de Blancs is a blend of 60-80%
Chardonnay and 20-40% Pinot Gris (varies by vintage).
- The DVX is normally around 50% Chardonnay,
50% Pinot Noir
- The Santana DVX is identical to the regular
DVX except that it has a slightly higher dosage. Both cuvees are
Bruts, but the Santana has 4-5 g/L more residual sugar.
- The Blanc de Noirs oddly enough contains some
Chardonnay and is approximately 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Chardonnay
- The Brut Prestige is approximately 50% Pinot
Noir, 45% Chardonnay, and 5% Pinot Meunier
- The Cuvee M is from a blend that is very
similar to the Brut Prestige only it sees a Sec dosage of 31 g/L.
- The Reserve Brut is normally around 50%
Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir, but the blend can vary across years
- The Winery Lake is approximately 75% Pinot
Noir, 25% Chardonnay
- The Sparkling Pinot Meunier is 100% Pinot
Meunier (you would think that would be self explanatory, but I note
it because you would think a Blanc de Noirs would not include
Chardonnay)
- The Sparkling Pinot Noir is different in that
it is made to be a Pinot Noir and then fermented a second time to
add some fizz. This makes it different than any other Rose, Blanc de
Noirs, or Sparkling Red you have had.
- Mumm Napa makes close to a dozen other cuvees
that I do not have grape information on. They often change their
blends and don’t make every cuvee each year so it is a constantly
changing situation.
- The Rose wines are made by adding red wine to
the blend. The DVX Rose is made with a 5% Red Wine Addition.
- Oak fermentation is done on some of the
wines. It is done with a light touch and the DVX sees the most of
it.
- Malolactic Fermentation is done to some
degree on all the cuvees. It has been rising over the last few
years.
Brad Baker with his wife, Michelle in
a September 2006 visit to Mumm Napa
NV Blanc de Noirs
This wine takes on a light rose color which matches the ripe cherry
and cranberry nose. It has a fluffy strawberry flavor with hints of
raspberries. I’d prefer to see it with a bit more bottle age, as
I’ve always enjoyed this wine with a couple of years on it. Still,
as a youngster, it is a very solid and enjoyable effort.
Grade of B (83-85 pts). Find this wine
NV Brut Prestige
Mumm Napa doesn’t make anything second rate. This is bottom of the
line, but still a very nice, easy drinking wine with loads of fluffy
apple and pear fruit that meshes with a decent dose of acidity. It
doesn’t move me, but it is a simple crowd pleasing wine that is hard
to find fault with for the price and availability.
Grade of Solid B- (81-82 pts). Find this wine
NV Demi-Sec
A light and fluffy flavor leads you into a lukewarm honey coated
biscuit. You can tell the base wine is high quality and I wish this
were a basic brut as the sweetness detracts rather than adds to the
wine. I would have preferred my biscuit fresh out of the oven and
without the honey. Grade of High B- (82-83
pts). Find this wine
NV Cuvee M
This has always been a guilty pleasure of mine and it showed
wonderfully, as always. I love this young and fresh when it explodes
in your mouth with a bright burst of sweet citrus. The base wine is
not as good as the Demi-Sec, but the total package comes across
better. This was meant to be a sweet wine and the creamy, fluffy,
sweet finish closes it out with aplomb. Grade of
Low B (83-84 pts) Find this wine
NV Reserve Brut
A sweet complex honey, pear, and melon nose leads into very fruity
palate that is not quite at the same level as the nose. A nice touch
of toast does show up to go with citrus and pears. A very solid and
well made effort. Grade of Low B (83-84
pts). Find this wine
2001 Blanc de Blancs
This shows lots of pears with a few dough notes, but isn’t doing
much for me as it comes across as clumsy and a bit flabby. Despite
its mid-level billing, I have never been much of a fan and it showed
as the worst of the Mumm Napas. I wish I could say age will help it,
but it won’t. Mumm Napa does much better with the blends that are
primarily or at least lean towards Pinot varieties.
