WineDay:The Bride

by Fred McMillin
for June 1, 1998

Here Comes the Bride

Prologue

Juno was the Roman goddess of marriage. Hence, the Romans felt June was the best of all the months for marriage.

Champagne is the only wine that leaves a woman beautiful after drinking it.

...Mme. de Pompadour

The Rest of the Story

So we must toast the June bride with a sparkling wine, but which one? My choice is the first California sparkler to be established by a French champagne house. Exactly 25 years ago Moet and Chandon created Domaine Chandon in the lower Napa Valley. In recognition of this milestone, the winery has released a 25th Anniversary Reserve Cuvee.

Their prior Reserves have received much critical praise...
"Exceptional mouthfeel"...Wine Enthusiast
"The overall quality of the Reserve puts it among the best in California"...S.F. Chronicle

This Anniversary Reserve is destined to receive even more. It was conceived back in 1991. Winemaker Dawnine Dyer, working her 15th Chandon vintage, led the charge to upgrade the Reserve. It would be blended especially to benefit from spending more years on the flavor-giving yeasty sediment...five years to be exact. So this sparkler, the first of the new Reserves, has more mouthfilling intensity than ever, ideal for a sparkling toast to the June bride.

The Wine

Chandon 25th Anniversary Reserve Cuvee
Domaine Chandon, Yountville, CA.
Contact—Jean Jacote, (707) 944-9400, X-303
Price—$24 range

Postscript

How many bubbles will you get in that Chandon bottle? Dr. William Lembeck says the typical sparkler gives off 49 million!

About the Writer

Fred McMillin, a veteran wine writer, has taught wine history for 30 years on three continents. He currently teaches wine courses at San Francisco State and San Francisco City College and is Northern California Editor for American Wine on the Web. In 1995, the Academy of Wine Communications honored Fred with one of only 22 Certificates of Commendation awarded to American wine writers.

Here Comes the Bride

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