Wednesday's Wines: Segura Viudas, Under the Wire, and Shafer Vineyards

New Year's Eve probably sees the most sparkling wine consumed when compared to any other day of the year. Sparkling wine is associated with celebration and luxury that originates from the parties of the royal courts and aristocracy of Europe beginning in the 18th century. The popping of the cork and the bubbly effervescent can be very symbolic of abundance, joy and a good time. Though the idea of going out and partying like we did years ago has been replaced with putting the kids to bed, curling up on the couch, and then going to sleep before the clock strikes midnight, the sparkling wine still found its way into our wine glasses this New Year's Eve and New Year's Day!

Ben's Bubbly: Wrap-Up

Ben - 1 year

Each of the past 52 weeks, my wife and I have opened a bottle of sparkling wine in honor of our son Ben's first year. The wines helped us celebrate moments from bringing our baby home to him running around and beginning to talk. We've taken him on plane rides and road trips. He's attended two weddings and is eagerly awaiting the arrival of a few new friends. We've had quite an adventure celebrating a year of firsts: the first time he rolled over, the first time he sat up, his first tooth, his first steps, his first signed word, his first spoken word, his first solid food, his first scratch, first day of school. I bet I could continue that list ad infinitum.

During this adventure, we drank 54 different sparkling wines (doubling up Mother's Day week and Valentine's Day) from 11 different countries. Here are a few statistics from this little endeavor:

Ben's Bubbly: Champagne Doyard, Collection de l'An I

Well, we finally made it. We successfully raised our first child to one year of age. And in doing so, we consumed one bottle (sometimes more) of sparkling wine for the past 52 weeks. The past year has been just the first chapter on a fantastic journey that I hope lasts for the rest of my life. Everyone always says to cherish these early times in a child's life because they grow up so fast. I just never knew how fast this year would go and how much Ben would grow. From the helpless, wrinkly little baby we took home 4 hours after his birth to the walking and talking energetic (and sometimes quite impatient) little boy who always brings a smile to my face (well, maybe not when he smacks me in the face while I am asleep), I have enjoyed every moment so far. When my wife and I decided to open a bottle of bubbly for every week of his first year, I mostly thought it would be good to have consistent material for the blog. But opening a bottle to celebrate Ben every week has meant so much more. Every week for the past year we were able to relax, reflect and recover all in the name of Ben. Who knew something that requires so much work could be so fun and rewarding (well, all of you parents knew that already)!

Two weeks ago, Ben enjoyed his first Spring Break with Mom and his grandparents all came over for his birthday party. At the end of the day, he was covered in dirt, frosting and dog hair. What a good day for a little boy. Unfortunately, Ben started to feel a little under the weather at day care on his birthday. He recovered quickly, but he had to stay home with on Thursday and Friday. We had a good time just hanging out and enjoying the beautiful spring weather. We are so excited to have a yard that Ben can call his own and play in for the years to come.

I would walk 500 miles (well, at least drive 500 miles for Krug)

Krug House

Last December I received an email from Champagne Krug, inviting me to series of tastings and fun holiday events in swanky Aspen. Krug is Champagne legend, the likes of which I had never tasted. I immediately began plotting how my wife and I could arrange childcare for our nine-month old and make our way to Aspen on only a few days notice. However, given the short notice, we couldn’t make a weekend of it so I decided to drive there and back in the same day. After all, wine with a reputation like Krug is a worth driving for eight hours (round trip).

I set out early in the morning to make my one o’clock appointment. When you have an interview set up with Krug’s winemaker on her first visit to the United States you make sure you get there early. After a long drive with all the ski traffic, I made my way up the mountain roads of Aspen and pulled to up a palatial house with only a large bottle of Krug at the end of the driveway announcing that I had found my destination.

Ben's Bubbly: Kirkland Champange

It is amazing how much can change in a week. Last week, Ben was beginning to take a few "independent" steps here and there. Now, the child is walking across the house. In fact, he is now walking as often as he crawls. If he can pull himself up on something, he will then use his feet to stumble like a drunk cowboy around the house. However, if he really wants to get somewhere fast he'll plop down and crawl with a vengeance. Despite having a low-grade fever, a leaky nose and a cough for the past few days, he is being a trooper during the day. The nights are a different story, unfortunately. One of these days, I am confident we will sleep through the night again.

