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Karen's Notes

Karen Kaczmar

Sparkle for the New Year – Champagnes & Sparkling Wines


We bring you a dazzling selection of Champagne and sparkling wine to help you celebrate the New Year or any festive occasion. The best thing is that no matter your budget, a delicious sparkler is within reach. From Champagne to Alsace to Germany to Spain to the US, there are wonderful choices for everyone.


There does happen to be a shortage of the main Champagne brands this year, but we are able to offer some delicious "Grower" Champagnes which are sparkling wines crafted by grape growers and their families. It embodies those who grow grapes in their own vineyards and produce cuvées that reflect their distinct vineyards and style. Some that we carry are:


Vilmart et Cie (Grower)

This champagne offers up a complex and wide open bouquet of pear, apple,lovely minerality, brioche and a topnote of hazelnut. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and frothy, with a good core, lovely mineral drive, fine focus and grip and a long, youthfully complex finish. [93 Pts. Wine Spectator] $74.99


Claude Genet Blanc de Blanc Chouilly - Champagne (Grower)

Vibrant citrus fruit and mineral aromas. Tangy, focused and stony on the palate, offering intense lemon/lime and quince flavors and a deeper honeydew quality that comes up with air. Finishes with resonating mineral and lemon zest notes. More lithe and feminine this would be a great Champagne to pair with oysters or minimally adorned shellfish. [90 Pts. IWC] $55.99


Brundlmayer Brut Reserve

Brilliant light yellow, pleasant toasty and yeasty and mineral aromas, a touch of honey, creamy and yet crisp on the palate yet with persisting fruity and mineral elements Fresh but well integrated acidity and a long soft finish. [91 Pts. Wine Advocate] $48.99


Bollinger - Champagne

A beautiful aromatic complexity on the nose. with ripe fruit and spice and hints of roasted apples, apple compote and peaches. On the palate a subtle combination of structure, length and vivacity ; bubbles like velvet ; notes of pear, brioche and walnut. $67.99


J.L. Vergnon Blanc de Blanc Conversation Grand Cru - Champagne (Grower) A champagne of tremendous breadth and real character. A vinous and powerful Blanc de Blanc with a beautifully well-layered nose that combines notes of green apple, yeast, spice, brioche and a range of floral elements. It has full-bodied flavors and a beautifully long and complex finish. [93 Pts. Vinous] $48.99


Francos Baur Cremant d'Alsace - Alsace-Lorraine A biodynamic French sparkler made of 100% Pinot Blanc in some vintages, or it may be a blend of Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. It is creamy and fresh in style, with gorgeous pear, white peach and croissant notes. It’s dry, but not too dry. An elegant value. $19.99


Desire Petit Cremant de Jura - Cote de Jura From the Jura region in the foothills of the Alps, 100% Chardonnay. A unique and refreshing Jura sparkling wine. The bouquet enchants with nuts and spices. Light but zesty on the palate with lovely acidity and flavors of spiced apple, toast, nutmeg, and oyster shells. $22.99

It also comes in Rose made from Pinot Noir with a bouquet of cranberry, red current and a raspberry. Light and fruity with an after bite of lingering sour cherry. $22.99


Hild Elbling Sekt - Germany The spunky sparkler is from the obscure Elbling grape grown in the Upper Mosel. Made in the traditional method, it is aged on its lees for nine months giving it extra creaminess. Juicy, tropical fruit, white flowers and chalk. $20.99


Brand Pet Nat 2020 Pet-nat refers to the method of fermentation. Unlike the traditional method of a second fermentation in the bottle, there is only one fermentation in the bottle which makes for a lighter, fresher wine. This sparkler is half Silvaner and half Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and it clocks in at a mere 10% alcohol. It’s ultra-light and tastes like sea spray with bubbles, showing a fresh mineral core and unquestionable cut. Biodynamically farmed grapes. $26.99


Louis Roederer Anderson Valley - California This is an assertive, flavorful and robust wine, with a medium to full body, a mouthfilling texture and fine-beaded bubbles. A creamy viscosity and wonderful layers of butter, apple, vanilla and ginger make for a delicious palate. [93 Pts. Wine Enthusiast] $27.99


Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc - The Finger Lakes Dry and crisp with lots of complexity. On the nose key lime pie with the mix of citrus, pastry and baking spices.With its vibrant, fruitful and crisp nature, this sparkling wine is fresh, structured and refined. $35.99


Gran Sarao Cava - Spain Yeasty touches in a fruity background of ripe apple, banana and pineapple. Good mouth feeling, with a light touch of sweetness, harmonious, fresh, elegant, tempting and with character. $10.99


Famiglia Carafoli Nicchia Lambrusco - Italy A sparkling, mildly sweet red with a full, red ruby color and fruity fragrance. From the Emilia-Romagna, a region famed for its lovely Lambruscos which are making a great comeback from the formerly insipid and one dimensional examples of yesteryear. The Nicchia pairs great with desserts and also with charcuterie plates, its mild sweetness being a foil for the salty fattiness of the meat. $14.99


Veuve de Vernay Brut- France An incredible value. A brut that is fresh and delicate, revealing apricot, peach flavors. An elegant wine, well- balanced and pleasant that truly stands out against all other bargain sparklers. $11.99



Charles Cazanova Brut Tete de Cuvée - France, Champagne This Champagne offers an array of flavors, including toasted brioche, Gala apple, lemon zest, graphite and ginger, with a touch of honey. Elegant, but with good intensity and a moderate, nut-tinged finish. [92 Pts. Wine Spectator] $32.99


Gruet Brut - USA This Brut is from a family winery in Arizona where the soil is similar to that of Champagne. It shows lemon and sweet Wonder Bread aromas on the nose. The palate starts frothy but quickly mellows, and carries ripe lemon and white peach flavors to the yeasty, citrus finish. $15.99

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