@wineguyinnewyork shares with us his top pick of the week.
This week, he celebrates Bastille Day in New York with a glass of American champagne!
Chandon Etoile Rosé, an elegant sparkling wine perfect for the summer
Established in 1973 and owned by LVMH, Domaine Chandon was the first French-owned sparkling wine producer in Napa Valley.
The winery benefits from the expertise of its parent company, Moet and Chandon, the world’s largest champagne house, to produce great sparkling wines.
Etoile Rosé is one of Chandon’s prestige cuvees and their top rose sparkling wine. I had the opportunity to try 15 different sparkling wines from Chandon USA over the last year and Etoile Rosé is the one I like most.
Etoile Rosé is made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. The grapes are sourced from vineyards in Carneros, the coolest area of Napa and Sonoma counties.
This is a non-vintage wine aged five years “sur lie” (on the lees). Lees are dead yeast cells remaining in a barrel after fermentation. They enhance an aging wine with added richness, flavor, and aroma complexity.
Red wine (Pinot Noir) is added prior to the second fermentation, providing the distinctive salmon color with copper hues.
It is then aged at least six additional months after disgorgement, a process used to expel the yeast from the bottle.
The result is an elegant sparkling rosé with a rich and well-balanced structure. Fresh and fruity, but not too sweet, with delicious aromas of plum and raspberry.
I like Chandon Etoile Rosé as an aperitif but it should pair very well with a domestically-farmed duck “foie gras” from the Hudson Valley.
I am very picky about sparkling wines (pardon me, I’m French), but this one is a star!
My top pick of the week and my favorite sparkling wine from California, well done Chandon!
@wineguyinnewyork