What domestic producers have you consumed recently?
It certainly won’t always be that way. Heck, there is some Cava that is challenging grower Champagne. No reason Oregon or California (or Tasmania or England for that matter) can’t do the same.
Them old vines Zin definitely smokes Primitivo though. Plz change my mind, I’m open to it.
Like I said, New World sparklers are still finding their footings in the scene, stylistic and QPR-wise they couldn’t compare with champagne and win over their pious followers yet. Champagne is still the greatest, but its sacrosanctity will be challenged in the next few decades when other regions start to dial in their techniques, when the vines matured and how climate change will turn everything upside down.
Maybe I’m wrong now, but I have a long life ahead to see whether New World sparklers will go head to head with champagne dollar for dollar.
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Which Cava and which RM champagne are they? I’d love to see it for myself.
But again, Cava has 150 years of history so they surely know better than bunch of teens right?
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Wow you sure like to mischaracterize my comments.
I’m done.
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It does seem like we are starting to parse each others posts pretty heavily.
Probably a good time to all take a breath and remember that we’re all sharing perspectives and without any intention of slight. I don’t disagree with you regarding where Oregon is at vis a vis Champagne. Value, is a challenge for Oregon because very few economies of scale are available. So the wines are not inexpensive, and the best value Champagne producers are not only hard for Oregon to match, but other Champagne producers as well.
Personally, I hope you’re not done. As I appreciate your posts and also would like to know what Cava you enjoy. It’s a region that I have lost track of since the restaurant days.
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Pere Mata is my go to Cava.
Oddly enough I do not mind the low/no dosage in Cava (most Pere Mata is zero dosage). Maybe it’s something about the balance of the Spanish grapes.
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Cool, I will check it out.
That’s an interesting observation on non-dosage being more acceptable in Cava as well.
David, Is there a New England retailer where I can find Pere Mata wines?
Not that I am aware of. I order it from Robert Panzer.
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Recaredo is another cava producer that I think is up there in quality with champagnes (and prices to match), albeit with some stylistic differences.
Yes they have been making sparkling wines there for a lot longer than in Oregon - but bear in mind that until fairly recently it was treated as a budget category focused on volume which is a different ballgame from really drilling down on terroir/technique to reach the highest quality.
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One of the great things about Pere Mata is most of the wines are about $20.
In my books, Recaredo is easily the best Cava (or Corpinnat) producer out there. However, the prices have gone pretty crazy since I was there in 2014. For example Reserva Particular seems to have doubled in price while fizzy wines from other Cava/Corpinnat producers have gotten probably 10-20% more expensive in the same time period.
well this thread certainly took a more interesting turn 
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That’s crazy. Pataille Marsannay is extremely variable and too often just plain flawed.
For my palate, I’ll take pretty much any Rivers-Marie bottling and they beat Pataille Marsannay all day long.
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Agreed. Opened one a few weeks ago. Maybe not flawed, but certainly bretty. Many US pinots that I prefer over the Pataille.
Recaredo just set me back 200 a pop but sure, why not. I haven’t had much Pere Mata but from the few bottles I had, Paula Kornell drinks equally as enjoyable for the same price and exceedingly easy to find in CA.
Hows Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Heredidad these days (the one with the metal cage on the bottle). I seem to remember enjoying that a lot 20 years ago.
No idea. Have had very little Segura Viudas, never that particular cuvée, and remarkably little Cava over the past few years.
In NC, sure