Grade of High C+ (78-80 pts). Find this wine
2001 Winery Lake
Light fluffy apples and citrus blossoms lead into a wonderful citrus
and cream puff flavor. This is still quite young and should improve
over time. A very nice wine. Grade of High
B (85-87 pts). Find this wine
2000 Grande Annee
Holy cow, where did this wine come from? Chocolate and biscuits lead
the nose and help lead a mature and complex creamy palate. I would
very easily put this up there with many top notch cellar aged NV
Champagnes. I think this is the best of the current Mumm Napa
releases. Yum, yum. Grade of High B+ (88-89
pts). Find this wine
2003 Sparkling Pinot Meunier
I’m not quite used to so much cream showing on the nose, so this
strikes me as different, but in a good way. It is very fruity with a
nice fluffy peach mouth feel and a touch of slightly spiced earth.
Mumm Napa did a very nice job here, as it does an excellent job
showing that Pinot Meunier does not have to be a throw away
sparkling wine grape.
Grade of B (83-85 pts).
Find this wine
1992 DVX
A creamy citrus and toasted almond and walnut concoction that is fun
to drink, but has lost too much acidity and citrus for my palate. I
see no reason to let this sit. If you have a bottle, pop and enjoy,
as it isn’t gong anywhere but down. Grade of
High B- (82-83 pts). Find this wine
1993 DVX
Lots of creamy nuts and bright citrus lead you into this wine, but
it is missing something. It seems on the decline and a bit hollow
and toned down when compared to following vintages.
Grade of B- (80-82 pts). Find this wine
1994 DVX
A monumental wine of absolute fruit. Oranges, peaches, pears, and
few more citrus varieties are packed into this bottle and rolled up
in a creamy walnut laced dough that is just starting to turn into
bread. This is a go right now, and it starts the wonderful
three-peat glory run of DVX that ended with a change in style in
1997. Grade of Solid A- (91 pts). Find this wine
1995 DVX
This is a spicy, sweet peach cobbler in a glass. What can I say; I
love this wine. A zesty citrus bread filled back palate promises
plenty of life in the years ahead. Grade of
A- (90-91 pts). Find this wine
1996 DVX
Lots of concentrated citrus and zesty, fresh rolled dough fill my
nose and mouth. This is one lively wine. Peaches and cream also join
the party and the party isn’t going full blast yet. It will get even
better with a bit more time. Grade of B+
(88-89 pts) with A- (90-91 pt) potential. Find this wine
1997 DVX
A very creamy wine with typical DVX spicy bread notes, but this has
an awkwardness to it. It just seems a bit bland when compared to
past vintages. I know Mumm Napa loved the 1997 harvest, so maybe
this just needs time, but I can’t help but think that won’t help it.
What really grabs me about this wine is that with the 1997, the
malolactic and creaminess seem to come more to fore. The current
trademark Mumm Napa creaminess can be traced back to this year. I
think this will affect the aging and improvement that previous DVX
vintages saw in a negative way. This vintage ended the glory years
of the DVX in my eyes and they are no longer a must buy.
Grade of B (83-86 pts). Find this wine
1998 DVX
Bright apples, pears, & citrus mix with a bit of baking spice and
cream. Overall, this wine seems a bit too smooth and easy to me, so
much so that it takes on a very slight clumsy note from the
malolactic being a little overdone. You would think this would be
something that would get better with age, but I don’t think the
malolactic regime it saw will let it. Grade
of Low B+ (86-87 pts). Find this wine
1999 DVX
A huge pear led nose that shows cream, cream, and more trademark
Mumm cream. This is a young wine full of apples, pears, and creamy
walnuts with a creamy and crisp finish. I would love to say that age
will treat this wine well, but I don’t think it is going anywhere.
You can drink it now or a bit later with no worries, but it isn’t
getting better. That is okay as it is very good now. I just wish it
would not be so creamy so young. A bit of aged complexity potential
would be nice. Grade of B+ (87-88 pts). Find this wine
1999 DVX Santana
This is very similar to the basic 1999 DVX with an added touch of
spice and sweetness on the nose and palate. The fruit is just as
bright and fresh. I like the wine, but not as much as the basic DVX
and don’t really see a reason for its existence. The last thing Mumm
Napa needed was one more wine. Grade of B
(83-85 pts). Find this wine
1999 DVX Rose
Another creamy Mumm Napa effort, but the red fruits are rather
bland. This doesn’t show the acidity to age and improve or the
complexity that its price tag would lead you to expect. It shows
some nice young biscuit notes and the pink color is attractive, but
I don’t drink wine for its color. This needs to kick it up a notch.
I actually like the NV Blanc de Noirs better.
Grade of low B (82-84 pts). Find this wine
Cheers!
Brad Baker
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