“Reserve” is Schramsberg’s top Pinot Noir-focused brut sparkling wine. Representing 2% of our annual production, this richly-flavored and full-bodied sparkler is made from only the finest base-wine lots produced each year. We release this finished sparkling wine nearly 9 years after the fruit is harvested, yet this fruitful and dry, toasty and creamy bubbly will age gracefully for decades to come.

Though primarily Pinot Noir, small amounts of select Chardonnay lots are added to the blend to lend additional backbone and length to the palate. Distinct barrel and malolactic fermented lots are also layered in to provide viscosity and depth. Each bottle is aged in contact with its yeast in our historic Diamond Mountain hillside caves for approximately eight years, affording the development of seasoned, roasted and caramelized richness. The yeast is then removed and a finishing dosage, determined through extensive and comprehensive trials, is added to fine-tune the wine’s balance of flavor and structure.

Schramsberg Reserve is well-suited with a main course, such as fruit-stuffed veal, pork tenderloin, roasted duck with mango, cedarplank grilled salmon and curried chicken salad. This flavorful sparkling wine can also be served as an apéritif with smoked oysters, caviar and such hard cheeses as aged Swiss Sbrinz, Sonoma Vella Jack or Irish Coolea.

The 2012 North Coast wine grape harvest saw textbook conditions, with an ideal bud break and flowering that led to an even fruit set over the spring. A lengthy stretch of warm days and cool, foggy nights during the summer months, was ideal for the grapes as they matured. Any significant rains held off until the grapes found optimal ripeness, promoting exceptional fruit quality with a uniform balance of acids and sugars.

“The 2012 Reserve introduces aromas of orange marmalade, peach cobbler, graham cracker and toffee which evolve into hints of apricot, marzipan and honey. Enveloping flavors of cinnamon apple, warm baked pineapple, vanilla spice and ginger lead into flavors of apricot cake, baked orange, candied strawberry and almond with fresh length, bright acitity and a zesty finish on the palate.” —Winemakers Sean Thompson and Hugh Davies