Blanc de Blancs made from Chardonnay is the counterpart to the Blanc de Noirs, made from Pinot Noir. Blanc de Blancs was the first wine Schramsberg produced in 1965 and was America’s first commercially produced, Chardonnay-based brut sparkling wine. Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs gained international recognition in 1972 when then President Nixon served the wine at the historic Toast to Peace in Beijing, China.

The Schramsberg style of Blanc de Blancs is dry and crisp. Small lots of malolactic- and barrel-fermented wines are added for complexity. The wine is aged on the yeast lees in the bottle for some two years prior to disgorgement. With its vibrant, fruitful and crisp nature, this sparkling wine will maintain its freshness, structure and refined finish for many years, even decades following its initial release.

While this wine can be enjoyed by itself as an apéritif, it is also perfect with fresh oysters and other shellfish, crab cakes, ceviche and grilled sea bass. It is also delicious with lemon chicken and Thai curries. Serve with aged Gouda or other hard cheeses and as a counterpoint to soft triple creams.

The length of the 2005 growing season allowed for the development of ripe fruit character. Fresh crisp apple, lemon chiffon and juicy pineapple all come to mind. Suggestions of warm brioche and hazelnut lead way to a pleasing palate bursting with ripe apple, key lime and plump apricot. The 2005 Blanc de Blancs finishes with refreshing acidity and a quenching palate.

Hugh Davies and Craig Roemer, Winemakers