Kirkland Signature Champagne, Brut

For those of you that don't know, Kirkland Signature is Costco's store brand. Now, of course Costco does not make Champagne, but has the wine privately labeled by an actual Champagne house; Janisson et Fils. With the current hype surrounding Grower Champagne, most consumers only know that the label codes RM and NM differentiate between Récoltant manipulant (farmer fizz) and Négociant manipulant (larger houses). Little do most Champagne consumers know that there are five other producer designations found on bottles. In the case of the Kirkland bubbly, it is designated as Marque auxiliaire (MA), which is a brand that is unrelated to the actual producer, such as Kirkland Signature. I doubt that you will see this designation much in the U.S., though you might find it more often if you were shopping at a supermarket in France.

It is darker than most other bubblies that we have poured over the past 46 weeks. It is a pretty amber color with medium-sized bubbles. The nose is a bit muted, but with a little citrus fruit. I was quite surprised that this wine showed so much tart grapefruit flavors along with a slight nuttiness. It was so tart that it wasn't all that pleasant on its own, but a bit of food made it a bit better. You can't beat this price for true Champagne, but unfortunately it doesn't come with the quality you would expect from Champagne. I you just can't stand non-Champagne bubbly, but can't stand the prices of good Champagne this might be a wine for you. 12% abv Purchased $20 Average/Good

Ben's Bubbly: Perrier-Jouët

Last week was rough; Ben came down with a fever at school and got sent home. I hung out with him the next day since he couldn't go back for 24 hours. I rearranged my scheduled (and by rearrange I mean I stayed home and attended a meeting that I had via Google+ Hangout) to care for the ill one. He took a super long nap that coincided perfectly with my work meeting. One side effect of his long morning naps (he's had a few this week when he's been home with me) is that he doesn't take an afternoon nap. I enjoy the extra time hanging out with him, but I think I am really going to miss the extra afternoon hours of being able to get work done. C'est la vie.

Champagne Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut

Back to Champagne we go this week. When people talk about how rare Champagne is, they don't know what they're talking about. Perrier-Jouët is a large négociant from Épernay that produces twice as much wine annually as the entire state of Colorado. So, this one winery is twice as big as one hundred Colorado wineries put together. Think about that. Most Champagne is produced in this industrial fashion, and to Terry Theise, I'm surprised it is as good as it is being an industrial product. I have nothing against Perrier-Jouët, they make perfectly palatable wine. Their Belle Epoque (often called the flower bottle) is highly sought by Champagne aficionados. The Grand Brut is their basic non-vintage cuvée. The label is imprinted with the flowers of its more famous relative and is quite eye catching. The first thing I notice on the nose is loads of red fruit. Apples, raspberries and even strawberries  intrigue even before the first sip. Once you get the glass to your mouth, the acidity slaps you back in your seat. The yeasty flavors are more apparent on the palate, but the fruit is still there. Who ever says Champagne isn't a food wine is also wrong. This wine needs food to help tone down the almost too tart acids. You won't spend a lot of time contemplating this wine, but it was a nice accompaniment to dinner. 12% abv Purchased $26 Good

Meet the Winemaker: Jenne Baldwin-Eaton (Plum Creek Winery)

Jenne Baldwin-Eaton

The modern Colorado wine industry is still relatively young, especially when compared to the likes of California. Twenty years ago, only five wineries were licensed in Colorado, but they had the foresight to encourage the Colorado General Assembly to create the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board (full disclosure - I am employed part-time by the CWIDB). Founded by Doug and Sue Phillips (sadly, Doug is no longer with us), Plum Creek Winery, in Palisade, was one of these pioneering wineries and has a been a leader in the industry ever since. In fact, Sue currently is a board member on the CWIDB. While neither Doug or Sue were winemakers, they have been able to employ some very talented people to produce excellent wine. I enjoy Plum Creek's wines so much that I have put them in lineups containing more exalted wines to be tasted blind. The 'lowly' Colorado wine, of course, was preferred over the other wines in the tasting. I always find it amazing that regional wines are still under appreciated, especially when these results happen time after time. As regional wineries grow and are able to employ winemakers like Plum Creek's Jenne Baldwin-Eaton I predict they will garner more of the respect they deserve. With that, please enjoy our interview with Jenne.

