Here you will find our various ECoast Champagne & Sparkling wine reviews
2000 Blanc de Noir – Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery – Westport, Massachusetts
$29.99
To celebrate my return from my overly long hiatus from the site I ordered myself a nice sparkling wine from Massachusetts. Now this is the first time I’ve ever had a sparkling wine from that region so I was unsure of what to expect, but I must say I was pretty happy with the purchase. To begin, like with all sparkling wines, the bottle opens to a quite satisfying pop. This is soon followed by what were some truly wonderful aromas of fruit, quite possibly cherry and maybe even a hint of lemon. I also got a little bit of vanilla in the nose, though honestly I could have been imagining that one (There was a nearby candle). As for the taste, the cherry follows through quite well with somewhat of a creamy quality to it. I was also surprised to find that the wine wasn’t as sweet as I originally anticipated from the start with all the fruit aromas. The finish on this wine was really something, lingering for a bit but not too long and ending on a rather nice and light tart note. Now I had this wine on its own with some friends, though I agree with the Vineyards notes that this would go pretty well with asian foods. Personally I wouldn’t mind trying it with some nice spicy thai food. This is definitely a wine to recommend to you all, especially if you like Blanc de Blanc sparkling wines. The price point may put you off a little bit, but if you can spare the $30 why not get yourself a bottle and share it with some good friends or family.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it from the Vineyard here or from Americanwinery.com here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.
2004 Sparkling Rose – Kluge Estate – Monticello, VA
$28.00
This review may be older now, especially since Trump bought the winery, but nonetheless it is a great wine. So here we go. Rose wines are one of those wines I'm not too big on, but for some reason you add some bubbles to it and I seem to like it quite a bit. The colour of this wine is quite a beautiful salmon colour (I'll admit I would have said pink but salmon sounded better). When you breath in this wine you're hit with some nice floral aromas, I honestly can't identify exactly what floral smells but they are quite nice none the less. The taste of this wine is equally as nice with some cherry and raspberry hints to it. Like most sparkling wines and Champagnes this goes quite well with things like Duck or seafood. So, if you like champagnes or rose wines then this is a great wine for you.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it direct from the vineyard here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.
2005 Blanc de Blanc - Sakonnet Vineyards - Little Compton, RI
$29.95
Add bubble to nearly any drink and odds are is that I’ll enjoy it more, I mean come on who doesn’t like bubbles. And it’s because of this love of bubbly that I always like to have a few bottles of sparkling wine on hand in my collection. Now usually this means a nice Prestige Cuvee or perhaps a Blanc de Noir, but I have also always had a fondness for a good bottle Blanc de Blanc. These 100% Chardonnay sparkling wines always seem light and refreshing to me and so when I found this one from Rhode Island I was curious to see their take on the French white of whites.
The first thing you’ll notice with this wine is that they have méthode champenoise proudly displayed on the label. This simply means that Sakonnet went the traditional route with production of this Sparkling wine, with second fermentation and riddling being important parts. Which scores them a few point before even opening the bottle, though when you do you suddenly discover some quite pleasing aromas. The primary scent you get seems to be that of a nice ripe pear. Besides that you also get some hints of pineapple as well as apple. Then once you take a nice sip you once again come to the pear and apple from the aroma. Along with that you also get a bit of an earthy quality to it with a slight aftertaste of flint, which was odd though intriguing at the same time. When paired with food this wine did quite well with a nice baguette served with brie and grapes. Though I think this would go just as well with some nice chocolates or perhaps some sort of creamy dessert. Now I must admit that this certainly isn’t the best Blanc de Blanc I’ve had, but it is quite nice and certainly worth a go if you can handle the cost. So, if you are a fan of dry whites (especially Chardonnay) or bubbly wine then go on and grab a bottle to see for yourself.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it from the
Vineyard site here. And don’t forget to make sure they can ship to your state.
2005 Westport Brut RJR – Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery – Westport, MA
$26.99
Not a whole lot of people think of Massachusetts when they think about quality wine, and especially not a quality Brut, but if you read this site you know better than that. And to blow away those sceptics all you have to do is look at Westport Rivers Vineyard, which I’ve reviewed their Blanc de Noir previously, and the absolutely stunning Brut RJR they create. When you pour yourself a glass of this bubbly you are greeted by some lovely fruit aromas off the bat. The most dominant of which, for me at least, was of a pleasing ripe pear. But you also get some lovely hints of apple blossom as well as the smell of fresh baked bread. Then after you’ve enjoy that a bit and move to the taste you start getting some really interesting flavours. The strongest being an intriguing cherry mousse, which quite frankly I wasn’t expecting. You then also come back to those previous aromas with hints of pear as well of a bit toast to bring it all together. Best of all for me though was the finish which was long, very crisp and quite simple beautiful. Now I had this wine on it’s own with some friend, but if you wanted it with food I think it would go splendidly with some chicken or a nice fruit platter. So should you buy it? For me that's a no brainer, but for others the price might put you back a bit. So if you are a fan sparkling wines, especially Brut, or even pinot noir (this is 65% pinot) then I think you’ll enjoy this. And yes the price is a bit high, but trust me it is truly worth it.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it from the Vineyard here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.
