2007 Domaine Chandon Yountville Brut (92 Points)

DATE CONSUMED

Friday, January 18, 2013

VINTAGE

2007

WINERY/PRODUCER

Domaine Chandon

WINE NAME

Yountville Brut

TYPE OF WINE

Sparkling wine

COMPOSITION

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but exact percentages are not given on Chandon’s website.

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)

Yountville, California (Napa County)

ALCOHOL CONTENT

13%

PRICE PAID

$39.69

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

We received this wine from Domaine Chandon’s wine club for $39.69 (discount price of $31.50 (full retail price is $45) plus sales tax and shipping) in December, 2011.

BOUQUET

This bubbly has a yeasty and citrusy bouquet, which isn’t too surprising considering Chandon ages this wine a minimum of two years on the lees (yeast).  I also detected a slight graphite element on the nose as well, but that could have been due to the variety of aromas wafting around the kitchen area since Arthur was baking two different appetizers to go with this bubbly, along with his homemade duck confit for dinner.

 

TASTING NOTES

This is a delightful California bubbly with a deep, complex flavor profile.  Based on the depth of flavors, I would assume that most of this bubbly consists of Pinot Noir, though Chandon also grows fabulously rich, complex bubbly based on Chardonnay.  But it’s difficult to beat the depth and complexity of the Pinot grape.

Domaine Chandon makes a variety of vintage- and site-specific bruts (Yountville, Carneros, and Mt. Veeder to name a few).  They’re all fantastic.  In case you don’t know, Domaine Chandon is the American outpost of France’s Moet & Chandon, the maker of Dom Perignon and other fabulous Moet & Chandon Champagne.  Obviously, they know what the hell they’re doing, even here in California.

As the bouquet suggested, this is a rich, creamy, citrusy, yeasty bubbly.  The flavors go deep and long, reflecting Chandon’s typically/complexly delicious bubblies, exhibiting brioche, lemons, yeast, crème brulee, earthy elements, and thanks to the Pinot Noir, hints of suggestions of rumors of cream-of-cherries and other creamy varieties of typically red Pinot fruits.

We joined Domaine Chandon’s wine club in September 2009 for one painfully obvious reason; we went wine tasting in Napa Valley in 2009 and decided to visit their tasting room and were poured around eight to ten different bubblies, all of which were FANTASTIC.  We joined their club right then and there.  We were blown away by the quality and variety of all of their bubblies and have NEVER been disappointed in a bottle of Chandon bubbly.  Their bubblies are always very good and tasty; even their most basic and cheapest bubbly (Classic Brut, a non-vintage bubbly) is excellent, especially for the price (we had two magnums of the Classic Brut during the recent holidays and couldn’t believe how good it was!).

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this bubbly with two different appetizers: bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with pecans and black bean and banana empanadas.  We always drink bubbly with the stuffed/wrapped dates, which are sweet, creamy, salty, crunchy, and delicious beyond belief.  Bubbly pairs extraordinarily well with the dates (the bubbly’s acidity plays very well against the aforementioned qualities of the dates) and went very well with the empanadas.

AGING POTENTIAL

This bubbly is drinking beautifully right now and should continue to age, mature, and develop for another 400 to 500 years (assuming you store your bottle(s) at the bottom of the ocean).

SCORE (on a 100-point scale)

92

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

GOOD

WINERY WEBSITE

http://chandon.com/