Ben's Bubbly: Taittinger Brut La Francaise

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a great holiday break and is ready for an even better 2012. What an eventful week it was for us. My family drove out from Wisconsin with two terriers, we had four different Christmases to attend and Ben took his first steps! Ben had fun hanging out with his grandma, grandpa, aunt and uncle and they seemed to enjoy him, too. :) He had been cruising around on furniture for a few weeks, but hadn't taken off the training wheels. He actually startled himself when he realized he wasn't hanging on to anything and tried to get to mommy by taking a few steps as he fell. He has only done it a few times, but occasionally I'll turn around to see him just standing on his own for a few moments before he sits (or falls) down. He is getting braver by purposefully letting go of our hands or the furniture, but we predict it will only be a matter of time before he realizes that he has the upper hand in our relationship.

One thing that didn't freak him out this past week was the dogs. He quite enjoyed them and usually screeched whenever a dog came into sight. He really enjoyed it when (on two separate occasions) a dog would so helpfully clean the crusty (and not so crusty) boogers off his face. We'll see how long it takes until his cute adorable face is able to convince mommy that he wants a dog.

In a pretty big first for our little family, New Year's Eve was the first time that mommy and daddy both spent away from the little guy. I've been away for work a few times and mom escaped to Vegas a few months ago (man, that seems like ages ago). Grandma (the local one) stayed over at our place while we went out to dinner and then to our new place (oh, yeah, we also bought a new house a few weeks ago, but have been doing some remodeling before we move). We sipped on a bottle of Taittinger and were asleep by 12:05. We did, however, get seven blissful hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Taittinger "La Française" Brut

A big name in the the world of Champagne, best known for their Comtes de Champagne blanc de blancs, the La Française (also known as Brut Réserve) is the basic entry-level non-vintage blend of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier for Taittinger. Normally around $45-50, I picked this up on sale for under $30 a few weeks ago. It never ceases to amaze me how much these mass produced Champagne cost just because the word "Champagne" is on the label, especially when there are plenty of quality sparkling wines on shelves for under $30. Sure, top Champagne are worth their weight in gold, but not the basic stuff and this bottle did nothing to change my mind. Don't get me wrong, it is a nice bottle of wine and worth its sale price, but not the regular price. Lots on the nose here, especially baked pear and toast. It kind of tricks you into thinking it is going to be smooth and complex, but then smacks you on the other cheek with loads of acidic and slightly bitter yellow grapefruit. There might have been a little bit of lemon pastry in there too, but it was hard to tell (it was NYE after all) with the in your face grapefruit. I do give Taittinger credit for the abundant acidity, which too many sparkling wines shy away from, but I was expecting a bit more complexity and length. 12% abv Purchased $27. Good

Nothing beats Champagne for sparkling wine

It is that time of year again when all of the newspapers start publishing their Champagne stories in time for the New Year celebrations. Both the New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle have gotten in on the action. The NYT piece focused on how the big négociants (they buy grapes from independent growers) are dealing with the push for terroir-driven wine, whereas the Chronicle described how grower-producers have gained ground in the Champagne conversation. Several weeks ago, I was lucky enough to attend a tasting of importer Terry Theise's grower-producer Champagne selections. I think these wines offer some of the best value (not necessarily inexpensive) for sparkling wine from around the world, and I wanted to share the highlights of this tasting with you.

There is a lot of sparkling wine in the world. Unfortunately, only a small portion of it is Champagne. Champagne is sparkling wine from the Champagne region in northeast France. True Champagne is made predominantly from three grapes (chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier) though up to seven cultivars are permissible (more on that later). Sparkling wine from other regions can be made from any number of grapes, and while the style may be similar to Champagne, it is not Champagne. If you're drinking sparkling wine from Germany, it is called Sekt, Spanish bubbly is called Cava, and the most predominant Italian sparkling wine is called Prosecco. Even in other French regions, the term Champagne may not be used. One of the main reasons for the seemingly strict semantics is terroir. Champagne's distinctive natural characteristics are based on its exceptionally northerly location (it is France's most northern viticultural area) and its location in a geologic formation known as the Paris Basin. Here, the grapes take root in Cretaceous chalk, which is key to true Champagne. While the method of production may be duplicated elsewhere, the terroir is unique.

