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.
Lot 918 Clarksburg Chenin Blanc
Lot 918 2022 Clarksburg Chenin Blanc, is a fruit orchard in a glass. We wish we could tell you the source winery for this alluring white, but an NDA prevents us from spilling the beans. We can tell you the Chenin Blanc grapes for Lot 918 come from a sustainably-farmed single vineyard along a winding river delta in Clarksburg, an hour and a half east of Napa. This area is known for its hot summer weather and long growing season. Cool breezes flow along the delta to bring temperatures down at night during those summer months of heat in California’s Central Valley.
The Lot 918 is zesty and fresh, bursting out the gate with white flowers, lime blossoms, candied peach, and apricot cream. Open and expansive on entry, with waves of beautiful silken fruit that call to mind kiwi, apricots, poached pear, peach ring, and even a hint of watermelon rind.
Now that you’ve got the picture Lot 918, imagine this: you, with a chilled glass of this off-dry Chenin in hand, surrounded by an appetizer bar stocked with plump, ripe, juicy farmer’s market fresh strawberries with whipped cream and chocolate sauce for dipping. It’s the kind of scene we’ll be repeating every Friday night for the foreseeable future. Will you join us?
If you’re a fan of sparkling wine, you’ll find a friend in this off-white. It has a kiss of sweetness, but the acid tension is so present that the wine is seemingly dry. One whiff, and you’ll be picturing a lush fruit orchard after a gentle summer rain.
Watch as Chris Lafleur, Sommeliers Creed for Cameron Hughes walks us through a tasting of this Clarksburg Chenin Blanc.
Wine Tasting Video Highlights:
- 0:00 Introduction
- 0:20 About Chenin Blanc
- 1:00 The nose of the wine
- 1:45 On the palate – Taste
- 2:43 Perfect Pairings
Lot 909 2022 Oregon Pinot Noir
An Oregon Pinot Noir that is refreshing and balanced, light to medium-bodied.
It’s always good to be reminded of why certain regions are ideal for growing certain grapes. Lot 909 2022 Oregon Pinot Noir offers a definitive reminder for why Pinot Noir is like the horse to Willamatte Valley’s carriage (they go together like a—you know the song). The dynamic source winery for this Pinot also blended in grapes from the Applegate and Illinois Valleys in Southern Oregon. And that, dear friends, is the secret sauce to this bright, irresistible, Pinot Noir.
Named for the Illinois River, the Illinois Valley, is home to the oldest vineyard in southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley AVA, and its high-elevation sandy, silty, gravely soils rife with ancient glacial deposits give vines a struggle for life, which, in this case, translates to Pinot Noir elegance. Meanwhile, grapes growing in Applegate Valley—a high-elevation, stunning mountainous region—benefit from warm days and cold nights and contribute a plush, juicy quality to Lot 909.
We’ve got a ‘wow’ factor going on in this refreshing and balanced, light to medium-bodied Oregon Pinot Noir, which is officially our favorite new cocktail-hour wine. Showcasing rich, juicy cherry and cranberry fruit, smoky clove, elegant brown baking spices, conifer, and earth, all hallmarks of Pinot grown in the Pacific Northwest. Add to that vivid blood orange acid tension, and at 13% alcohol, you’ll be reaching for a second bottle before that roast chicken is done roasting.
Watch as Katy Long, Director of International Wines for VWE walks us through a tasting of Lot 909.
Lot 913 2021 Puglia, Italy Primitivo
Italian Primitivo with incredible power and elegance, sourced from producers with more than 100 years of family history in winemaking across multiple regions of Italy.
An iron fist in a velvet glove—that pretty much sums up the incredible balance of power and elegance that you’ll find in our Lot 913 2021 Puglia Primitivo from Italy. Primitivo, of course, is the cousin of Zinfandel, which thrives in the abundant sunlight and tempering Mediterranean ocean influences that Puglia has always enjoyed as a winegrowing region. It almost goes without saying that Zinfandel fans will absolutely want to try this release!
We sourced Lot 913 from a long-time CHW partner with more than 100 years of family history in winemaking across multiple regions of Italy. We can’t give too much away here, but their wines are regular Gold and Silver medal winners at various international wine competitions, so we were particularly excited when this lot became available.
If you like your reds bold, spicy, fruity, expressive, and dark, then Lot 913 is absolutely for you. All the classic Zin/Primitivo markers are here in abundance, like white pepper and coffee spiciness, jammy and plummy black fruit flavor, and an ultra-smooth, generous mouthfeel. All the while, there’s earthy complexity and surprising structure, too—enough so that this Primitivo will match up to almost any hearty, red meat dish you could throw at it during your next dinner party. You could also just toss a few burgers on the grill and pour a big glass of this big red alongside. At this price, why not do both?
