2023 Wood Family Vineyards “Hot Lips” Sparkling Blanc de Blanc
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Background and Fun Facts on Sparkling & Champagne Wines
This will be the first release of sparkling wine using 100% Chardonnay grapes from Wood Family Vineyards. There is so much more behind simply “bubbles” in the glass with sparkling wines!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Another fun fact is that in a flute of sparkling wine there are approximately one million bubbles.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Do you know what the metal cage on sparkling wine is called and why it is used? A muselet (French: [myz. le]) is a wire cage that fits over the cork of a bottle of champagne, sparkling wine or beer to prevent the cork from emerging under the pressure of the carbonated contents. The pressure inside a bottle of bubbly is typically somewhere between 70 and 90 pounds per square inch or twice the pressure of a typical car tire! The muselet is an added method of security to keep the cork in place.
The basic three categories of Champagne/Sparkling wine are:
Blanc de Blanc-made exclusively from white grapes
Blanc de Noirs-made exclusively from black grapes like Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
Rosé– adding a small amount of red wine or by leaving the red grape skins with juice during pressing.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
To help give a perspective on sugar levels for Champagne or Sparkling wines, here are the basic categories, going from sweet to dry based on dosage of sugar added:
• Doux: 50 or more grams of sugar added per liter. Outrageously sweet.
• Demi-Sec: 32 to 50 grams of sugar. Still sweet but showing some traction in the market.
• Sec: “Sec” in French means dry. But dry here indicates a medium sweet sparking of 17 to 32 grams of sugar per liter.
• Extra Sec: Meaning “Extra Dry” which is less sweet than Sec wine with 12 to 17 grams of sugar per liter.
• Brut: Up to 12 grams of sugar added. This leads to a balance of flavor and acidity. A bit more rounded than Extra Brut. This is one of the more popular levels of Champagne for consumers.
• Extra Brut: With fewer than 6 grams of sugar, this will produce higher acid and accentuate the carbonation.
• Brut Nature: With no sugar added (less than 3 grams), not common but a way for the winemaker to allow the quintessential nature of the Sparkling wine. This will provide strong minerality and high acidity.
Some key and common terms used in Sparkling and Champagne production:
Méthode Traditionelle – Two separate alcoholic fermentations are involved in the production of Champagne. The first is primary fermentation that occurs in stainless steel vats or oak barrels. The second fermentation takes place in the bottle prompted by the addition of a mixture of sugar and yeast that produces bubbles.
Liqueur de tirage – This mixture of wine, sugar and yeast added to still wine promotes a secondary fermentation in sparkling wine production.
Riddling – This involves moving the bottle very slowly from a horizontal to an inverted vertical position in order to dislodge the yeast sediment which slides down the side of the bottle, collecting in the plastic insert under the crown cap.
Disgorgement – When the crown cap seal is removed, the pressure created by the dissolved CO2 ejects the frozen wine, taking the sediment and plastic insert with it.
Liqueur d’expedition – This is a mix of wine and sugar used to make the final adjustment to the sweetness of sparkling wine prior to corking.
Dosage – This is an adjustment of the sugar level in Champagne and other sparkling wines by the addition of liqueur d’expedition.
Zero Dosage (Brut Nature) – No dosage (sugar) is added.
This 2023 “Hot Lips” Sparkling uses Methode Champenoise (traditional) and uses no additional dosage of sugar.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine is called Blanc de Blanc Sparkling meaning it uses only Chardonnay grapes. Most traditional Champagnes, greater than 95%, use three grapes in France: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Some additional grape varieties are allowed such as Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc, Voltis and Pinot Gris.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine using only 100% Chardonnay is a little one dimensional yet still tasty with their exquisite and fan favorite Chardonnay grapes with 30% coming from Block 12 at Kaltoff Common in Livermore and 70% from Wisner vineyard. Many of the key characteristics of their exquisite Chardonnay carry to the sparkling wine. Noticeable is the coloring of a bright and light golden color. On the nose, green apple with a light brioche came through wonderfully. On the palate a softer and milder Chardonnay tastes of almond and soft yellow fruit. The bubbles provided an uplifting and spring freshness.
The sparkling will be release at their “Bottomless Bubbles and Bunch” on November 2nd with two seatings and at their Fourth Quarter Release Party November 22nd and 23rd. The price will be $50/bottle.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
And
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Two charcuterie plates were served with the sparkling Blanc de Blac this late afternoon/evening. They included some nutty cheese like aged Gouda, Brie and others along with crackers, salami, nuts and cranberries. All were served to highlight the wine and not overpower the delicate taste.
Personally, I think this sparkling necessitates a careful and purposed choice of foods to bring forth the quality of the wine, so the food will not overpower it.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly