Domaine Carneros Brut NV (750ml)
Product price
Description
Carneros sits where San Pablo Bay cools the southern edges of Napa and Sonoma, a stretch well suited to the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that go into traditional-method sparkling wine. This is the multi-vintage Brut from Domaine Carneros, a California sparkler built in the Champagne mold, with secondary fermentation in the bottle and an extended stay on the lees (around five years) that lends it a smoothness and maturity beyond the usual non-vintage bottling.
Light-bodied and openly fruity, it leads with raspberry and redcurrant before edging into mandarin and orange, with the bready, brioche-and-cream notes that long lees contact tends to draw out. There are savory touches too, a hint of green tea and flower petals, and the mousse is fine and persistent, the bubbles small enough to coat the palate. Structured but soft and easy to drink, it shows its age gracefully without losing its freshness.
Product Details
| Category | Wine |
| Color | White |
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Subregion | Carneros |
| Varietal | Champagne Blend |
| Producer | Domaine Carneros |
| Vintage | NV |
| Size | 750 ML |
| Subtype | Sparkling |
Expert Reviews
Light-bodied, quite fruity and expansive with mouth-coating, fine-beaded bubbles. A complex, multi-vintage blend that spent five years on the yeast lees and shows it with nice touches of maturity and smoothness. Raspberry, redcurrant and fresh-baguette aromas followed by cream, mandarin-orange and brioche nuances. (JG). (James Suckling, May 2024)
Raspberry, green tea and flower petals. Fresh palate with raspberries, red berries, apples, rose petals, bread and butter. Structured, intense, with savoury characters and a fine mousse. (AH). (Decanter, August 2024)
The 2018 Estate Brut is composed of 54% Pinot Noir and 46% Chardonnay, with a dosage of nine grams per liter. It comes across as riper and rounder than the Ultra Brut, with the citrus notes trending more toward tangerine and mandarin than lemon and lime. Medium-bodied, it's soft and approachable, easy to drink and enjoy. (Wine Advocate, December 2023)