Schramsberg Wine Tasting with Special Guest Hugh Davies

"One glass of champagne and I smile,
Two and I grin,
But three I'm ever so ready to sin."

Anistatia R Miller, author of Champagne Cocktails

The month of November is just a big party here at Wine Watch and we drink a lot of Champagne but we also like sparkling wines that are made in the same fashion aka the method champenoise.  Our favorite domestic producer of this magical elixir is from Napa Valley although the grapes for their bubbles are from anywhere but Napa today as Napa Valley is Cabernet Sauvignon country.  The Davies family is one of the few that figured out how to make GREAT sparkling wines and compete with big brands that have 100X the advertising budget that they do….It’s the American way WORK HARDER! 

The Davies family has hosted thousands of wine tastings to showcase their quality stands up to the great Champagne houses of France.  I remember the first ones that I attended where the founders Jack and Jamie worked tirelessly to promote the Schramsberg brand and I was glad to see their son Hugh take over the winery instead of them selling out to some big name like so many of their neighbors in Napa Valley have over the last few decades.

We have hosted many events with Huge over the years and I will never forget the releases of both J. Schram sparklers when we blind tasted these American sparkling wines against the best of Champagne.  Schramsberg came in 1st place with their Rose and 3rd place with the Brut among the industry professionals on these prospective tastings events! 

The only way to prove that you are among the best is to be judged with them and that is why we have the utmost respect for Schramsberg!  The Davies family have always been willing to put their reputation on the line by letting their wines speak for themselves and by putting them up to the real test this proves they belong among the world’s greatest wine producers.

So, when I got the word that our good friend Hugh Davies was in town from Schramsberg Winery I wanted another chance to showcase why this is the greatest sparkling wine producer in the USA. 

Join us was we welcome Hugh to his second tasting at Wine Watch Wine Bar on Wednesday November 6th for a tasting of all three J. Schram sparkling wines as they continue to push the envelope of quality for domestic sparkling wines.  This will be a special night!  The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $295 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Schramsberg California Sparkling Wine tasting
with Special Guest Hugh Davies
Wednesday, November 6th
7:30 PM

NV Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut, California, USA
2021 Schramsberg Blanc De Blancs, North Coast, USA
2021 Schramsberg Blanc De Noirs, North Coast, USA
2020 Schramsberg Brut Rose, North Coast, USA
2013 Schramsberg J. Schram Blancs, California, USA
2013 Schramsberg J. Schram 'Noirs' Brut, California, USA
2014 Schramsberg J. Schram Brut Rose, North Coast, USA
2021 Davies Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, California, USA
2019 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain, Napa, USA
2018 Schramsberg Cremant Demi Sec, Napa County, USA

Menu
Shoestring Truffle Parmesan Fries with Bacon Dust
Pan Seared Yukon Gold Potato Latke with Ducktrap Smoked Salmon, Italian Sturgeon Caviar and Chive creme fraiche
Scallop Carpaccio with Candied Lime and Lemon and Lavender Aioli
Grilled NY Strip served with Masoor Dal and Mushroom Succotash and Cabernet Natural Sauce
Lychee Nut Sorbet garnished with Chocolate Bacon

The fee for this tasting which includes Dinner is $295 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.   Please let us know when you make your reservation if you have any dietary restrictions or allergies and chef Toni will be happy to take care of you.

A bit about Schramsberg Winery:

When Jack Davies left his comfortable position with Ducommun Inc.  over 50 years ago, he put the world of commodities behind him.   With an absolute aversion to ordinary products, he turned his attention to creating a product with individuality.   A self-proclaimed "wine fanatic," he found that individuality in California sparkling wine.  Davies parlayed his 15 year business experience, ranging from packaging to aerospace technology, and applied his marketing and production sense to the creation of a unique sparkling wine which today enjoys a worldwide reputation.  Jamie Davies, Jack's wife and business partner, traded in her successful career as co-owner of the Hansen Peterman art gallery in San Francisco to apply her knowledge of design to the startup winery.  Together they left the "good" life behind and found the "great" life as they developed the United States' first American-owned and American-produced premium vintage sparkling wine.  Over the years Schramsberg has been toasted by Kings, Queens, Presidents, and Heads of State everywhere.

