Champers and Sparklers,
OVERALL: It won’t keep Moet Chandon’s Nectar Imperial or Veuve Clicquot’s Demi-Sec up at night, but this is a respectable semi-sweet sparkler that’s a great QPR that suprises with a slight bit of complexity.
As mentioned in Mark’s “Dropping Bombs on Champagne” thread, I have developed a new Champagne/sparkling wine problem, I have now developed a Champagne and sparkling wine problem so it’s time to dive in with a full head of steam. I am starting with an unusual import from the Ukraine in solidarity with the Ukrainian people – the Krimsekt 2013 Semi-Sweet Sparkling White from the Crimea region.
This wine is a sparkling cuvée composed of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Aligote, and Chardonnay made in the traditional method. In the glass, it is a bright pale straw gold. Very fine mousse and tiny bubbles which persist for quite a while give this a very nice body. A ton of toasty yeast on the nose, completely overtaking the peach blossom on the nose.
On the palate, fresh toasted brioche flavors mingle with starfruit, honeydew melon, Meyer lemon and peach flavors. There is some acidity that balances everything out which I presume comes from the Riesling and the Aligote. Certainly not at German Kabinett or Spatlese levels, but it’s there. You can also taste the Pinot Gris and Aligote if you focus hard enough. The Chardonnay flavors tend to mingle with the yeast flavors. There is definitely some sweetness to the wine but it’s quite pleasant and not cloying in the least.
As I mentioned on Mark’s thread, i was very skeptical of this wine particularly since I didn’t care for last year’s Semi-Sweet Red. I felt that the tannins unbalanced that wine and they should’ve actually done it in a sparkling Rosé style. With the mix of grapes, this could’ve been a train wreck. However, to the wine’s credit, it is very well-balanced. What is happening here is that the Riesling, Pinot Gris and Aligote are essentially combining to perform the same effect Pinot Noir does and it surprisingly works. The wine has an admirable touch of complexity to it as opposed to just being liquid candy like Moscato D’Asti or Brachetto D’Acqui.
The only criticism I can really level at the wine – which is one I level at many sparkling wines that aren’t Champagne – is that it falls short in depth of flavor and especially on the length of the finish which is quite short. Other than this, it is well-made and a nice QPR alternative to the somewhat overpriced Moet Chandon Nectar Imperial and Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec. While those are definitely better more complex wines, this is by far the better value on par with the best Cremants from Burgundy and Alsace and I will be picking up a few more bottles. RECOMMENDED
