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“This ain’t no weak-ass shit.”
There are two sparkling wines worthy of note that have become available in the last few weeks at our friendly neighborhood Costco. The first is from our own Michigan bubbly specialists, Mawby. As previously reported, these folks are celebrating the winery’s 50th Anniversary, and they have made a special cuveé in that regard. I’m a big Mawby fan, so as soon as I saw this, I picked one up and brought it right home.
Mawby Leelanau Peninsula 50th Anniversary Cuveé Brut NV, 11% alc., $27.99: This homegrown Michigan blend of Chardonnay and Riesling is intense and impressive. Medium straw in color, it shows fine bead, and gives a frothy splash of green apple laced with lime, hints of mineral and a toasty note, due no doubt to the dosage. As much as I like to drink this right now, I suspect it’ll get better with some time in the bottle. This ain’t no weak-ass shit. It has depth, structure and intensity, and I want to try it again over the next two-to-five years. Find this wine
Grapes are hand picked and whole cluster pressed in the fall. Mainly cuveé fractions are used for this product. The juice is fermented in stainless steel after settling. The wine is blended, filtered, and then tirage bottled during the winter/spring the following year. The wine is aged for three years en tirage; then it is riddled, disgorged, and a dosage of 20 year old french oak aged grape spirits is added.
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I’m a sucker for almost anything with “Brut” on the label, and “Cremant de Bourgogne” is another trigger, especially at this price. I don’t get the opportunity to try anything bubbly from Burgundy that often, so, even though I’m totally unfamiliar with Veuve Ambal, I couldn’t help but bite the bullet and bring it home too.
I may be getting up there in age, and my hands are showing it after all these years of playing guitar and slinging wine bottles, but still, I can usually open a bottle of bubbly unaided. Not this one. That cork was so tight, I needed a pair of channel locks to twist that puppy off. Once I got it out, there was plenty to like from what was poured.
Veuve Ambal Cremant de Bourgogne Grande Cuvee Blanc Brut NV, 12% alc., $14.99: Now here’s a nice, big refreshing mouthful of bubbly for almost any occasion. It packs plenty of intensity into its green apple and gravelly mineral character, all on a medium-bodied frame, and kept moving along with active acids and just enough bubbles to keep my interest and attention.
If this wine has a weakness, it’s the lazy bubble action. From the first pour, the rising bubbles never go beyond three or four streams, with haphazard outliers. It’s always enough for this bubblehead, and the acidity adds a zippy boost, but I still expected a little more effervescence. I like this well enough to have poured a second and third glass, and my impressions were consistent throughout. It’s engaging and enjoyable, I just wish it were a little more bubbly. Find this wine
Reporting from Day-twah,
Bastardo