Watch as Katy Long, Director of International Wines for VWE walks us through a tasting.
Topics Include:
- 00:00 Intro to Lot 913 Puglia Primitivo
- 00:12 About Puglia, Italy and Primitivo Grapes and Wine
- 00:46 Color and Legs of Italian Primitivo wine
- 00:56 An Every Day Sipper
- 01:13 The Nose of Primitivo
- 01:36 The Taste of Lot 913 Primitivo
- 02:00 Aperitif and/or Food Pairing
Lot 908 2019 Russian River Valley Chardonnay
Russian River Valley Chardonnay produced in a rich, buttery style for Lot 908 from the 2019 vintage.
If California has an ideal template for rich, textured, creamy Chardonnay, it’s undoubtedly Montrachet (or “Le Montrachet”): the coveted Grand Cru of Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune, where France has set the world’s standard for heady, oak-influenced whites. And if California has its own “Montrachet,” it’s undoubtedly Sonoma’s Russian River Valley.
Situated just over 50 miles north of San Francisco, the Russian River is now synonymous with award-winning, critically-acclaimed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, just like France’s fabled Burgundy itself. It’s always a treat to find the kind of hedonistic, creamy Chardonnay there that gets a lot of CH Wine aficionados swooning, and find one we did in Lot 908 2019 Russian River Valley Chardonnay.
We peeled this deliciously decadent Lot off from a higher-end producer who—luckily for us—didn’t end up needing a full allocation. After one taste, we grabbed it without hesitation so that we could offer you another rich, buttery-style Russian River Valley delight (at a gobsmackingly affordable price).
Fans of the style are going to want to stock up on Lot 908 before we run out of this delectable nectar. Waves of tropical fruit, ripe citrus, flower blossoms, peaches, apples, and toasty oak keep coming and coming in this Chardonnay, arriving like the tide with each sniff and sip. Speaking of seaside comparisons, you can almost feel your toes in the sand and the sun shining down on your face when this buttery, bold beauty hits your lips.
Watch as Chris Lafleur, Sommeliers Creed for Cameron Hughes walks us through a tasting.
Topics Include:
- 00:00 Introduction to the Tasting Panel, Sommelier, and Lot 908
- 00:15 About Chardonnay Grape and Varietal, and the Russian River Valley
- 00:37 Limited Production / Small Batch aspect of Lot 908
- 00:52 On the Nose of this Russian River Chardonnay
- 01:28 Lot 908 Chardonnay Taste
- 02:17 Where does it fit in your cellar? What food to pair this Chardonnay with?
Lot 910 2022 Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc
A Jaunty Summer Sipper at an Almost Unbelievable Price
We just have to say we’ve outdone ourselves with Lot 910 2022 Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc—and we hope you’ll forgive a bit of self-congratulation because, in short order, you too will be congratulating yourself with such a smart pick-up.
Of course, long-time CH Wine fans already know Washington’s Columbia Valley as a place for fantastic fine wine bargains, and Lot 910 certainly fits that bill. But there’s more going on than successful bargain hunting regarding this Lot. Like France’s Bordeaux region, Columbia Valley is renowned for its excellent Cabernet Sauvignon. And like Bordeaux, the same conditions that favor the growth of excellent Cabernet also make it a prime spot for premium Sauvignon Blanc.
While it says Columbia Valley on the label, our Lot 910 is primarily sourced from one of the best spots in that valley—the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, which is home to Lady Hawk, Chateau Ste. Michelle Canoe Ridge Estate, and Quilceda Creek, to name a few.
Harvested in the early morning hours and fermented exclusively in stainless steel, Lot 910 captures the assertive, jaunty acidity and energy for which Sauvignon Blanc is famous, making this white evocatively fresh from start to finish. Fully captured are Sauvignon Blanc’s big herbal aromatics and flinty minerality. At the same time, eastern Washington’s legendarily sunny growing season ensured that this is also fleshy and fruity, with exotic tropical fruit flavors, hints of lime zest, and shades of tangy lemon meringue. Simply stated, this Lot is as irresistible as it is affordable.
This Sauvignon Blanc is a balanced, zesty offering that has “house white” for the summer written all over it. With our price, you can easily grab multiple cases of this delicious lot to have at the ready—for dinner prep, taking in longer sunlight hours, or decompressing after a long day.
Watch as Katy Long, Director of International Wines for VWE walks us through a tasting.
Wine Video Topics Include:
- 00:00 Introduction to The Tasting Panel and Katy
- 00:20 About Sauvignon Blanc, Washington wines, Horse Heaven Hills
- 00:51 Color and Legs of Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc
- 00:58 The Nose of Lot 910 Sauvignon Blanc
- 01:18 The Palate of Lot 910
- 01:49 Aperitif / Pairing of this Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc
