This Beautiful Cali Sparkler Outscores its $70 Cousin from Champagne!
Wow! We've just popped a bottle of the latest batch of the Roederer Estate Brut NV and it is ridiculously good. The layered flavors, the impressive mousse, and the long, harmonious finish. It's no wonder Wine Spectator gave this new release such a great review!
How great of a review? Well, they rated this delicious Anderson Valley sparkler a point higher than the Roederer family's "Collection Series" Champagne, a wine that sells for well over twice the price:
Given Roederer Estate's recent review and its incredible track record, we're going to predict it for Wine Spectator's upcoming "Top 100" list. It's that good.
Scroll down for the rest of the story on this knockout buy from the Roederer family, and for a stellar Tête de Cuvée from a tiny one-man house in Champagne, then click quickly on the Big Yellow Button to get your order in!
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Roederer Estate Brut NV
Anderson Valley, Mendocino County, California
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This is the best American sparkling wine you'll find for the money. Think there’s a better one out there? Let us know and we’ll challenge you to a blind tasting!
“Roederer Estate is arguably the best and most consistent sparkling wine producer on the West Coast.”
- Wine Spectator, September 2022
The flavors here are so good - fresh yellow apple, lemon, oyster shell, a hint of baked bread - that the wine feels more expensive than it is. Balanced and long with a vibrant stream of creamy bubbles, this can easily hang with Champagnes in the $40 range.
“Dynamic yet sleekly elegant, with rich strawberry and apple flavors that are accented by spiced cinnamon and yeast roll as this dances toward the vibrant finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Drink now through 2026.”
- 93 Points, Wine Spectator (8/18/2024)
Wine Spectator quotes $32. Median online retail is $30. While it's hard to argue with either of those prices, we like ours a whole lot more. If you have a big holiday season planned, this one is worth buying by the case.
Vin Chicago Price: 24.79
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Gondé-Rousseaux "Blanc de Fût" Brut 2017
Champagne, France
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Florian Gondé, the passionate young vigneron behind the Champagnes of Gondé-Rousseaux, farms his land organically and biodynamically. Using only wild yeasts, he crafts a minuscule amount of wine from his tiny vineyard in the Premier Cru village of Taissey
His "Blanc de Fut" Tête de Cuvée is a decadent and delicious Blanc de Blancs Champagne. Earning 96 Points from our tasters, it is one of the best Champagnes we’ve tasted all year.
Rich, luxurious, and mouth-filling, it offers electric acidity, screaming minerality and a complex range of baked bread, honey, yellow flowers, citrus, and orchard fruits.
Disgorged on April 7, 2022, this wonderful seven-year-old Champagne was finished with a 6 grams per liter dosage and is flat-out delicious. We're probably being a bit stingy with our score, if someone pushed us we could elevate to 97 Points. It's that good.
Only 150 cases were produced. As far as we know, we are the only ones in the country that have it available. In the world of Tête de Cuvée Champagne, where so many labels sell for $250 or more, this wine is an absolute steal.
Vin Chicago Price: 95.99
