NV Scharffenberger - Brut
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The NV Brut Excellence is creamy and enveloping right out of the gate. Apricot, orchard fruit, chamomile, acacia and spice all meld together in the glass. This open-knit sparkling wine is tremendously charming. Dosage is 8.5 grams per liter, a bit on the high side in my view. Disgorged: February 2025.
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Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
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The NV Brut Excellence is given less time in bottle and higher dosage than the Brut Black Label, blending 60-40 Chardonnay-Pinot Noir at 8.5 grams per liter dosage. Rich and round in strawberry, quince, and blood orange, it offers a fresh, more immediate, more primary style of medium-bodied refreshment and complexity, showcasing the Chardonnay more specifically in jolts of lemony zestiness. The finish is substantive and long. Drink now through 2032.
Recently bought by Roederer. Own vineyards in the Anderson Valley. 2/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Pinot Noir. Two years on the lees, dosage 10 g/l. Lemony with a delicate yet definite toasty nose. Fresh, fine intensity, pretty dry, light autolytic character and finely balanced. Direct and VGV . Also available at $14 discounted. (JH)