Reviews : BLANC DE BLANCS
94 points - Editor's Choice / 2008 Blanc de Blancs -
Wine Enthusiast
“Made from 100% Chardonnay grown mostly in Napa and Sonoma counties, this charming bubbly is one of the best blanc de blancs on the market. It’s rich and honeyed and feels so good in the mouth, carrying flavors of oranges, sweet limes, Meyer lemons, vanilla and toasty bread.” (December 1, 2011)
91 points / 2008 Blanc de Blancs - Wine Spectator Insider
“Sleek and vibrant, with floral apple and lemon aromas and crisp, complex flavors of pear and yeasty cinnamon that linger toward the minerally finish." (October 19, 2011)
91 points / 2008 Blanc de Blancs - Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wines
"A bit broader and richer than the classic model might commend, the 2008 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs is a deep and layered sparkler that exhibits a biscuity complexity suggestive of a lengthy tirage and more time in the bottle than could possibly be the case here. Albeit a somewhat different look at the genre, it is an involving one that earns high marks and enthusiastic endorsement for its ongoing richness and involving depth." (November 2011)
91 points / 2007 Blanc de Blancs - Wine Advocate #192/ eRobertParker.com
“Perhaps the finest portfolio of Schramsberg sparkling wines I have tasted to date, these beauties include the outstanding, frothy 2007 Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay), which reveals notes of brioche, white currants and lemon blossoms. Medium-bodied with persistent effervescence and excellent acidity, it should drink nicely for several years or more....” (December 2010)
91 points / 2007 Blanc de Blancs - Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wines
“2007, it seems, was a quite good year for Schramsberg, and this brisk, almost austere Blanc de Blancs joins the winery's Blanc de Noirs and Rosé in winning very high marks. It is less a stand-alone quaffer and more a taut, acid-edged wine that wants for food, and, while we see it as a fine choice for washing down sundry light seafoods, we expect that it will show at its most brilliant when served alongside fresh oysters on the half shell.” (November 2010)
90 points / 2007 Blanc de Blancs - The Tasting Panel
“Fresh and minerally; crisp, toasty, and racy with lovely balance.” (December 2010)
Top Sparkling Wine of the 13th
Annual American Wine Awards /
2006 Blanc de Blancs - Food & Wine Magazine
“This all-Chardonnay bottling was the Davies family’s original sparkling back in 1965; Richard Nixon served it on his 1972 trip to China. For the 2006 vintage, the wine was aged in the bottle for two years on the lees (spent yeast), giving complexity to its flavors of yellow apple, pear and melon.”
(October 2010)
91 points / 2006 Blanc de Blancs - The Wine News
“Pale gold color with a healthy lustrous sheen. Toasted, doughy nose with tight citrus notes. Bright, taut entry of tart yellow citrus framed by well-integrated acid and toasted bread notes. Minerality and hints of green chardonnay fruit take the mind to the Champagne region on a cool fall day.” (December 2009)
91 points / 2006 Blanc de Blancs - Wine Review Online
“Some years I like Schramsberg's Blanc de Noirs better, but historically they're best known for this wine. It's a good vintage, with a crisp attack of Meyer lemon that spreads on the midpalate, bringing some toast and a hint of earth on the finish.” (W. Blake Gray, December 2009)
90 points / 2006 Blanc de Blancs - Wine Enthusiast
“Made from 100% Chardonnay grapes, this bubbly is dry, elegant and will take some bottle age. It has rich and complex, but subtle, flavors of grilled peaches, pears, brioche, vanilla and smoke, with a spicy finish.” (December 2009)
91 points / 2006 Blanc de Blancs - Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wines
“This attractive Blanc de Blancs manages at one and the same time to be loaded with character yet remains also on the energetic, well-fruited side. Its aromas are more creamy than "old yeasty" with notes of chalk and vanilla sitting in for the toasty notes that come with longer aged wines. Firm and abundant in its foamy, insistent mousse, this buoyant wine has the richness to go with foods like chicken in cream sauces and the acidity to make it a stellar mate to tangy shellfish dishes.” (November 2009)
91 points / 2006 Blanc de Blancs - Ken's Wine Guide
“This pale yellow colored sparkler won our blind tasting of sparkling wines. It opens with an attractive light lime bouquet with nutty notes picked up as well. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, well balanced, creamy, and effervescent. The flavor profile is a mineral infused lime with a touch of grapefruit. The finish is dry and lingers nicely. The panel would pair this tasty sparkler with many foods. Bacon wrapped scallops, baked stuffed shrimp, and lobster bisque were all mentioned and would all be a very nice match.” (November 2009)
91 points / 2005 Blanc de Blancs - Wine Enthusiast
“Made from 100% Chardonnay, this sparkler is just delicious, a versatile wine to have by itself,
with savories, sushi or the most elegant meals. Crisp and balanced, it has rich flavors of pineapples, peach jam, brioche and vanilla, with a smoky edge.” (December 2008)
91 points / 2005 Blanc de Blancs - The International Wine Review
"Blanc de Blancs was Schramsberg’s first bubbly, winning accolades back in 1965 and continuing to the present. This delicious bright, lemon gold wine has a ripe apple nose and a ripe, rich attack. Soft and creamy on the attack with a complex, autolytic character and hazelnut flavors on the rich, flavorful palate." (December 2008)
91 points / 2005 Blanc de Blancs - Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wines
"Although its suggestions of chalk and stones and green, slightly citrusy fruit are very much the stuff of classic Blanc de Blancs, Schramsberg’s latest goes a step further than most in terms of richness and ups the ante by way of its considerable yeast. Very dry and austere in the way of its genre, it is firm and frothy with lots of life and seems a genuine candidate for improving
with a bit of time in the bottle." (December 2008)
90 points / 2005 Blanc de Blancs - The Wine News
"Golden ale hue; very active stream of fine bubbles. Scents of lemon and vanilla with a hint of pear nectar. Foamy on entry with stone fruit and citrus-tinged acidity. Very tart and drying close with a sweet vanilla highlight." (December/January 2008-2009)
90 points / 2005 Blanc de Blancs - The Midwest Wine Connection
"Lively and full-bodied. Do you expect anything else but quality from Schramsberg? Always dependable and always good." (August 2008)