Despite this uniqueness, there is an increasing dichotomy of Champagne. Most of the Champagne that you and I see on retail shelves or on restaurant wine lists is dominated by a few brands. The big luxury négociants produce millions of bottles of wine each year in an industrial process that rivals the biggest wine factories of Modesto, California. These négociants own very little of the vineyards and buy most of their grapes from grape growers and blend grapes from all over the region. Only 3.8% of the Champagne sold in the United States is made by small growers that handcraft their Champagne from individual vineyards and villages. Terry Theise is one of the main U.S. importers of this "farmer fizz," and sells some of the best Champagne that money can buy. After tasting over 50 different wines, I found 6 that should be purchased when spotted on store shelves. I used to think that most bubbly was the same (and still do to some extent), but these 6 wines are well worth their cost and will open your eyes to what Champagne really means.

Ben's Bubbly: Taltarni Brut Taché

It is a few days late, but I didn't forget about Ben's Bubbly this week. Traveling and the holidays can really mess up your schedule. I was in Napa last week (more on that visit in the coming weeks) and in Grand Junction a few days after getting back. A lot happens when you're out of town with a baby at home. A day after leaving, I got a call from my wife telling me that our teething boy had not one but four teeth coming in on top! He looks like such a little person now with his toothy grin.

Taltarni Brut Taché, Victoria and Tasmania, Australia
This Australian sparkler is made from the same traditional varieties as Champagne (52% pinot noir, 42% chardonnay and 6% pinot meunier). Fermented as a white wine, when the bottle was disgorged it was stained (Taché is French for stained) with red wine. The final result is an orangeish copper color. It has a bouquet of fresh strawberries and cherries. The palate has the same fruit combined with a slight yeastiness. This is a simple, yet entirely pleasant and refreshing wine. 13% abv Purchased $17 Good/Very Good

Ben's Bubbly: Barefoot Brut Cuvée

Ben has added a new weapon to his arsenal of mobility. One of his favorite new things to do is to stand on his feet. He mostly likes to hold onto mom or dad's fingers and pull himself up, but he is slowly starting to grab onto things, like the edge of the bathtub or laundry baskets, and stand up on his own. While holding on to our fingers, he has no balance, but still tries to lift his little feet and step towards a toy, or even more exciting: a cat. Speaking of the cats, they both are developing more patience with Ben although he still gets a paw to the top of the head when he gets too grabby. Pretty soon they will have their worlds completely upside down when Ben can run after them.

Barefoot Brut Cuvée

After drinking sparkling wines weekly 30 weeks, it is about time one of them actually disappointed. First, it annoys me to see the term word "champagne" on a wine label not from Champagne, France. Unfortunately, an agreement between the U.S. and the E.U. allows U.S. wineries to use the term "champagne"  in conjunction with an appropriate appellation, such as "California," if winery used the semi-generic name (i.e. Champagne) prior to 2006. I am hopeful that with the efforts of the Center for Wine Origins the use of eponymous place names will no longer be allowed on wines from anywhere else.

To top it off, what was in the bottle was also disappointing. I'm not sure what I was expecting, though I have been pleasantly surprised by Barefoot wines in the past. Too bad this sparkling wine isn't a part of that list. When a winery website features a link for cocktail recipes for the wine, you know that it is meant to be mixed. A disjointed mess of acidity and crisp apple make this wine something to avoid if you're planning on drinking it straight. I happen to enjoy mimosas, but feel that using quality wine to mix with orange juice does the wine an injustice. Well, that is where wines like this can serve a purpose.11% abv Purchased $8. Poor/Average

Ben's Bubbly: Kluge Estate 2003 Brut

This past week was quite a week. First, I started a new Meet the Winemaker series to coincide with Regional Wine Week. Second, I attended a Terry Theise grower Champagne tasting with the likes of Pierre Gimonnet, Pierre Peters, Varnier-Fannière, Henri Goutorbe, Gaston Chiquet, L. Aubry, Henri Billiot, Chartogne-Taillet, Pehu-Simonet and Vilmart & Cie. I will report on my thoughts in a few days.

However, the biggest event of the week was Ben's first airplane ride. The three of us traveled to Lawrence, KS for a friend's wedding. We had originally planned on driving, but a deal on airfare convinced us to try flying. It could not have gone any better. Ben mostly spent his time either sleeping or smiling at our neighbor. On the way there, most of the people in the rows around us were actually surprised to see a baby on the plane when they stood up to deplane.

