Great Wine: Domaine Chandon Etoile Brut

By Johannes Marlena

A great Napa Valley, California, bubbly for the money that doesn’t try to be Champagne. Unapologetically and comparatively bold, dense, ripe, flavorful and creamy. An oh-so-refined Francophile may scoff at this choice, but oh well, que pouvez-vous fair? DOMAINE CHANDON is a sister outfit to the Champagne house that everyone knows, Moët and Chandon, so give them credit for letting California be California. 

The non-vintage ÉTOILE has good reason to be one of the sunshine state’s flagship sparkling wines. Effusive notes of golden apple, citrus, baked bread, brown spices and almonds represent a cross-section of California agriculture—these are some of the perishable products we’re best known for, so why shouldn’t our “champagne” boldly reflect our DNA? Toss in a note of sweet caramel, and our palates are hooked. 

A quintessential California sparkling wine. Let our flagships fly high.  –J.M.

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January 10, 2018