 Nestled in the northern Napa Valley and dating back to 1862, Schramsberg is America's oldest mountainside winery.  The Davies started their winery with a connoisseur's taste for drinking wine, but no knowledge or experience in making it.  Backed by friends and business associates and drawing on their life savings, they purchased a defunct vineyard and estate in 1965.  As soon as they saw the property, both Jack and Jamie knew it was for them.  "We started literally from scratch - as in scratch the earth with your own hands and plant vines," Jack Davies explained. "When we first moved to Schramsberg, the community was so skeptical about our prospects, that they started a rumor claiming we had planted our first vines upside down."  With the assistance of friendly local vintners, Jack and Jamie did indeed plant the first five acres with their own hands.  Today those original five acres have expanded to sixty and now produce Schramsberg's finest grapes including chardonnay, pinot noir, and other classic French varieties.   In the early years, when the grape press broke down, Jamie went so far as to crush the grapes with her own feet.  As amateur vintners, both were faced with their share of disasters in the first few years.  "There were a couple of times when I nearly killed myself because of my ignorance.  Once I passed out from epoxy fumes while working inside a storage tank, repainting its interior wall," explains Jack Davies.  "In another episode, I nearly got myself blown to pieces while cleaning used barrels with a burning sulphur wick to sterilize the barrels. I washed the insides with hot water unaware that I had caused the alcohol to vaporize.  When I actually used the burning wick to clean the barrel, I inadvertently turned it into a bomb," added Jack.

Today Schramsberg produces a full line of sparkling wines that amount to about 40,000 cases annually.  These include five principal vintage-dated cuvées:  A Blanc de Blancs (primarily chardonnay with some pinot blanc); a Blanc de Noirs (typically made from pinot noir with as much as 30% chardonnay); a Cuvée de Pinot Brut Rosé (a very dry rosé made from gamay and pinot noir); a Crémant Demi-Sec (a medium-sweet, low effervescence wine made from flora and finished with about 3% residual sugar); and a Reserve (this bottling is aged at least five years on the yeast; the other bottlings see about two to three years en tirage).

 Jack and Jamie Davies are steeped in more tradition of the Napa Valley than anybody else alive today.  When they bought Schramsberg, they purchased an estate that had once before been a major player on the California stage.  The original owner, Jacob Schram, produced world class wines during California's golden era in the 1880's.  Robert Louis Stevenson once visited the vineyard and was inspired to write that the Schram wines were "pleasant music for the mind."  To honor that tradition, Schramsberg released in 1993 its first prestige cuvée, the 1987 J. Schram.  It was designed to rival the top prestige cuvées of France.  At the time of its debut, it was the most ambitiously-priced sparkling wine ever produced in the United States.  Although of undeniable high quality, the J. Schram cuvée still does not compete at the top level of French Champagnes.  In fact, the best wines we have tasted from Schramsberg have been several of the late-disgorged cuvées released to commemorate special occasions.  Particularly impressive was the "30th Anniversary" bottling - a 1984 Blanc de Noirs that spent almost ten years on the yeast!!

 Jack and Jamie were not content to revive a once-famous winery that had blazed quality trails nearly a century before; they wanted to do something special and unique - to be the first to produce world-class méthode champenoise wines in California.  Among many innovations, Jack and Jamie were the first to use chardonnay in their blends; the first to use pinot noir in the classic tradition in Blanc de Noirs; the first to make a reserve with over four years aging on the yeast; the first too introduce late-disgorged cuvées; and numerous other firsts.  Jack Davies was also responsible for several innovations in the production of sparkling wine.  He revived the underground tunnel method of aging wine and dug new tunnels at a time when other vintners thought the technique was not feasible.  He also developed a vacuum suction method of moving grapes from delivery truck to wine press.   This gentle process actually reduces the shredding damage to the grapes caused by traditional pressing and helps to eliminate the tannins responsible for bitterness in wine.