Ben was also lucky enough to spend most of the weekend with his grandma and grandpa who came to Lawrence just to watch him so that we could enjoy our weekend with friends. He was so excited to see them and poke them in their faces instead of just breaking my laptop while talking to them on Skype. The two days went by fast and the grandparents were sad to see him go, but we all hope that it won't be so long until the next visit.

2003 Kluge Estate Brut, Virginia

Much has been published about the winery recently acquired by Donald Trump. So, in the spirit of Regional Wine Week, we popped the cork on this trumped up Virginia bubbly. I decided to open this first of two bottles I recently purchased, because it showed several centimeters of ullage. After pouring into tulip glasses, the dark yellow juice yielded fresh baked bread and lemon aromas. On the palate, it presented bright acidity along with toast, lemons, grapefruit and a disappointingly short finish. This was a fun and decent wine and definitely could have held its own with some of the nondescript Champagne at the tasting, but is far from being mistaken as a top sparkling wine. 12% abv Purchased $18. Good

Ben's Bubbly: Pierre Péters Cuvée de Réserve

This past week marked the sixth month point in our endeavor of drinking a sparkling wine every week for one year. It also marked Ben's half birthday! The little guy is all smiles almost all the time. He now has a few different smiles including an adorable new smile where he scrunches his eyes and reveals his toothless upper jaw. Almost any time you talk to him he busts out one of his grins and giggles. While he loves playing with toys, including phones and remote controls, what he really wants is to play with the cats. They are starting to realize that he is mobile, but he still sneaks up behind them and gets a handful of tail, which is usually met with a squeal and a paw on the head.

We also had to make the switch from his co-sleeper to his crib. He is now able to rock and move his co-sleeper, as well as pull himself up on the sides and reach out. That also means he can fall out if we're not paying close attention.

NV Pierre Péters Cuvée de Réserve

For this week's Ben's Bubbly, we picked a popular grower Champagne that I had been wanting to try for some time. One of the nice things about many Récoltant-Manipulant (RM on the label) Champagne is that they often put the disgorgement date on the labels. Although most multi-vintage bubblies are made to be the same year in and year out, differences do occur and the wine does change with time in the bottle. If you know when the bottle was disgorged, you have a little bit more information about what you are drinking, and I think that this is a good thing. The code on label of this wine was L.0303, so I believe this was disgorged in March of 2003. Upon opening, the nose shows signs of oxidation (nuts, mushrooms, almost sherry-like) and the juice is a light golden straw color. Tthe palate is still full of the great acidity and bright lemons, grapefruit and apples I love in blanc de blancs. After three hours, the sherry aromas blow off and it's all toast and fruit. If there is ever a reason to decant Champagne, this one would definitely have benefited. Wish I had saved half the bottle for a second night to see if the wine opened up even more. I can't wait to find a newer bottle to see how a fresher wine shows. I think I might have a chance as there is a Champagne tasting at a local distributor's office this week. I'll report back on what I find there. 12% abv Purchased $44 Good/Very Good

Ben's Bubbly: Nicolas Feuillatte Brut

Some days are just boring. I've had a few lackluster days of late and as a result have not felt like writing. While I try to post 3 times per week, I've fallen behind. Ben, on the other hand, has had quite an eventful week. We started him on solid food last weekend. His first taste of non-milk was banana. He slowly has taken to eating the mushy Musa. This weekend we added rice cereal to his diet. He definitely likes the flavorless cereal mixed with mom's milk more than the fruit. He really has taken to eating from a spoon and a majority of the food actually stays in his mouth.

Also this week, Ben came home with an "ouch report" from daycare. He got into a tussle with his crib and did not win. The three striped bruises around his temple make him look like he has a tattoo similar to Mike Tyson. He's going to need that street cred pretty soon as he gets mobile and gets into it with the cats. He already gets an occasional handful of fur when one walks a little to close.  While the bruises have not seemed to bother him at all this week, any lasting trauma was erased while we watched the Green Bay Packers (of course sporting our Green and Gold) make Swiss cheese out of the Denver Broncos.

Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne

I wish I could say that this week's bubbly was also exciting, but this bottle was more on the boring end of the spectrum. Both the nose and the palate exhibited apples and toast, but most the aromas and flavors were muted. This is decent, but nothing special. There are definitely better wines at the same price point and even for less money. 12% abv Purchased $27. Average/Good

Ben's Bubbly: Jean Vesselle Brut

Ben is starting to get mobile. He began sitting up a few weeks ago and this past week he has been rocking while he sits. He also is scooting and spinning around while he is on his stomach. He isn't quick, but his 3' x 3' floor blanket is now just a recommended play area. He often rolls or scoots off of it in pursuit of a toy (usually a red plastic cup or plastic water bottle that he adores) or a cat. In fact, while he was sitting a few days ago, he reached out and grabbed a cat that got too close. He kept his grip as the cat walked away, he was pulled over and dragged a few inches until the cat lay down in defeat. Maybe it was just my sleep-deprived brain, but I thought this was one of the funniest things I had seen in a long time.

NV Jean Vesselle Brut Reserve, Champagne

This week is the second week in a row we've toasted the little man with a Champagne. While we've had plenty of sparklers from around the world, there is nothing quite like the "real" thing. While champagne is the term most people use to refer to all sparkling wine, true Champagne only comes from the Champagne region in northern France. The chalk sub-soils and marginal climate make for unique conditions that produce special wines. While it is common knowledge in wine circles that Champagne is made from chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, three other grape varieties, pinot blanc, arbanne, and petit meslier are allowed but account for less than one percent of grape production. Some day I will get to try the Moutard Cuvée aux 6 Cepages, but this week's wine is a blend of only 20% chardonnay and 80% pinot noir. This multi-vintage is a golden wheat color. The nose is pleasant with apple blossom dominating. Smooth and crisp, tasty flavors of green apples and strawberries are most prominent on the palate. I tend to prefer blanc de blancs or chardonnay dominant blends, but this wine showed a softness and delicacy that I enjoy while still providing the body and fruitiness of a pinot-heavy wine. If you see a bottle of this, give it a try! 12% abv Purchased $44. Very Good

Ben's Bubbly: Philipponnat Champagne Royale Reserve

This week, Ben started daycare. We are lucky that he is at school with mom in the infant house just a few buildings down from her classroom. She gets to go visit him during the day which makes the transition easy. Four days a week, Ben gets to hang out with three other infants of Mom's work friends. On Fridays, I get to spend time with the little man. Ben is the youngest of the crew, but the oldest is only 4 months older than he is. The pack is lead by the only girl, and she has just started to crawl. Both she and Ben are very active and outgoing and we suspect that Ben is going to learn to crawl before we have time to baby-proof our house! It is great that Ben has a built-in group of friends that he can grow up with.

A few months ago I started attending semi-regular wine tastings with a group of guys who frequent the online Wine Spectator Forums and their significant others. We have tasted some very special and tasty bottles of wine during our meetings, and the group is very generous with the wines that they bring. For example, last week  we opened a few lovely bottles of vintage Champagne; 1998 Delamotte Brut Blanc de Blancs, 1998 Vueve Clicquot Brut La Grande Dame and a 1999 Charles Ellner Brut Seduction.While I often bring wines modest in comparison, I have opened a few eyes with a few of the Colorado Wines that I've brought, though not all. When one of the guys found out that we were drinking a bottle of bubbly each week for 52 weeks, he gifted us a bottle to contribute to our goal. I hope that Ben will some day be so lucky to have such wonderful  friends. So this week's Ben's Bubbly is brought to you by that generous individual.

Philipponnat Royale Reserve Brut

The color of this wine is medium gold. With the disgorgement date on the bottle being April 2006, the majority of the juice probably came from 2001 or 2002. However, with the large percentage of reserve wines put into Philipponnat blends, the color is not unusual for a wine that is 10-15 years old. The nose is fairly toasty with lots of red fruit aromas and a hint of dark honey. The large percentage of pinot noir in the blend gives this wine flavors of biscuits with raspberry and currant preserve with a good long finish. I've read good things about Philipponnat and this bottle has confirmed the high quality of this Négociant. 12% abv Gift. Very Good

Ben's Bubbly: Roederer Estate L'Ermitage

One of the best things in the world is listening to babies laugh. This week Ben started laughing and he couldn't be cuter. He hasn't laughed as hard as he did a few days ago, but every once in a while he adds a laugh-like squawk to one of his big smiles. And while getting up at six o'clock no matter what is getting a bit old, waking up to to a smiling and giggling baby is the world's best alarm clock. We've also been encouraging some of our close friends towards joining the baby club, but for now they seem to be content with their four-legged babies. We still love and enjoy our cats, but having a real baby is just a little bit more fun and rewarding. Nevertheless, sometimes a substitute can be as good as or even better than the original.

