Wine Reviews – Sparkling Wines
Mike’s Bottom Line Wine Reviews
Mike has tasted each of these wines. Each review contains the appearance; the smell; the taste; and a bottom line evaluation of the quality.
The quality is rated on a scale of:
Poor – don’t recommend (run!)
Acceptable – okay (close your eyes and hope)
Good – high quality (I think)
Outstanding – among the best (The best of what? That’s another question.)
Listed by Price from Lowest to Highest
Non-Vintage Cava Montsarra (Spain) (Local Spanish Grapes) $12.99 – pale lemon to gold color; medium smell of pear, apple and honey; light to medium body taste of apple, pear and honey; Acceptable Cava (It’s non-vintage, what do you want?)
Non-Vintage Prosecco Zonin Special Cuvee (Italy) (Prosecco Grape) $12.99 – pale lemon color; light smell of citrus, lemon, peach and floral aromas; light body taste of pear, citrus and peach; Acceptable Prosecco (It’s light, but it does have floral aromas, doesn’t it?)
2005 Taittinger Domaine Carneros Brut (Carneros California USA) (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay Grapes) $19.99 – pale lemon color; medium smell of apple and citrus; light body taste of apple and citrus; Acceptable to Good but Not Real Complex California Brut (Not complex but it IS Carneros)
Non-Vintage Gosset Brut Excellence Ay Champagne (Champagne France) (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier Grapes) $36.99 – medium yellow color; medium smell of apple and pear; medium to light body taste of apple and pear with nice finish; Good Smooth Champagne (It’s from Champagne, need I say more?)
NV Pommery Brut Royal Champagne (Champagne, France) (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Meunier Grape) $39.99 - pale to medium gold color; smells like pear, apple and mineral; light body taste of mineral, pear and apple; acceptable to good Champagne (“I like my Champagne like my humor…dry”)
Non-Vintage Georges Gardet Brut (Champagne France) (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay Grapes) $44.99 – pale golden color; medium smell of floral, lime, brandy and burnt toast; medium body taste of yeast, biscuit, bread, toast; Acceptable to Good Complex With a Little Too Much Autolytic (Yeast, Bread, Toast) French Brut (It’s from Champagne, need I say more?…Wait, I already used that one)