2007 Blanc de Blanc Brut – Schulze Vineyards & Winery – Niagara County, NY
$15.96
Ah New York wines, I do love them so very much. Not because they are from the Empire State but rather because it is just so rare that I get a bad wine from there and this Sparkling wine is no exception. When you open up this bottle (or, rather, pop the cork as is always so satisfying with sparkling wines) you are pretty quickly hit with some great fruity aromas. The most notable of these fruity smells is definitely peach, and less noticeable is a slight hint of what I can only describe as a nutty quality. Once you take a sip of this wonderfully smooth, bubbly wine, the first thing you notice is that peach aroma coming through right into the flavour of it all. After that you also get a nice taste of mango to it, as well as a very slight hint of honey which is quite pleasing. Now as for this wines food pairings, I had this with a lovely grilled chicken past which worked very well. But if you want to be more adventurous you may want to try this with a pesto pizza and even some potato chips (upon the suggestion of a friend and it works surprisingly well). I’m pretty sure if you are a fan of other sparkling wines you will enjoy this, especially if you are a fan of still viognier and chardonnay wines. And as a bonus this is a great sparkling wine at a great price, so you really have no excuse not to give this a try.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it from Americanwinery.com here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.
Blanc de Blancs Champagne – Brotherhood Vineyards – Washingtonville, NY
$10.99
The expectations I had for this wine were quite high considering its award winning status as well as being from America's oldest winery, and thankfully this amazing sparkling wine did not let me down. To begin with, when you open up this wine you get a joyously wonderful pop of the cork that comes with all Champagne (and come on who doesn't like that). And after that little bit of fun you get hit by the impressive, yet subtle, aromas that are carried very well by this wine. The main smells you get out of this are primarily of fruit, mainly apple, as well as a nice aroma of flowers; I'm not too sure but maybe lilies. As for the flavour, that nice fruit smell stays with the wine quite well giving you a lovely crisp apple taste. You also get a hint of spice to it as well as a very nice long and dry finish, which I always enjoy. Now when I had this wine it went well as a part of a nice light chicken dinner with some assorted vegetables, though I do believe this would go quite well with some shellfish (or even a plate of cheese). This is a must have for any fan of sparkling wines or nice dry whites, and remember to have it with some food as champagnes aren't just for celebration after all. So go on and give it a go if you can. It's a great wine from an amazing and historic winery, and trust me my friends - you won't be disappointed.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it direct from the vineyard here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.
Blanc de Fleur – San Sebastian Winery – St. Augustine, FL
$16.99
With the new year coming up soon we at ECoast Wines decided to take you all on another trip into the world of East Cost sparkling wines. This time we are heading down south to the state of Florida to try out a wonderful bottle of Blanc de Fleur from San Sebastian. This particular methode Champenoise wine is made with some fairly non-traditional grapes, Carlos Muscadine, and is quite an interesting drink.
To begin, as always with a good sparkling wine, you get the satisfying pop when opening up a bottle. And shortly after said pop comes the rush of interesting and delicious aromas such as pear. You also get hints of fresh baked bread, some minor floral notes as well as musky grape. Now onto the taste, you get some lovely flavours of grape and pear. You should also get some great little hints of yeast and a bit of a syrupy quality (taste wise, though very light). So, what sort of foods would this go with with particular wine? Well, this is a Florida wine so we are going to have to suggest some good seafood, perhaps with a light cream sauce, or maybe just some good chocolate. In the end this is an interesting and tasty wine with some great bubbles and an interesting semi-sweet nature that many would enjoy. So in our opinion this sparkling wine would be a great pick if you can get a hold of a bottle in time for new years, especially at this price.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it from the Winery here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.
Sparkling Brut – Barboursville Vineyard – Barboursville, VA
$17.99
I do always enjoy a nice sparkling wine, and Brut tends to be my go to for when I’m in the mood. And thankfully there are a lot of great East Coast Bruts to choose from, and for my purposes today I bought a lovely one from Barboursville Vineyard (one of my favourite vineyards in the area). So to the review, as with any sparkling wine you get the always enjoyable pop when you open up a bottle of this. On the nose you get some really lovely aromas of fruit, primarily pear. But you also get an interesting hint of bread, thanks to the secondary fermentation no doubt. Once you move to the taste you come right back to that nice pear flavour and this time it seems to be accompanied by a bit of apple as well. There also might be a bit of citrus in this wine, though that may just be coming from the acidity. Overall this is a really nice, easy drinking brut with some great bubbles to it (and who doesn’t like bubbles). For food pairings, I have eaten this with some nice chicken and vegetables in the past and it went quite well. I think that this would also go equally as well with a wide variety of sea foods, Barboursville suggests mussels. So if you are a fan of Bruts, Blanc de Blanc or really any variety of sparkling wines and Champagnes I think you will enjoy this wine. Plus the price point isn’t too high so go on and give it a try.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it direct from the vineyard here or from Snooth.com here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.
Scintilla – Veritas Vineyard & Winery – Afton, VA
$30
It’s been a while since we’ve done a sparkling wine review here on ECoast Wines, so we figured it was about time to get one in (especially with New Years quickly approaching). To do this we return once more to another wine from the fine folks over at Veritas Vineyard & Winery and their amazing Scintilla. This particular wine is a Blanc de Blanc Brut, or a dry 100% Chardonnay wine, and is made in the traditional Champagne method with good old in bottle second fermentation.
So, to start off with the opening of the bottle you get the nice and satisfying pop of the cork that you should get with any good sparkling wine. And as for the aroma you quickly get introduced to some lovely fragrances of lemon and pear. Along with this you also get some hints of apple blossom and toast. Moving onto the first sips of the wine you are brought back to those peach notes from before, but this time they are joined by a delicious flavour of apples. You also get some minor hints of yeast with a slight aftertaste of minerality that is always enjoyable. As for food, we had this with a delicious roast chicken with grilled mushrooms and vegetables and it went quite well. This particular wine would also probably go well with some assorted cheeses, grilled fish or just with some nice chocolates. So if you are a fan of sparkling wines in general, or sparkling chardonnays in particular, then you should probably enjoy this wine. And even though the price is a bit on the high side for some, it is certainly worth the purchase.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it from the Vineyard here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.