“We make over 300 base wines,” Hugh Davies told me, as I stood looking at him with a mouthful of the Schramsberg 2017 Chardonnay base wine needling my tongue. This lean and taut Chardonnay, from a vineyard parcel on the Sonoma Coast, was only 30 miles in distance but felt a world away from the round and rich Chardonnay I had just tasted from their Carneros vineyard. Same vintage, same process, similar harvest date, different terroirs.
With Schramsberg CEO and winemaker Davies, I was tasting just five of their base wines from the 2017 vintage. This wasn’t even a drop in the ocean in terms of all the different components that go into making one of the foremost sparkling wine productions in the United States (it’s the fizz of choice at the White House, don’t you know).
“We work with 120 different vineyard sites,” Davies explained. Multiply these different sites by the different grape varieties and the different vinification methods (full malo, partial malo, no malo, fermentation in barrel or stainless steel) and it somehow adds up to just over 300 base wines. “Of course we don’t own all those vineyards,” he said, preempting my next question. “We would need much deeper pockets for that…”
Schramsberg sources 75% of its grapes from different growers, which is no surprise considering their portfolio includes fruit from some of the most expensive vineyard sites in the New World. Having a greater palette to play with is always a benefit when it comes to making a consistent cuvée, although, contrary to the Champenois ethos of making non-vintage blends for consistency’s sake, Davies prefers to make vintage wines. Schramsberg celebrates the differences between each harvest, while remaining adamant that each year is worthy of the same prestige and price point as the year before. “We are quite bullish in this concept that great sparkling wines can be vintage,” admits Davies.
Davies is also happy to talk about the evolution of style within Schramsberg, which has come not only in the winery (they don’t add brandy to the dosage anymore, and aim for a ‘more polished’ style) but also in the vineyard.
“The biggest change is in the map,” he explains how their grape selection has shuffled towards cooler and more coastal areas of Sonoma, Marin County and Mendocino, as well as maintaining some fruit from Napa, where the winery is based. Most of their Napa fruit for sparkling wine comes from the cooler Carneros region, while their warmer vineyards surrounding the winery in Calistoga are used for their red blend – marketed as Davies Vineyards. “For our sparkling wine we’ve gone to the cooler areas and our style has evolved because of that.”
The cooler sites are evident in the bright acidity, but throughout Schramsberg’s ranges – from their flagship Blanc de Blanc through to their 1997 Late Disgorge (with 14 years on the lees) – the ripe and sunny Californian fruit is evident and there is pride in creating rich sparkling wines of many layers. Davies isn’t shy in admitting that it takes time, thought and plenty of human intervention in making the Cuvée (“these wines are crafted”) and while part of this complexity is achieved by long lees ageing, undoubtedly the secret weapon is having no less than 300 base wines as your artillery.
Schramsberg sparkling wine tasting highlights
2014 Blanc de Noirs
While the Blanc de Blanc is, aromatically-speaking, more citrus-driven, the Blanc de Noir is driven by stone fruit aromas and flavours: peach, apricot and bright red apple. Barrel fermentation and a couple of years on the lees add a richness and creaminess, giving you a very complete wine for the USD $40 price tag.
2008 J Schram
A Chardonnay-dominant blend with some barrel fermentation and several years on the lees resulting in a long and layered sparkling wine with notes of baked apple pie and beeswax, lightened up by lemon zest and fresh acidity. This was sublime with scallops.
2008 Reserve
The flip side of the J Schram (above), this blend has 80% Pinot Noir with 20% Chardonnay. The result is a toastier and more full-bodied sparkling wine that can stand up to bigger dishes (like duck breast with orange sauce, as we tasted over dinner). Filled with aromas of cinnamon, spice and all things nice, this is a creamy and mouth-filling sparkler and the richness is nicely underpinned by a dry finish.
2003 J Schram
This was one of my favourites of the tasting and is a special release in their wine club (you’ll have to head to Calistoga to get your hands on this – where you’ll also find some delicious late-disgorged editions). This 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir blend is layered with aromas of nuts, honey and brioche while the palate is still vibrant with fruit flavours and a wonderfully long, creamy finish.
Where can you buy Schramsberg wines?
Where to buy Schramsberg in the USA
- Readily available nationwide. Check out the Schramsberg shop to buy directly from their wine club.
Where to buy Schramsberg in the UK
- The Vineyard Cellars imports Schramsberg for private clients and restaurants.
