Offered two organic sparkling wines from Argentina’s Domaine Bousquet, I said please and thank you! Below are my tasting notes and below that are notes from the winery. I’ve reviewed Bousquet wines before (here’s my review of some of their still wines) but never their sparkling wines, which are always one of my favorites.
Méthode Traditionnelle Chardonnay-Pinot Noir Brut NV / SRP $18
With a resounding pop I removed the cork, then as I poured the sparkling wine I noticed the light golden color and lots of tiny bubbles clinging to the edge and coming up from the bottom of my glass. Going in to see what aromas I could capture I noted freshly zested lemon, cheddar cheese, wet stone and white flower. Those fresh fruits, namely citrus, danced up from the aromas and delivered in the taste, as well as bruised yellow apple, pineapple and limeade. If I had to describe the wine in one word it would be: Fresh.
Méthode Traditionnelle Pinot Noir-Chardonnay Brut Rosé NV / SRP $18
A beautiful cross between salmon and rose gold in color, and just the tiniest of bubbles lingering to the center, very pretty! The nose reminded me of freshly cut cantaloupe and honeydew melons, white peach, wet sand…all very fresh and perfect for a day at the beach. Anticipating some of the same notes on the palate…I got a tangy bite of lemon, orange and lime at first. Then, on the back palate, the acidity from the citrus fruits gave way to more complicated flavors including lemon gelato and bright orange sherbet, and finally, a crisp minerality delivered an extremely long finish. In a word: Zesty.
Domaine Bousquet
These two wines are made from 100% certified organic grapes harvested at the Domaine Bousquet estate in the high-altitude Gualtallary growing zone of Argentina’s Uco Valley. Chardonnay, accounting for around 75% of the blend, dominates in the Brut Méthode Traditionelle. That order is reversed in the Pinot-dominant Brut Rosé, in which Pinot Noir accounting for about 75% of the blend. The Brut is fermented on the lees in bottle for six months. The Brut Rosé receives double that amount of time.
Though made via the traditional French champagne method, tropical aromas, and rich fruit notes of strawberries, citrus and flowers found in the Brut proclaim its exuberant New World origin. Cherry and raspberry fruit, orange peel and classic toasted bread notes feature in traditional method Brut Rosé.
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards, Cellarmasters, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.
