Reviews : J. Schram

2005

97 points - 2005 J. Schram - Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
"Schramsberg’s very special J. Schram bottlings inevitably make their ways to the head of the class every year, and this newest effort is nothing less than an absolute tour de force. Like the very greatest of the world’s sparkling wines it exhibits an uncanny combination of layered richness and lightness with remarkably deep, very long-lasting, fully champenized flavors and an unending mousse of miniscule bubbles. It is the kind of wine that encourages the shameless use of superlatives in its description, and, yet even when found, those words are never enough." (November 2012)

95 points - Cellar Selection / 2005 J. Schram - Wine Enthusiast
"This four county blend is a selection of what the winemakers consider their best lots of the vintage . Made from 86% Chardonnay and 14% Pinot Noir, it most certainly needs some time in the cellar, as it's scoury right now. But its richness is already apparent: it shows complex toast, leesy yeast, creme brulee, lemondrop sour candy and ripe pear flavors. A gorgeous sparkling wine that will benefit from at least 12 years of aging." (December 2012)

92 points / 2005 J. Schram - Wine Spectator Insider
"Bold and opulent, yet balanced with a core of crisp and minerally fruit. Aromas of lemon tart and almond brioche open to rich flavors of apple, cinnamon and candied ginger." (November 14, 2012)

2004

Best of the Best: Domestic White Wine / 2004 J. Schram - Robb Report
"Schramsberg was founded in 1862 by a tenacious German immigrant named Jacob Schram, who planted vineyards in the Napa Valley town of Calistoga. By the 1880s, he had built a winery, which Robert Louis Stevenson mentioned in his travel writings. In the post-Prohibition era, the vineyard and winery came into the hands of businessman Jack Davies, who, by the mid-1960s, had restored the property and set out to convince the world that California could compete with Europe in producing fine sparkling wines. The excellent J. Schram—blended from the very finest Chardonnay produced in each vintage—has set the standard for this style of wine in the New World. The Schramsberg 2004 J. Schram (www.schramsberg.com, $100) is beautifully structured with layered flavors of apple pie, brioche, fresh pear, and candied ginger." (June 2012)

97 points - 2004 J. Schram - Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
"World-class bubbly in every dimension, this deep, rich, complex, layered, lively, developed yet youthful wine has achieved what only a handful have ever been able to accomplish. From the very first sniff of its creamy, yeasty, lightly toasty, brioche, pie crust, Meyer lemon, crisp apple notes to its insistently foamy, pinpointy mousse to the artful blending of rich and austere elements all the way to its long, refined, tangy, complex and flavorful finish, this brilliant bottling is about as good as good gets." (November 2011)

96 points - Cellar Selection / 2004 J. Schram - Wine Enthusiast
"Don’t even think about opening this brut for at least six years and probably far longer. Made from 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir, it’s rich and full-bodied, with elaborately ripe flavors of tangerines, raspberries, roasted almonds and coconut, brioche, honey and vanilla. Good as it is, it simply needs time for everything to transmute into magic." (September 2011)

95 points / 2004 J. Schram - Wine Review Online - Michael Apstein
"J. Schram is the name Schramsberg gives to their top-of-the-line bottling. Schramsberg, a pioneer and long time leader in California sparkling wine, has outdone themselves with this wine. Recently released, the 2004 is a fabulous, full-bodied sparkling wine that combines power with great finesse. Extended aging on the lees account for the yummy yeasty notes and incredible smoothness. It’s world-class." (September 2011)

93 points / 2004 J. Schram - Wine Spectator Insider
"Rich and well-structured, exhibiting bold aromas of tart apple and cinnamon rolls, with layered flavors of baked Asian pear, ginger and toasty spice that linger toward the crisp finish." (October 5, 2011)

2003

95 points / 2003 J. Schram - Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
"Once again, Schramsberg's flagship bubbly winds up at the right end of the leaderboard. Its bold, complex blending of toast, caramel, yeast and crème brûlée takes it far beyond the realm of primary fruit, and yet, for all that the wine possesses, it succeeds because it has energetic, briskly focused fruit at its heart. With its creamy mousse of small bubbles and its rich, developed flavors in the mouth, it is a wine to serve with a first course of a fois gras crème caramel or a finely crafted lobster mousse because nothing less decadent will bring out all that is on offer here." (November 2010)

Best of the Best / 2003 J. Schram - Robb Report
"....Today critics and enthusiasts recognize Schramsberg as the preeminent producer of California sparkling wines, and the Davieses continue to honor the history of their flagship estate with a special reserve sparkling wine named for its founder. The Schramsberg 2003 J. Schram (www.schramsberg.com. $100) is composed of 85 percent Chardonnay and 15 percent Pinot Noir. Freshly cut green-apple scents waft upward from the glass, as do aromas of lightly roasted nuts, while the wine's gossamer texture caresses the tongue." (June 2011)

94 points / 2003 J. Schram - Wine Enthusiast
"A beautiful, rich, elegant, fancy sparkling wine. Feels so fine in the mouth, all silk and satin, with deep, dry raspberry, strawberry, vanilla, toast, yeasty lees, brioche and honey flavors. Superb, but young. Needs time. Give it until 2011, if you can keep your hands off, and should develop until 2015, if not longer. Cellar Selection." (December 2010)

94 points / 2003 J. Schram - The Tasting Panel
"Lush and bursting with sundrenched fruit; rich, balanced, lively and long
on the finish." (December 2010)

92 points / 2003 J. Schram - Wine Spectator Insider
"A beautiful bubbly, boldly styled but retaining elegance, with
aromas of fresh brioche and apple and layered flavors of spicy
hazelnut, yeast and baked pear." (September 2010)

2002

96 points / 2002 J. Schram - Wine Enthusiast
“Head and shoulders the best of Schramsberg’s current bubblies,
for the smoothness and finesse of its mousse and subtlety of flavor. Really defines sparkling wine quality in California, with high acidity and impeccable structure. Mainly Chardonnay, with 17% Pinot Noir, it shows a
minerally firmness to the grilled peach, pear, green apple tart, pineapple and toasty, yeasty flavors. Superb and ageable, this four-county North
Coast blend should develop seamlessly over the next ten years or longer. Cellar Selection.” (December 2009)

94 points / 2002 J. Schram - Wine News
“Bright gold color. Scents of petrol and other aged white wine elements evocative of Riesling together with aromas of candied lemon peel and faded citrus. Zestful, bright fruit entry of potent citrus fruits; lime to lemon notes with pleasant spikes of red grapefruit. Intriguing notes of bitter almond and bits of biscuit to dark toasted bread, along with minerality (granite to limestone flintiness) evocative of the Champagne tradition. Shifts to a creamy mid-palate with tiny suggestions of cherry, tangerine and other softening citrus notes together with pleasant components of toasted brioche and light cola in the finish.” (December 2009)

95 points / 2002 J. Schram - Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
“Yet again, the J. Schram sets the pace in our annual review of new sparkling. In this, its latest incarnation, it delivers is a stunning array of rich, noticeably but not overwhelmingly, toasty autolysis and wholly confident fruit that offers nuanced wisps of sweet lemons, Fuji apples and chalky minerality. A fine bead of pinpointy bubbles set inside the brisk, still tight yet rich flavors carries the wine across the palate with refinement, and the long, energetic, complex aftertaste adds its own note of excitement.” (November 2009)

92 points / 2002 J. Schram - Wine Spectator
“Rich and supple, yet balanced with minerally acidity. Bold aromas
of toasty yeast, hazelnut and baked pear lead to layered and luscious flavors of lemon tart, fresh ginger and almond.” (November 2009)

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