There were many skeptics in Schramsberg's early days, but Jack and Jamie went hard about it and toiled in obscurity until one winter day in January of 1972 the entire world watched as Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon toasted Chairman Mao Tse Tung and Chou en Lai in one of the most historic and astonishing events of the 20th century.  The toast was made with Schramsberg sparkling wine.  From that day until the present, Schramsberg has been one of the pacesetters and has inspired well over fifty producers (more than a few of them French) to make a go at it of producing California sparkling wine.  The winery has also been a university training ground for some of California's best sparkling winemakers.  Harold Osborne, the winemaker for Kristone, an impressive new producer in Santa Barbara once worked at Schramsberg; Greg Fowler of Mumm Napa Valley also made wine there in the early 1980's.  Alan Tenscher, winemaker in the early 1990's, is now the head winemaker of the Franciscan Estate winery group. The influence of Schramsberg and its proprietors has been enormous during the last three decades.  The most appropriate words used to describe the Schramsberg legacy were made in a toast to Jack and Jamie Davies on the occasion of their 25th anniversary in 1991.  This is what was said on that evening:  "Some producers will earn a paragraph in the history of sparkling wines in California.  The coming of the French will need a page.  But it will merit a chapter to spell out what Jack and Jamie Davis have done here."

The work was never done alone. Throughout the years Jack and Jamie gathered a strong and able staff to help them run the expanding business. Members of the Schramsberg team tend to stay; many employees have been with the winery for more than twenty years. In 1996, Hugh, the Davies' youngest son, joined the winery full time, adding his talent to the winemaking staff. To every ones great sorrow, Schramsberg lost Jack Davies in the spring of 1998. Jamie carried on with the support of her family, the dedicated staff, and the legion of friends she made during the Schramsberg odyssey until her death in the spring of 2008.  Now, Hugh Davies, with the support of his own family and friends, continues the work and carries on the dream his parents, Jack and Jamie, started together.

All the wines from Schramsberg and the Davies family available at Wine Watch:

NV SCHRAMSBERG MIRABELLE BRUT, CALIFORNIA, USA
Price: $32.25     Your Price: $28.38          Quantity in Stock: 6
Mirabelle is Schramsberg’s multi-vintage brut sparkling wine. This young, bright bubbly, principally comprised of Chardonnay, exhibits the crisp acidity and vibrant green apple, citrus fruit that is characteristic of this grape when grown here in the North Coast. Pinot Noir adds body, mid-palate and further depth of fruit flavor. Unlike our vintage bottlings, Mirabelle gains unique depth from the additions of lots aged in barrels and tanks at the winery from prior vintages. These older base-wine lots, which typically form up to 20% of the finished blend, add significant palate richness and aromatic complexity. As with Schramsberg’s single-vintage sparkling wines, all grapes for Mirabelle are grown in the cool climate pockets of the area, including Carneros, Anderson Valley, and the Sonoma and Marin coastal areas of Northern California. The fruit is hand-picked in the early morning hours at optimal maturity. Individual lot fermentations allow the winemakers to carefully select the components that make up the finished blend. After bottle fermentation and about two years of aging en tirage, subsequent trials determine the ideal dosage to finish this brut style.

NV Schramsberg Mirabelle Blanc de Blancs Brut Sparkling
Price: $33.00                   Your Price: $29.04
Mirabelle is Schramsberg’s multi-vintage brut sparkling wine. Twenty-five years into building an outstanding range of vintage dated sparkling wines, the Davies family set out to master the non-vintage or “multi-vintage” traditional method technique. A few years of experimentation would ultimately lead to the successful launch of Mirabelle Brut and Mirabelle Brut Rose in 1992. Starting in 2023, the Davies family, proprietors of Schramsberg Vineyards and Davies Vineyards, presents this exceptional bottling of the Mirabelle Blanc de Blancs.
Our Mirabelle Blanc de Blancs (white from whites) is made from Chardonnay, one of the classic three grape varietals used in champagne. This flavorful, bright bubbly exhibits the crisp acidity and vibrant apple/citrus fruit that is characteristic of cool climate Chardonnay. The grapes are grown in the unique pockets of California’s North Coast, including the Napa-Carneros, Sonoma Coast, Mendocino County, and Marin County. The fruit is hand-picked in the early morning hours at optimal maturity. Individual lot fermentations allow the winemakers to carefully select the components that make up the finished blend. After bottle fermentation and two years of aging en tirage, subsequent trials determine the ideal dosage to finish this lively, fruitful style.
Vineyard Profile:  Vineyards: 56% Napa, 42% Sonoma, 1% Mendocino, 1% Marin
Appellation: North Coast
Vintage Report:  Harvest Date(s): August 20th - October 22, 2019
Vinification:  Barrel Fermentation: 23%
Technical Information:  Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Alcohol: 12.6%
TA: 6.2 g/mL
p H: 3.38
RS: 9.0 g/mL
Tasting Notes:  “The Mirabelle Blanc de Blancs has bright and fresh aromas of Pink Lady apple, lemon-lime and warm wheat toast intermingled with layers of apricot, baked pineapple, and toasted almonds. It’s vibrant flavors of orange blossom, lemon zest and pear bring a tartness to the mid-palate that carries to a long, flavorful finish.”  -Winemakers Sean Thompson, Jessica Koga, and Hugh Davies

Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rose, North Coast, USA
Price: $34.50                   Your Price: $30.36              Quantity in Stock: 21
the Mirabelle Brut Rosé is a specially crafted blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Schramsberg’s select cool-climate vineyards in Carneros, Anderson Valley, and the Sonoma and Marin coastal areas of Northern California. Pinot Noir lots, including a few fermented with skin contact, provide brightness of berry fruit and body, while Chardonnay lots lend length and zest to the palate. Additional flavor depth and aromatic complexity results from the blending of base wine lots aged in barrels and tanks for one or more years. The finished Brut Rosé exhibits fresh, elegant and toasty aromas that lead into lively and delicious fruit flavors on the palate.

2021 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs, North Coast, USA MAGNUM
Price: $101.25                 Your Price: $89.10
2021 Schramsberg Blanc De Blancs Napa Sparkling
Price: $40.50                   Your Price: $35.64
Winemaker Notes: The 2021 Blanc de Blancs has lifted aromas of fresh Granny Smith apple, lemon-lime and fresh baked bread, intermingled with hints of baked pineapple and toasted almonds. Its vibrant flavors of Meyer lemon and tart apple bring drive to the mid-palate, leading to a clean, palate-cleansing finish.

2019 SCHRAMSBERG BLANC DE NOIRS BRUT, NORTH COAST, USA
Price: $43.50     Your Price: $38.28          Quantity in Stock: 15
The 2019 Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs opens with aromas of passion fruit, loquat, strawberry, pear, pineapple, and almost ripe peach, which harmonize with notes of ginger, vanilla, blanched almond, and nutmeg. The palate begins with a bright and juicy entry, that integrates dense and lively layers of zesty orange, nectarine, and tropical fruit. Its mouthwatering acidity and verve lead to a balanced, clean and crisp finish.
Blend: 88% Pinot Noir, 12% Chardonnay

2020 Schramsberg Brut Rose, North Coast, USA
Price: $48.00                   Your Price: $42.24
Schramsberg Brut Rosé is flavorful, complex and dry, making it both versatile with food and delicious by itself as an apéritif. The character of the wine is most strongly influenced by bright, flavorful Pinot Noir grown in Carneros, Anderson Valley, and the Sonoma and Marin coastal areas. A few small lots of Pinot Noir are fermented in contact with their skins to add depth and subtle color to this unique sparkling wine. Chardonnay gives spice, structure and length on the palate.

2019 Schramsberg Modicum Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut, California
Price: $66.00                   Your Price: $58.08
Modicum is an all-Chardonnay Extra Brut sparkling made in collaboration between Schramsberg's winemaking team along with the sommelier team at Chef Thomas Keller's French Laundry in Yountville. The production largely goes to Keller's restaurants

2014 Schramsberg J Schram Blancs
Price: $142.50                 Your Price: $125.40
(93 Points) Luxurious and rich, yet steely and vibrant at the core, with baked apple, brioche, hazelnut and spice flavors that finish on a decadent note. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Drink now through 2026. 2,450 cases made. - Wine Spectator

