($23): Roederer Estate consistently produces one of this country’s best, if not the best, sparkling wine.  It’s easy to understand why they regularly make such high quality sparkling wine.  First, they are a subsidiary of Champagne Roederer, one of France’s leading Champagne producers.  Second, all of Roederer Estate’s wines come from their own vineyards, a rarity in the world of Champagne and sparkling wine where most producers buy the majority of their grapes from other growers.  This NV Brut, a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the traditional grapes of Champagne, shows a lovely fruity intensity you’d expect from California balanced by bracing and welcomed acidity.  It’s a marvelous marriage of creaminess, fruitiness and elegance.  Though a splendid way to start an evening, the Roederer Estate NV Brut matches well with sushi or fish bathed in a buttery sauce.
92 Michael Apstein Jul 8, 2014