The same can be argued for wine. Many sparkling wine aficionados scoff at the idea of good bubbly being produced anywhere but Champagne. Obviously the big Champagne houses disagree with that premise or they wouldn't have invested in California. Many of the major Champagne houses (or their parent companies) have established wineries in California. Moët & Chandon has Domaine Chandon, G. H. Mumm has Mumm Napa, and Taittinger has Domaine Carneros. While most of the California sparkling wine produced by these wineries is marketed to a different audience than the original Champagne houses, there are a few tête de cuvées that rival the price and quality the real thing.

2000 Roederer Estate, L'Ermitage Brut, Anderson Valley

This  tête de cuvée is an impressive substitute for its much more expensive cousins in France. Made from 53% chardonnay and 47% pinot noir. Very light golden color with lively tiny bubbles, the nose is full of baked apple and a nice hint of toast. Exceptionally smooth in the mouth, bright apples, lemons and even a little pineapple dance across the tongue with crisp acidity. Still quite young, this wine will continue to impress for years to come. 12% abv Very Good. Purchased $30 (tasted 7/7/11)

Ben's Bubbly: 2006 Colorado Cellars Trinity Colorado Champagne

Last week was a big week for Ben. Mom went back to work for just this week to teach an interim class, so Dad got to babysit two days. Grandma also took him for one and he even went to class with Mom for one day! Then, this weekend Mom went out of town (Vegas for a bachelorette party), so Dad got him the entire weekend! But fear not, the other Grandma came out all the way from Wisconsin to help. He was a perfect gentleman the entire weekend (though he did poop on Grandma once...) and we even went to Colorado Springs to visit Ben's uncle and brand new puppy! After a busy seven days, Ben is eagerly awaiting Mom's return tonight!

This week is a big week for Colorado Wine, too. Governor John Hickenlooper kicked off Colorado Wine Week yesterday by touring Two Rivers Winery and Chateau in Grand Junction and announcing his proclamation at Canyon Wind Cellars in Palisade today. Colorado Wine Week culminates with the Celebration of Premier Colorado Wines at the Governor's Residence on June 9 and the Colorado Winefest at Northfield Stapleton on June 11. Almost 50 Colorado wineries will pour and sell their wines to Denver's thirsty wine lovers! To get into the swing of things, we chose one of only three (that I know of) sparkling Colorado wines for this week's Ben's Bubbly.

2006 Colorado Cellars, Trinity Colorado Champagne

With only three sparkling wines produced in Colorado, finding one may be a bit of a task and this is probably the only one you'll find in local retail stores. It is light yellow in color and emits fruity aromas with notes of toast on the nose. It tastes slightly sweet with lots of fruit: oranges, bitter strawberries and sour apple. It reminds me of Grand Mimosa (mimosa with a shot of Grand Marnier added). Overall, there is something not quite right with the wine. It is an average attempt at local sparkling wine (though I wished they'd drop the Champagne name on the label), but no where near the quality of other bubbly at even half the price. I definitely think that Colorado has the potential to produce quality sparkling wine, but we just need some more wineries to collectively raise the bar. 12% abv Purchased $30. Average (tasted 6/3/11)

Ben's Bubbly: Moët et Chandon White Star

This past week, Ben discovered his hand and has been a slobbering fool. While he hasn't exactly figured out how to intentionally bring it to his mouth, he takes full advantage of it when he does. Also, this past weekend he slept through the night. It wasn't a sleep marathon by everyone's standards, but six hours is a full night's sleep with an eight week-old. We went to bed at eleven and were surprised when we both woke up for the first time at five the next morning. Unfortunately, Ben did not want to go back to sleep and we were up for the day. We thought we'd take a nap later in the day, but of course that did not happen. While we have been lucky that he is a good sleeper, we really need to start taking a few naps when he does.

Also this week, I learned that I passed the Wine Location Specialist Certificate Program offered by the Center for Wine Origins. The Center for Wine Origins was founded in 2005 by the the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), the grape growers' and winemakers' trade association of Champagne, France; and the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP), the trade association for the grape growers and houses in Douro Valley and Porto, Portugal. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., this organization aims to educate Americans about "the importance of location when it comes to wine, and to gain greater protection of wine place names in the U.S." According the the federal government, Champagne and Port are classified as semi-generic names and prohibited to appear on wine labels unless they also contain the true place of orgin - i.e., "Colorado Champagne" (see more about this next week) or "California Port" or are grandfathered in on labels already in use at the time of the international agreement with the European Union.

