To try a change of pace and explore wine country, we opted to try our taste buds with sparkeling wines- a first for both of us. With little experience drinking this bubbly wine, we figured it would be fun and educational for us to find which style we enjoyed more. We kept it simple a stopped at only two wineries: Mumm and Domaine Chandon. My girlfriend, Jen, wanted to go shopping. I despise crowds and shopping malls. I'm usually willing to accompany her sprees so long as there is some reward at the end of the day for me. Call me selfish; it's ok.
She wanted to check out the Premium Outlets in Napa. My initial thought was "WooHOO!, Napa BABY!" but I couldn't show emotion just yet. I calmly inquired for more details and while she spoke, the gears in my head were spinning frantically to conjure ways of visiting some wineries.
A few minutes later, I logged backed in the real world where she doesn't sound like the adult in Charlie Brown and speaks coherent words. She actually said that before we go shopping she wanted to stop at a couple sparkling wine producers. And this is why I love her so.
Our Adventure Begins
First, don't call it champagne! Gasp! (oh gawd...) Here in the states, wineries produce "sparkling wine" and not "champagne." This is because Champagne is actually a region in france where this bubbling drink was invented by monks and copyright laws prohibit the use of the name unless it originates from that region. Ok, fair enough. I wouldn't want to see a French winery put "Napa Cabernet" on their labels so I can understand their argument.
Jen and I are actually very ignorant when it comes to champagne.. err.... sparkling wines. We know we enjoy them and we know what we don't like but beyond that, we're lost. I wanted to find a place to take a tour but we didn't have time so it was strictly a morning to taste.
We decided to stop at Mumm and Domaine Chandon because they were the closest to the outlets. There aren't that many producers in the area that solely focus on sparkling wines which made the decision that much easier.
Since we were on a schedule, I figured it was going to be an experience to simply review wines. Fine by me. I'll return to enjoy an educational tour another time. Lets go taste some wine!
Mumm
I've heard horror stories of Mumm as purveyors of snobbery and elitism. I was reluctant to visit but wanted to give them a chance and experience them first hand.
Their grounds are lovely and they have a very quaint shop with all sorts of trinkets. A gentleman behind the counter greeted us and engaged conversation. He explained that we should find a seat at one of the tables in the back to enjoy some tasting. "Seating?" I thought... "ok, great!"
Very cool. They have seating inside and outside under umbrellas where visitors sit down and enjoy the cool breeze and the view of the vineyards and valley. A tasting menu is waiting on the table listing everything they have available for tastes. They offer wines by the flute (glass) or you could choose from various flights (3-4 pre-selected) of different quality wines.
There were 3 other parties in this very big space so things were quiet. Our server was very personable and treated us professionally and as equals. Being that Jen and I are usually the youngest ones around, we are often treated as young lushes looking for a quick buzz. This was not that case at all this time around. Our server checked in on us numerous times to talk about the wines, the differences and details during winemaking. She was very knowledgeable and pleasant to speak with.
Their flights included their Classic lineup ($9 for 3 wines) or their DVX ($20 for 3 vertical tastes) which is their line up of wine from their only owned vineyard. We shot for the middle ground and more moderately priced wines. We chose to taste their Reserve flight which consisted of 3 sparkling wines for $12/person, including:
25th Anniversary Cuvee $25
1999 Grand Annee $28
Extended Triage Brut Prestige $25
While we were tasting, another couple entered the patio. Amazingly, these people gave us the typical snobbery attitude. The woman would stare back at us while whispering to the gentleman and would chuckle under their breathe. They weren't even subtle about it. Jen was getting a bit annoyed so while the woman starred back, Jen tilted her down a bit, pulled her sunglasses down, raised the eyebrows and starred right back at her with laser precision. The woman quickly turned back around. Very amusing.
Overall, we thought their wines were very nice. We enjoyed the 25th Anniversary Cuvee the most as it offered more fruit flavors than the other two which were stronger in flavors of toast and yeast. I'm surprised by the comments others mentioned and cautioned me about. I didn't find Mumm at all pretentious. Perhaps it was the fact that it was early in the morning and things were quiet. They do see about 700 people in a day so when things get busy,
I'm sure its tough for them to remain mindful of others. We could have easily sat there and tasted their wines all day on their patio. The way they taste wine is awesome. Very relaxing. I recommend them highly and would have loved to return for their tour.
We had to get moving and head back down route 29 to Domaine Chandon. Jen wanted to get the two visits in before lunch so she would have ample time shop. And thus we were off.
Domaine Chandon
Jen is fighting hand over fist to work for a company called LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennesy) which owns a number of luxury goods companies including Chandon. To see how they operate was of great interest to her.
The grounds. Oh, the grounds. Rock sculptures everywhere in the most creative fashions too. The mushroom rock garden along the creek was the cutest thing ever. There were daisy-shaped rock sculptures, abstract art, and other creative expressions everywhere. It was a very cool, unique touch for the winery.
As you walk toward the winery, a sign for their restaurant is all you see. "Where's the tasting room?" was the million dollar question. We found it up the stairs after quietly following a group of guys that seemed to know where they were going. You gotta love the art of cattle...
The tasting bar was packed! We stood there for quite a while before Jen spotted an opening and pushed me into it. In front of the bar are small tables, some with flutes on them. Above the bar is an appetizer menu to order from which compliment the tastings. Things were a bit confusing at first. A young gentleman behind the counter asked if I needed a menu. Clueless as to what the hell was going, I snagged it. It was their tasting menu. Thank God! Now we're talking...
Like Mumm, they offered tasting by the glass or by the flight and were all around the same prices. Again, we opted for the middle ground which included their Reserve Brut, Blanc de Noirs and the '96 Vintage.
We noticed that there was an abundance of young people tasting wine. Granted they came in packs which kept the room a bit crowded but I was pleased to see that there were more young drinkers than Baby-Boomers.
Jen and I took our time with our tastings. Jen really enjoyed these wines which is a good sign that we're going home with a few bottles. People slowly began leaving the bar and things eventually calmed down drastically.Jen and I were no longer scrunched and could enjoy some space. I engaged the servers behind the counter and enjoyed the conversation. They too were pretty young and did a great job of stripping the lingo to terms anyone can understand. A couple standing next to us overheard our discussion and jumped right in. It's always fun to involve many people in the conversation.
Chandon also puts out two sparkling wines they call "etoile". One of these is a rose. It struck my curiosity greatly as I've never had a rose sparkeling wine. I had to try it. It was $11 for a flute so Jen and I split the serving.
Oh man, we liked this. Smiles ear to ear as we giggled how much we enjoyed the flavors and teased about how many cases to buy. "Just back up the pallete into our car, thanks"
I thought all the wines we tried at Chandon were exceptional. We were told to purchase bottles downstairs in the shop. We payed our tasting fee and made a beeline down to get our wines. The woman behind the counter that was ringing us up asked if we were interested in their wine club. I think the confused gaze prompted her to rephrase her question and instead asked if we heard of it. She explained it was every other month with some pretty nice benefits. Every other month? I can swing that and their wines would be great to have on hand. Sign me up!
See, I told you. Not only did we walk out with a few bottles but with a club membership too. If Jen likes it, chances are we're leaving an impression.
We loved Chandon! The staff was excellent and there wasn't any elitism to be seen. The wines we tasted were excellent and I'll be returning with friends to taste their other offerings.
Happy as pigs in mud, we left our wonderful experience at Chandon and an overall finer appreciation and enjoyment of Champ....er... sparkling wines.
