Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc

Did you know that Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs 1969 was used for President Nixon’s 1972 “Toast to Peace” with China’s Premier Zhou Enlai? Ever since Schramsberg’s bubbles have been served at official State functions by every U.S. Presidential administration. 

In the Bottle: Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc

Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc is an entry-level non-vintage sparkling from this trendsetting producer in Napa Valley of California. It’s a 100% Chardonnay sparkling made from the fruit of North Coast appellation. It’s a traditionally made sparkling wine, meaning it follows the Champagne method. 

Interestingly, back in 1972, it was called champagne. Nowadays, only traditionally made sparkling wines made in the Champagne region of France can be called that. 

What you can see now on the label indicating that it’s made the same way is “Méthode Traditionnelle.” Meaning that sparkling wine goes through two steps fermentation. First, the juice of Chardonnay grapes undergoes primary fermentation into a dry wine. For Blanc de Blanc, they age around 25% of the wine in barrels to add more complexity. 

After the blending, the second fermentation responsible for those tiny bubbles we love so much happens in the bottle.

So what do we get at the end?

In the Glass: Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc

Schramsberg, as well as many American producers, aims at replicating the benchmark profile of French Champagne. So what did we taste?

We tasted what we would expect from the classic French bubbles. It’s a crisp sparkling wine with a creamy mousse sensation and the flavors of Granny Smith apples, ripe lemon, and chalky minerality. 

The aftertaste is refreshing as after a bite of the slice of fresh baguette and a green apple. 

Finish 

While many American producers tend to produce more of a New World style, almost off-dry sparkling, Schramsberg sticks to tradition with its Blanc de Blanc. 

We were very impressed by how close to classic French bubbles it tasted. 

So if you feel presidential and are a fan of traditional bubbles with refreshing acidity, Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc is for you. 

Oh, did we say that you can get it under $20? It means you can get two of these for the price of the original Champagne! It’s a slam-dunk on our list of bargain wines.