Winemaker Notes
Chandon Brut presents intense and fresh fruit flavors with subtle complexity and displays a vibrant straw yellow hue accompanied by an energetic bead and mousse. Notes of green apple, citrus, pear, biscuit, almond, and white flowers enhance its refreshing character, making it an excellent aperitif or a perfect pairing with salty or creamy dishes such as oysters, Caesar salad, fried chicken, or calamari.
Blend: 73% Chardonnay, 26% Pinot Noir, 1% Meunier
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Elegant and vibrant aromas of crisp apples, zesty yellow citrus and touches of creamy notes. Very smooth and soft on the palate, harmonious, with fine bubbles. Blend: 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is lively, with aromas of pear, yellow apple, yellow plum and notes of orange blossoms on the nose. Flavors on the palate are white peach and white nectarine, with a firm mousse midpalate with fine bubbles. Blood-orange cream, hazelnut, pink grapefruit and a crisp, silky finish dance across the palate.
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The Somm Journal
The luxe packaging may be brand-new, but when it comes to what’s inside, Domaine Chandon knows full well not to fix what ain’t broke: The multiregional, traditionalmethod blend of 73% Chardonnay, 26% Pinot Noir, and 1% Pinot Meunier is a sure bet for everyday bubbly. Scents of ripe Anjou pear, apple butter, and sweet florals attend a palate that starts out crisp as lace, then quickly spreads out on the mid-palate, juicy to the finish with apricot nectar and grapefruit rin
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Tasting Panel
Appealingly reliable, reliably appealing: That could be Chandon Brut's tagline. The nose on this traditional-method blend of 73% Chardonnay, 26% Pinot Noir, and 1% Meunier is a ray of sunshine, combining ripe pear and citrus (pomelo, lemon curd) with white peach and the slightest hint of tarragon. The curvaceous palate is likewise almost playful in its vibrancy.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: I tasted and retailed the first release of the Chandon Brut in December 1976. I had visited Domaine Chandon's offices in Yountville before the winery existed. I think the winery was called M&H Company, but I'll have to refer to my earliest notebooks if my notes still exist. Domaine Chandon Yountville marked a new direction for the world of California sparkling wines, and the industry has never looked back. The Chandon Brut is steady as it has always been. TASTING NOTES: This wine is subtle, fresh, almost complex, and perfect. Its aromas and flavors of dried herbs, tart fruit, and chalk would be a beautiful way to start dinner. Pair it with a raw seafood bar or just enjoy it by itself. (Tasted: July 18, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
Red apple, lemon rind and some brioche character. Smooth bubbles and pleasant, fresh acidity helps balance the generosity here, giving a vibrant feel. Not complex, but delightful. A blend of chardonnay and pinot noir. Bottled in March 2021. Drink now.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh and expressive, featuring vibrant lemon, vanilla crème brûlée and spice flavors that zip along the finish.
CHANDON is a global community of winemakers, rooted in a domain on which the sun never sets.
They have been crafting exceptional sparkling wines since our founding in 1959 in Mendoza, Argentina. In 60 years of excellence, the pioneering spirit that’s embedded in their DNA has taken them all over the globe to California, Brazil, Australia, China, and India.
CHANDON is now made up of six personalities under one identity, all making outstanding quality wines, united by their shared personality and values. The mission has always been to open a world of possibilities in sparkling wine. It is as relevant today as it was six decades ago.
In the late 1950s, Robert-Jean de Vogüé, a maverick and non-conformist, had the vision, courage, and stamina to redefine luxury sparkling wine. He was convinced that the road less traveled led to an exciting future for quality sparkling wine, so he set off on an epic journey to find unexpected new lands in Argentina. What he found there, in Mendoza–a high-altitude semi-desert in the Andean foothills – was the perfect terroir for pure, expressive, fruit-driven world-class fizz.
He decided his hunch – export the savoir-faire, not the bottles – was right.
And so, it began in 1959, when Maison CHANDON was founded on the tradition of innovation.
CHANDON Argentina, born of Robert-Jean de Vogüé’s original vision, broke ground in 1959 in Mendoza in the Andean foothills. From there, a world of unique sparkling wines opened up.
Napa, California was the next territory to beckon, after Robert-Jean became convinced of the potential of this region for quality sparkling. The idea was considered revolutionary both in France and in America. The United States had always been a minor market for wines and US demand for California sparkling wines even smaller.
CHANDON California was founded in 1973, betting the emergence of a sparkling-wine maker, and began producing under the direction of Dawnine Dyer in terroirs identified by John Wright.
That same year, 1973, Brazil’s Serra Gaúcha was pinpointed. Then in 1986, Yarra Vally was found for CHANDON Australia, and legendary winemaker Tony Jordan was tasked with producing there. CHANDON China arrived on the scene in 2013, in Ningxia, China, the country’s top premium winemaking region. The most recent member of the family is CHANDON India, founded in 2014, in Nashik, Maharashtra.
California enjoys a long history and proven reputation as an admirable source of sparkling wines. Agoston Haraszthy, who established Buena Vista Winery in the mid 1850s, first attempted to make traditional method sparkling wine in California in the 1870s. Shortly thereafter Korbel followed, and with great success. Today domestic producers such as Schramsberg, Iron Horse and J. Wine Co remain at the forefront of the market.
Since the 1970s the state has consistently attracted the attention and investment of large and respected European and French-based firms who are responsible for Domaine Chandon, Mumm-Napa Valley, Roederer Estate and Domaine Carneros (Taittinger), to name a few. Anderson Valley and Carneros remain standout regions for top quality Pinot noir and Chardonnay for these.