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2001 Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvée Vintage Reserve - USA, California, Sonoma County, Carneros (8/16/2009)
Intense aromas of candied ginger, red apples, and chalk. All power and no finess, this wine attacks the palate with muddled ripe fruit and a fairly high dosage. Perhaps a step up for the White Star set, but far too obvious and overdone for those who are fans of Champagne. (84 pts.)
Wait a couple more years for this and it will really hit its stride. I agree that it still has some of its baby fat, but in contrast to many new world sparklers, this will shed the fat, gain complexity, and get better. When Gloria started releasing the Royal Cuvee a couple years younger than they used to starting with the 2000 (they went straight from 97 to 2000 with no 98 or 99), it took me a little while to recalibrate, but the quality is there. It will just take some time for this to bloom into something special. I liked the 2001 and think it will make for a very nice wine over time.
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2001 Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvée Vintage Reserve - USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros (2/15/2014)
Frankly, I was expecting more from this wine. My two previous experiences were mediocre to good (84 and 87 points), but they were five and six years ago, respectively, and I had hopes that more time in the bottle would improve it, bring out more nuance, more interest. Sadly, that did not happen. But don’t get me wrong; this is not a bad wine. It’s just not a very good one. Simple and straightforward notes of ripe red apples and candied ginger. Lacks finesse and precision. Clunky finish. Not too bad for $20 perhaps. But at that price point, I prefer Domaine Carneros. (85 pts.)
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