Ben's Bubbly: Scharffenberger Cellars Brut

This week, drooling Ben was back in full force. One of his front upper teeth is coming in and boy is he teething again. If he is not slobbering all over his hand, he is chewing on something else to help him with the tooth. Thankfully, he hasn't been too crabby about it this time around. We've also expanded his diet by adding peas. He wasn't too excited about the canned peas he had tried previously, but the frozen peas that I made for him have been a big hit; though not quite as well liked as sweet potatoes! Finally this week, he has moved on to knee crawling for almost all of his self-locomotion. He loves crawling around after his rubber soccer ball. He even enjoys kicking it when he is walking while holding on to one of us. Before we know it he'll be running around on his own.

Scharffenberger Cellars Brut

We decided to go back to California with this week's sparkler. Founded in Anderson Valley by current chocolatier John Scharffenberger in 1981, Scharffenberger Cellars is now owned and operated by Roederer Estate owner Maisons Marques & Domaines. I've had and enjoyed the 1998 Brut before, so I figured I'd give the non-vintage Brut a try. Unfortunately, by comparing the label with the image on the website, I think this bottle is not a recent release and had been on display in the store a bit too long. It smells toasty with notes of lemon and apples, but tastes slightly musty, bordering on chemically. The citrus and apple flavors are still there, but are leaning towards being almost cidery. The wine was not terrible, but I wouldn't recommend buying it. I am hopeful that I can find a newer release and give Scharffenberger another shot. 12% abv Purchased $16 Average