2013 SCHRAMSBERG J SCHRAM BLANCS, CALIFORNIA, USA
Price: $147.00                 Your Price: $129.36              Quantity in Stock: 7
From the inception of our efforts in 1965, we have sought to achieve the greatest elegance and individuality possible in our sparkling wines. J. Schram epitomizes our philosophy to create a wine in which no effort has been spared and no care has been omitted. This wine is a fine expression of American individuality and innovation. Wine grapes from the finest vineyards of Northern California are nurtured throughout the ripening process, before they are hand-picked. Complexity is gained through fermentation in both oak barrels and stainless steel tanks. Some small lots undergo malolactic fermentation to enrich aromas and infuse creaminess on the palate. The wine is then aged in our historical mountainside caves for over five years. Dedicated to our founder of 1862, Jacob Schram, this special bottling has been a great success since its first release in 1992. J. Schram reflects Schramsberg’s continuing role as a pioneer in world class sparkling wines. It is our nominee when you want an American statement of international excellence.The 2013 J. Schram opens with bright aromas of green apple, ripe grapefruit and sweet pineapple followed by exotic nuances of mango, guava, panna cotta, and toasted almond. On first sip, tangerine and Kaffir lime are present, which are accentuated by layers of tart pear and Fuji apple. The palate’s texture is viscous and savory on entry. A long finish is driven by generous mouthwatering and lingering acidity.

2013 Schramsberg J Schram 'Noirs' Brut, California, USA
Price: $147.00                 Your Price: $129.36              Quantity in Stock: 9
From the inception of the Davies efforts in 1965, they have sought to achieve the greatest elegance and individuality possible in their sparkling wines. J. Schram epitomizes their philosophy to create a wine in which no effort has been spared and no care has been omitted. This wine is a fine expression of American individuality and innovation.

Wine grapes from the finest vineyards of Northern California are nurtured throughout the ripening process, before they are hand-picked. Complexity is gained through fermentation in both oak barrels and stainless steel tanks. Some small lots undergo malolactic fermentation to enrich aromas and infuse creaminess on the palate. The wine is then aged in Schramsberg's historical mountainside caves for over five years.

Dedicated to their founder of 1862, Jacob Schram, this special bottling has been a great success since its first release in 1992. J. Schram reflects Schramsberg’s continuing role as a pioneer in world class sparkling wines. It is our nominee when you want an American statement of international excellence. J. Schram is appealing as an aperitif or enjoyed with fresh shellfish, caviar, smoked salmon, mild cheeses, seafood brochettes and risotto with prosciutto.

The Schramsberg team and the Davies Family is thrilled to release the first bottling of J. Schram Noirs, our finest Pinot Noir brut offering. For decades labeled as the Schramsberg Reserve, we bottled our special limited Noirs blend in the J. Schram proprietary glass with the 2013 vintage, filling out our ultimate sparkling wine tier with three selections: Blancs, Rosé, and Noirs. Representing 2% of our annual production, this richly flavored and full-bodied sparkler is made from only the finest base-wine lots produced each year. We release this finished sparkling wine nine years after the grapes are harvested, yet this fruitful, dry, toasty and creamy bubbly will age gracefully for decades to come.

Though primarily Pinot Noir, small amounts of select Chardonnay lots are added to the blend to lend additional backbone and length to the palate. Distinct barrel and malolactic fermented lots are also layered in to provide viscosity and depth. Each bottle is aged in contact with its yeast in our historic Diamond Mountain hillside caves for eight years, affording the development of seasoned, roasted and caramelized richness. The yeast is then removed and a finishing dosage, determined through extensive and comprehensive trials, is added to fine-tune the wines balance of flavor and structure.

2014 Schramsberg J. Schram Brut Rose, North Coast, USA
Price: $175.00                 Your Price: $154.00              Quantity in Stock: 11
J. Schram Rosé is made from the vintage’s best lots from Schramsberg’s collection of cool-climate vineyard sites in Carneros, Anderson Valley, Monterey and the Sonoma/Marin coast. A polished marriage of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, this wine showcases Schramsberg’s signature style of weaving together small lots of wines fermented in stainless steel tanks with lots fermented in French oak barrels. Following secondary fermentation in the bottle, the J. Schram Rosé was aged for seven years in Schramsberg’s historic caves. This wine is the companion to Schramsberg’s flagship J. Schram, which is considered by many to be the ultimate expression of artisan American sparkling wine.