The Wine Location Specialist Certificate Program consists of a comprehensive study guide and a 50-question multiple choice exam exam and an essay question. This program is open to wine professionals and free to register for once you are approved by the Center for Wine Origins. I was inspired to take the exam by Joe Roberts of 1WineDude.com and was lucky enough to complete the exam with more than 45 multiple choice questions correct and better than 4 out of 5 points on the essay to pass With Distinction. I am now certified by the IVDP and CIVC to lead wine education seminars, tastings and dinners specific to the Port and Champagne regions. To celebrate this week's Ben's Bubbly, I decided to pop the cork on a true Champagne!

Moët & Chandon White Star, Champagne

Probably best know by their Dom Perignon label, Moët & Chandon is a large Champagne negociant that produces a range of sparkling wines. While I don't buy Moët wines often, this was a bottle with an extinct label purchased by my wife at a school fundraiser auction. Moët has rebranded White Star as Brut Imperial, along with a slightly drier dosage. This wine was light in color with fruity and doughy aromas. I mostly smelled apples and pears, but frosted cupcakes also came to mind. The sugar was definitely noticeable amongst the creaminess on the palate. This wine reminded me of cross between a cream soda and Celestial Seasonings' Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea. This was a nice wine, but a bit sweeter than I like my bubbly. I am glad that Moët decided to drop their dosage levels in the Brut Imperial. 12% abv. Purchased $50. Good (tasted 5/27/11)

Ben's Bubbly: Dragon Seal Blanc de Blancs and Drappier Carte d'Or

Little Ben is getting starting to pack on the pounds! When he isn't eating, he is doing a good job holding his head up and looking around taking in all the new sights and sounds. Pumping his legs and waving his arms as I attempt to sing to him elicits smiles, coos and joyful vocalizations (at least for a couple of minutes)! We are occasionally getting more rest when he gives us three or four hour blocks of uninterrupted sleep. He still enjoys sleeping in our arms or on our chests best and when we need him to wake up, we just put him in his crib!

This Sunday was also special as it was my wife's first Mother's Day as a mom. So for this week, we doubled up on the bubbles. We went with a unique sparkler from China (I know, wine from China is weird enough, let alone a Blanc de Blancs) for our regular celebratory wine and brought a half-bottle of Champagne to the park for our Mother's Day picnic. I made a radish and spinach quiche, mango scones and a mint fruit salad to pair with the wine. While my wine consumption and blog postings have decreased in the past month, we are enjoying trying so many different bubblies and are looking forward to the next 47 weeks!

Dragon Seal Brut Blanc de Blancs, Hebei, China

While most people probably have not ever tasted a wine from China, I've been able to try two in the past year. Although I am not willing to wholeheartedly endorse these wines, I've definitely had worse from other more renowned wine regions. The label says it was made in the Champagne method, but this 100% Chardonnay was aged in the bottle for only nine months before disgorging. It is very light yellow in color with consistent medium-size bubbles. While there is a slight toastiness and some citrus blossom aromas are noticeable, there is a chemically, almost vinyl, odor that makes it not all that pleasant. The toast is present on the palate along with some nice tart granny smith apple flavors. However, smoke and a bitter nuttiness linger as an aftertaste. This is not a great wine, but is average and an interesting novelty for you adventurous winos. 12.5% abv Purchased $12. Average (tasted 5/5/11)

Drappier Brut, Carte d'Or, Champagne

This wine was in a 375 mL bottle and a perfect accompaniment to our Mother's Day picnic in the park! As a side note, half-bottles fit perfectly in the cup holder on our stroller... The yellow label might confuse you into thinking that this is a Veuve-Clicquot offering. The color is the first thing I noticed about this wine that suggested that this light brass colored Champagne is much better! The 80% pinot noir in this blend yielded lovely notes of red apples, Asian pears and hints of red fruits like strawberries and pomegranate along with the typical freshly baked bread aromas. Fresh and crisp in the mouth with plenty of fruit flavors, I wish that we had more than a half bottle to drink and that I had bought more when I picked this lone bottle up! 12% abv Purchased $17. Good/Very Good (tasted 5/8/11)