But things are different with sparkling wine. Everyone is on the quest to find a replacement for Champagne that offers bubbles without the price tag of the French region, but I've never found it, and I've been looking. England, Italy and America have all shown their ability to produce lovely wines, and many at low prices, but nothing I had ever tried tasted like Champagne. That was until I tried a range of wines from Californian producer Schramsberg.
Founded in 1862 when German immigrant Jacob Schram bought a plot of land in the Napa Valley, deciding that he wanted to be part of the group of Germans making wine in America. By 1876 he was producing 12,000 gallons of wine each year, and four years later they were visited by Robert Louis Stevenson who wrote about the vineyard in his book The Silverado Squatters. He wrote:
"Mr. Schram's, on the other hand, is the oldest vineyard in the valley, eighteen years old I think; yet he began a penniless barber, and even after he had broken ground up here with his black malvoisies, continued for long to tramp the valley with his razor. Now, his place is the picture of prosperity: stuffed birds on the verandah, cellars far dug into the hillside, and resting on pillars like a bandit's cave: all trimness, varnish, flowers, and sunshine, among the tangled wildwood. Stout, smiling Mrs. Schram, who has been to Europe and apparently all about the States for pleasure, entertained Fanny (Stevenson's wife) in the verandah, while I was tasting wines in the cellar. To Mr. Schram this was a solemn office; his serious gusto warmed my heart; prosperity had not yet wholly banished a certain neophyte and girlish trepidation, and he followed every sip and read my face with proud anxiety. I tasted all. I tasted every variety and shade of Schramberger, red and white Schramberger, Burgundy Schramberger, Schramberger Hock, Schramberger Golden Chasselas, the latter with a notable bouquet, and I fear to think how many more. Much of it goes to London - most, I think; and Mr. Schram has a great notion of the English taste."
After Jacob Schram died in 1901, his son took over the business and sold it in 1916. After passing through numerous hands in the next half century, including one of a bootlegger, it was sold to Jack and Jamie Davies in 1965.
They had an ambition to make sparkling wine, and in the thirty years before his death, Jack and his wife Jamie won many awards and their wines have been served by every presidential administration since Nixon and Premier Chou Enlai tasted peace in Beijing in 1972. Now the company is in the hands of Jack and Jamie's youngest son, Hugh,who has spent time as winemaker and general manager before his appointment as CEO, as well as working at Moet & Chandon and Mumm Napa Valley. So, with this CV, he should know a thing or two about fizz - I tried his wines.
Firstly, the one wine I wasn't that keen on. The 2006 Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs is made mainly from Pinot Noir, and although this company pioneered the style in the USA in the late 1960's, I wasn't that keen on it. There was a little red berry on the nose, with some warm tropical fruit aromas and some raspberry. The palate had some spice, a strange lactose like flavour mixed with some berries and a touch of cheaper caramel on the finish. I found it a bit clumsy and dirty if I'm honest. 79pts. Aside from that though, everything was good!
The 2007 Schramsberg Rose had lovely light strawberry aromas with a little bit of sweet cherry and digestive biscuit. There was some orange on the palate, more of the strawberry and then a tiny bit of melon skin as well. Lovely and clean with some citrus emerging towards the end. 87pts
A sweeter wine, the 2006 Schramsberg Cremant, was a blend of Flora and Chardonnay, and had a sweet apricot and lime marmalade and banana coming from the nose. The palate had some melon, sweeter peachy flavours with a juicy pear on the end. Very clean with lovely acid balancing the sweetness. 90pts
Every Champagne house has a prestige cuvee, and if it is good enough for the French, it is good enough for the Americans! Named after the founder of the company, the 2004 Schramsberg J Schram had a lovely, rich, toasty aroma with biscuits, Granny Smiths apples, lemon curd and lovely salty minerality. The palate had a super soft mousse, crisp fruit with some tart lemon and then some rounder nuttier elements. A lovely structure and very well balanced. 91pts
But the sparkling wine that blew me away was the 2008 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs. It was the 1972 vintage of this wine that Nixon served, and was the first commercially available Chardonnay brut sparkling wine made in America. Beautiful bright lemon, crisp apple and some honey come off with a gorgeous oyster shell aroma come out of the glass, followed by a delicious sweet element followed by tropical fruit and toast flavours. Stunning acid, with a beautifully balanced finish. 94pts. Having tried a lot of Blanc de Blancs Champagnes recently, this wine would fit in wonderfully alongside any of them. It has the poise, precision and elegance that you want from a Champagne, all the flavours you would expect and, most of all, it has the subtlety that a lot of American sparkling wines lack.
So why, if I want my wines to taste like they are from their country of origin, would I buy this wine that looks like Champagne, tastes like Champagne, costs the same as Champagne and has the quality of Champagne instead of a Champagne? Simple. Name one Champagne house that had a bootlegger in it's history of owners!
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