2018 SCHRAMSBERG CREMANT DEMI SEC, NAPA COUNTY, USA
Price: $45.00                   Your Price: $39.60              Quantity in Stock: 3
The 2018 Schramsberg Crémant Demi-sec welcomes tantalizing aromas of peach, nectarine, pineapple, and pear blossom, which are complemented with notes of ginger, orange blossom, marzipan, brioche and meringue. The palate presents bright citrus flavors, including lemon-lime and lemon cookie, with layers of apple crumble and honey supporting the juicy mouthfeel. Undertones of ripe stone fruit and lychee, provide balance to the tangy finish.

2019 DAVIES VINEYARDS NAPA VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON, CALIFORNIA, USA
Price: $75.00     Your Price: $66.00          Quantity in Stock: 7
The 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon opens with bountiful aromas of ripe blackberry, black cherry, raspberry compote with light notes of vanilla, anise and coffee beans. Integrated tannins anchor the wine’s palate, carrying flavors of dense blueberry and dark chocolate, with hints of vanilla and white pepper, leading to a youthful finish.

2019 J. DAVIES CABERNET SAUVIGNON DIAMOND MOUNTAIN Napa
Price: $142.50                 Your Price: $125.40
This Cabernet opens with rich aromas of red raspberry and red plum, accentuated by undertones of cocoa powder and cola spice. Supple tannins anchor the wines well-structured palate, where a concentrated entry of baked strawberry and blackberry leads to a juicy acidity and lengthy finish.
Blend: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot

2018 J. Davies Estate "Jamie" Cabernet Sauvignon DIAMOND MOUNTAIN Napa
Price: $252.00                 Your Price: $221.76
The Davies family, proprietors of Schramsberg and Davies Vineyards in Napa Valley, presents the seventh vintage of the J. Davies Estate Jamie, the finest Cabernet Sauvignon crafted from its historic Diamond Mountain vineyard property. Bearing her signature, this wine is named in honor of Schramsbergs matriarch, the late Jamie Davies. Along with her husband Jack, she revived the Schramsberg property in 1965 with an inspired vision of crafting world-class American sparkling wines. Five decades later a second generation of the Davies family, led by son Hugh and his wife Monique, have taken on the additional challenge of producing extraordinary Cabernet Sauvignon from vines grown on the familys hillside property. They are proud to release the J. Davies Estate Jamie Cabernet Sauvignon, representing the pinnacle of an endeavor that spans 57 years.

The vineyard blocks, totaling 46 acres, are laid out in four isolated pockets ranging from 500 to 1000 feet in elevation. They include the two Schram sections, Napa Valleys first hillside vineyards, originally established in 1862 by Jacob Schram, the McEachran parcel, first planted by Colin McEachran in 1878, and the Claes parcel, dating back to 1984. These are the southernmost vineyards in the Diamond Mountain District AVA. Flanked by two cool creek canyons (Nash Creek to the north and Ritchie Creek to the south) and surrounded by compact coniferous and deciduous forests, the vines here produce late-ripening, richly concentrated fruit with average yields of just two tons per acre.

The long growing season in 2018 revealed a vintage with structure and concentration without being overripe. Despite a warm February, the growing season started off cooler than the past few vintages. A cool spring meant bloom lasted longer than usual, which resulted in a bountiful crop. Summer temperatures were moderate with fewer heat spikes than in recent years. Veraison started later as well, and as a result, harvest started two to three weeks later than average. The result was fruit exhibiting firm tannins, with outstanding color and brightness.

TASTING NOTES: his deep ruby colored Cabernet opens with captivating aromas of dark fruit, including boysenberry and plum, accentuated with notes of cinnamon toast, dark chocolate, violet and tobacco. Integrated tannins anchor the wines bright entry of dense dark cherry and blackberry, combined with crushed herbs and baking spice. A juicy mid-palate is supported by a balance structure and is followed by a long finish.  - Winemakers Csilla Kato, Sean Thompson and Hugh Davies