TN: NV Scharffenberger Brut Excellence QPR SHOCKER!!!

• NV Scharffenberger Brut Excellence - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County (11/18/2020)
  This is sort of a revelation! I bought a bunch of these for $15 per for kind of a cooking/wife can easy pop-in-a-pinch type wine…have had it in the past, but always thought the Roederer Estate Brut was a better option in this price point. Recently disappointed in the Roederer for its inconsistent performances on a few bottles…some were as expected with great qpr…others disjointed and harsh tasting. Well…I’ve had 4 bottles of this Scharffenberger (disgorged 1/18) in the last week…and all have totally exceeded my expectation! Shows wonderful ripe and sappy orchard fruits…tart and zippy lemon/grapefruit acidity…a creamy and mouth filling soft ginger/almond paste mousse…and that classic brioche, yeasty, smoky flint strike lees…gives it a richness ala Crystal! Don’t know the dosage…but it has more sweetness then the Roederer imo, but totally NOT too sweet, and I hate sweet! Very bright and vibrant…with balance. Such a super bubbly at that price point…and with four equal enjoyable bottles consumed…very consistent quality! Will be looking to re-load on these! (93 pts.)

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I have always liked these as well. The major difference between these and Roederer (who owns them) is that the Scharffenberger wines undergo full malo whereas the Roederer version have none. So creamy is definitely an appropriate description!

I still prefer the Roederer in all my experiences, but always fun to taste these when I visit.

I too like the Roederer Estate NV better too, but will buy the Scharffenberger when its sub $15 occasionally in my area. I find that the safest places to buy them are the fast moving retailers like Costco etc. If its sitting around its soaking up heat, jostling by prospective purchasers etc.

Nice to see lovin for this category.

Ahhh…full malo…makes sense!

This is my wife’s go to bubbly for the last few years.