Bubbly Marsanne!

By now you must know that I love bubbly. I'm most partial to Champagne but I do appreciate a good "Méthode Champenoise" or "traditional method" sparkling wine, having enjoyed some beauties from Hermann J. Wiemer, Mumm, Domaine Carneros, Gloria Ferrer, Iron Horse... even Tzakoli in Spain. The common thread in traditional method sparkling wines is the wine making techniques, including the second fermentation in the actual bottle that gets sold, but often Champagne grapes are used: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sometimes Pinot Meunier. But have you ever had a sparkling Marsanne? I sampled Cass California Brut 2011 Marsanne at the Rhone Rangers event in Paso Robles a couple weeks back. Delicate, floral, perfumey and pretty, it was unique fun in a bottle. 

Buds and Palms and an Iron Horse

We've reached bud break here in northern California, and I still can't believe that there are palm trees in the Bay area. Palm trees, to me, belong in tropical areas, not temperate, always-60-degrees-unless-it-goes-down-to-40 San Francisco. But still, there are palm trees in the city and in the surrounding wine areas. I went up to Sonoma this week with some visiting friends to check out more Pinot Noir and sparkling wines. The most exciting stop on the trip was Iron Horse, famous for the fact that its sparkling wines are served at the White House. Iron Horse is located in the Green Valley, a sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley. I loved their 2006 Russian Cuvee, aptly named both because the fruit comes from the Russian River Valley and because it was first served at the Reagan-Gorbachev summit meetings.

 I loved the richness and toastiness from the heavy Pinot and extended lees aging (4 years). The White House still orders it, but they prefer it say "Russian River" on the label, so Iron Horse makes a special label for them. (0.8% residual sugar; $38)