Schramsberg Vineyards Blanc de Blancs

About

In 1862, German immigrants Jacob and Annie Schram established Schramsberg as the first winery with vineyards planted on the hillsides of the Napa Valley. With the help of Chinese laborers, vineyards replaced scrub oak, and a network of underground caves was tunneled into the soft, volcanic rock.

In 1965, Jack and Jamie Davies assumed stewardship of the winery with the mission to produce America’s first méthode champenoise sparkling wines, using the noble grapes of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the classic, old-world tradition. Each vineyard would be vinified separately to create small, individual lots of base wine, then painstakingly selected and handcrafted into America’s artisan sparkling wines.

The spark that ignited the American sparkling wine industry in 1965 continues to burn in the second generation of the Davies family to helm the winery. Today Hugh Davies, winemaker and general manager of Schramsberg, is devoted to carrying on his parent’s vision: to create America’s premier sparkling wines. Our winemaker’s passion for constant refinement of vineyard sources and winemaking techniques is captured in each bottle. The resulting refinements to our original vision are evident each year in our new releases.

We invite you to share in this American tradition by enjoying our proudly crafted sparkling wines.

Our Blanc de Blancs received world recognition in 1972 when it was served for the “Toast to Peace” in Beijing between President Nixon and Premier Chou En-lai. It has since been served by our Presidents at home and abroad on countless occasions. The 1989 vintage won a Gold Medal at the Pacific Rim Wine Competition in Hong Kong and the 1994 vintage was awarded “Best of Show” by the Quarterly Review of Wines. The 1998 vintage won silver medals at the Orange County Fair, the Grand Harvest Awards and the Orange county Wine Competition.

Schramsberg Vineyards Blanc de Blancs is dry and crisp with abundant flavors of lemon, apple, pear and pineapple. Small lots of malolactic and barrel-fermented wines are added for complexity. The wine is aged on the yeast lees in the bottle for about three years prior to disgorgement. With its bright fruit and crisp characters, this sparkling wine will maintain its freshness, structure and refined finish for many years following its initial release.

This is our “oysters on the half shell” sparkling wine with a citrus-like crispness that make it ideal with a variety of fresh seafood. It is also delicious by itself as an aperitif or as an accompaniment to light poultry, cheese, and vegetable courses.