Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs 2016

Professional Ratings

• 93 James Suckling

  A dense and layered white with cooked apples, pears and praline. Full body. Plenty of fruit flavor. Fresh and vivid. Vinous and fun. Yet, serious at the end. Drink now.

• 93 Wine Enthusiast

  From stellar vineyard sites such as Keefer, Dutton and Hawk Hill, this Chardonnay sparkler starts out subdued and sleek, before unveiling complex layers of tart wet stone and acidity. The fruit is quietly layered, a structured foundation of green apple and Meyer lemon.

• 91 Connoisseurs' Guide

  100% Chardonnay. A perennial winner when it comes to fine Blanc de Blancs, Schramsberg hits the mark once again with this first-rate effort. In this outing, the wine shows a good deal of slightly toasty, autolyzed richness while still showing the lighter step of the category and, in all ways, is a complete and genuinely elegant sparkler with a marvelously fine and very long-lasting mousse. A wine with the balance and brightness to work famously with food, it is also one whose layered complexity invites meditative savoring on its own.

• 91 Wine Spectator

  Sleek, with pinpoint focus, offering harmonious Meyer lemon, candied almond and fresh ginger flavors that fan out on the crisp finish. Drink now.

• 90 Wine & Spirits

  The Davies family has been making sparkling wine for 50 years, and this Blanc de Blancs has become their flagship. It’s 100 percent chardonnay and this vintage is firm and clean, with clarity to its pale, juicy apple fruit and savory, chalk-like notes from aging on the lees. Refreshing to drink on its own or with any shellfish.

• 90 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

  The nose of the 2016 Blanc de Blancs is bright and fresh, with scents of quince peel, red apples, floral perfume, brioche and a nutty undercurrent. The light-bodied palate is dry with energetic mousse and a nice balance of mineral and tirage character, finishing with fantastic freshness.