Lot 907 Napa Valley Blanc de Blanc
A sparkling Napa Valley Blanc de Blancs made just like Champagne, from 100% Napa Valley Chardonnay grapes.
We had to triple-check that the fact sheets on this great sparkling find weren’t somehow mixed up with a great traditional-method Champagne. Lot 907 is the kind of wine that makes you do a double (or triple) take: “Wait, this is from Napa Valley?!?”
Indeed it is—Lot 907 is a sparkling Blanc de Blancs made just like Champagne, from 100% Napa Valley Chardonnay grapes (with a mere four grams of sugar per liter in the Brut style). Our extended CHW team happens to include a nearly four-decade veteran sommelier and wine director who helped source this exceptional sparkler—aged in the bottle by the producer!—and offered it to us thanks to our deep industry contacts. Simply put, Lot 907 is the kind of wine that put CH Wine on the map for its incredible deals!
Shimmering visually and on the palate, Lot 907 gives much more expensive bubbles a serious run for their money. Opening with elegant floral, toast, and apple notes, the fine bubbles and lifted nose belie the tropical richness that waits once you get into your mouth. Every sip of this sparkler invites yet another, and another, and another… Let’s just say you will want to have plenty of bottles on hand, as this kind of price/quality ratio will put Lot 907 at the top of your “house pour” list this summer.
Opening with a clear light blond hue, a gorgeous bouquet, and a fine, persistent mousse, the casual observer should be forgiven for at first mistaking this for a classy, non-vintage Champagne in the glass. Aromas of white flower blossom, Granny Smith apple, brioche, and melon are met with just-ripe tropical fruit flavors, and the result is a pleasure to imbibe. The mouthfeel is classic Champagne-method bubbly, at once round, smooth and inviting, while also being energetic and buoyant. This 100% Napa Chardonnay sparkler shimmers both visually and on the palate and gives a lot of more expensive bubblies a serious run for their money.
Watch as Katy Long, Director of International Wines for VWE walks us through a tasting of this Napa Valley Blanc de Blanc.
Tasting Video Highlights:
- 00:00 Intro
- 00:12 Lot 907 Info
- 00:51 Opening the Bottle
- 01:43 The Pour
- 02:02 In the Glass
- 02:23 On the Nose
- 02:58 The Taste
- 03:24 Serving and Pairing
Video Transcript:
Katy Long says
Welcome back to the CH Wine tasting room. I’m Katy Long and today lot 907. This gem is a Napa valley 100% chardonnay. It’s a block to block. What does that mean? This is a sparkling wine made in the traditional method right here in the Napa Valley. This is a beautiful wine that has been aged for at least 15 months on its lees in this bottle.So this traditional method, unlike the Prosecco, is that you can also find in our store this wine is made in a way that hearkens back to the old list of winemaking traditions fermented and re fermented in this bottle. So I’m going to go ahead and give it an open. I encourage you when you’re doing this to go ahead and chill the bottle pretty well.
It’ll not only make the wine more enjoyable and then you do drink it, but it’ll make opening it just a little bit easier. So we got to unwrap our cage, and when I open this wine, I’m going to be really careful. I like to open it on the countertop itself, but I’m going to rotate the bottle and not the cork.
So our goal is to make this as quiet as possible. Some might say make it sound like a nun whispering in church. So let’s see if I can do that. Nailed it. So Lot 907. Let’s see what it looks like. I have to pour myself a bit of a generous pour. I have to say I am a fan of sparkling wines.
Of all kinds, but I particularly love method Champagne more so this wine has a beautiful mousse. It is also this gorgeous kind of pale golden color. It is 100% chardonnay, but again, that long aging on leaves is going to give it a bit more of a golden color. And I don’t know if you can see what I can see, but these bubbles are tiny, They are delicate.
They are persistent. These are all hallmarks of a really special sparkling wine. Let’s give it a sniff, huh? Wow. There’s something about a traditional method. Sparkling wine. It has brioche notes. It has kind of a baked biscuit like character to accentuate these really ripe citrus flavors yellow, apple, green apple and almost a hint of, like, sailing minerality. Wow, that’s fun.
And of course, have it. I have to swirl. You don’t necessarily have to swirl in the sparkling wine, but sometimes habit takes over. Let’s give it a taste. Mm. Oh, that is fantastic. Mouthwatering, juicy yellow and green apple. It’s like Meyer lemon, bitter tangerine. This is showing that Napa Valley ripeness of fruit, but a provenance of winemaking quality.
Wow. I know that there are only 500 cases available. This is a wine that is suitable for wonderful everyday celebrations. Pair it with maybe chips or fried chicken even, but it can also be quality enough to show at your most fun, big festive gatherings throughout the season. So I know I’m going to be stocking up on this and I encourage you to do the same.
So until next time, cheers.
HOW TO PROPERLY OPEN SPARKLING WINE