Gloria Ferrer Brut ‘Royal Cuvee’ 2001- Great Sparkling Deal WS93

13 Mar

Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuve 2001 labelLast night I had the pleasure of celebrating a special occasion with this awesome bottle of sparkling wine from Carneros.  Gloria Ferrer is usually known for their Sonoma wines, but this vintage reserve bottling uses Napa grapes, to great effect.  Unlike many California sparklers, this wine is nuanced and very dry, much like a Champagne.  With 2/3 Pinot Noir and 1/3 Chardonnay, you get some of the smokey and nutty flavors of the Pinot coming through as well.

For me, it’s fun to drink vintage sparkling wine, not just because of complexity gained during the 7-8 years in the bottle, but because I like to think about all the effort that went into creating it.   If you haven’t read up on the complicated process of making champagne and other sparkling wine, it’s worth a read.  It will make your wine drinking experience more enjoyable.

If you’re thinking about trying this wine, you don’t have to take my word for it.  It got 93 points from Wine Spectator.

Wine Spectator 93 Points
This sparkling wine is fresh and vibrant, yet with a core of rich, luscious fruit. Aromas of Asian pear, rose water and lemon curd lead to layered flavors of fresh ginger, pippin apple and cinnamon that finish on a showy note. Drink now through 2013. 6,500 cases made.

I bought this from LA Wine Company of only $18.99, but unfortunately, they are sold out.

Update: They have it back in!  Get this while it’s still around.

Gloria Ferrer Brut ‘Royal Cuvee’ 2001- $18.95

4 Responses to “Gloria Ferrer Brut ‘Royal Cuvee’ 2001- Great Sparkling Deal WS93”

  1. Brian Hewitt 14. Mar, 2010 at 7:53 am #

    I couldn’t agree more. I have been to Gloria Ferrar on a delightful late April day. The combination of the location and the sparkling wine was spectacular. They know what they do best and they do it with perfection. That was a great find at that price.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. NV Gloria Ferrer Brut- WS90 for $12.95 | Nickel and Dime Wine - 20. Mar, 2010

    [...] night begins with some great bubbly and last night was no exception.  After last weekend’s 2001 Gloria Ferrer ‘Royal Cuvee’, I decided to go for its less expensive label mate, the NV Brut.  For those new to sparkling wine, [...]
  2. Update: 2001 Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvee $18.95- Even lower price! | Big Producer, Carneros, Celebration Wine, Sparkling Wine « Nickel and Dime Wine : - 03. Apr, 2010

    [...] couple of weeks ago I posted a review of the 2001 Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvee.  At the time, the lowest price in the country was $21.99 .  Well, LA Wine Company just listed it [...]
  3. 2001 Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvée- No better sparkling deal $18.95 « Nickel and Dime Wine - 11. Nov, 2010

    [...] originally wrote about the 2001 Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvée back in March and, at the time, I thought it was the end of the vintage.  Apparently it [...]

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