Champagne Week #4 - NV Biltmore Estate Blanc de Blancs Brut (Russian River Valley)

There we were, hauling ass down the Awesome Champagne Highway when all of a sudden...

George Vanderbilt's estate - Biltmore - is a major tourist attraction in North Carolina that also happens to have some vineyards.  Years ago a friend came back from there with a bottle of Estate Merlot.  I can't recall if it was any good or not, which itself is telling.  Surprisingly, this sparkling was made entirely from Chardonnay gown in the Russian River Valley - not North Carolina - a fact mysteriously missing from the label.  Go figure.

(Full disclosure: This wine was received as a press sample.) Anyway, very light in color, but heavy on the nose with yeast, cream, and nuttiness, first impressions of this wine are similar to a rustic farmhouse bubbly.  Larger bubbles, however, give away this wine's origin - not France.  While balanced and enjoying commendable acidic framing, its sugars are the harbinger of the hangover that likely awaits he or she who drinks more than one.  As for the price, I've got to believe that the 2x inflation is novelty driven and directly related to the tourist destination.  $25


Drink this novelty with tears shed over a mistakenly erased SD card that had all your vacation pictures on it.