by Patrick Ogle
Château de Lisenne's Bulles de Lisennes Cremant de Bordeaux is a French sparkling wine. You may ask; French sparkler doesn't that make it a Champagne? Not necessarily because if it sparkles and isn't from Champagne? It isn't a Champagne.
Cremants are sparkling wines from France (and in one case Luxembourg) that are not made in Champagne. Some people reading this are, no doubt, aware of this but others may not be (yes, I also know locales outside France have taken to using the term “cremant”). Let me state this clearly; do not be afraid of cremants! They can be wonderful wines and they are generally made using the same method as in Champagne. The location they come from and the grapes used will often be different from the three or four main grapes used in Champagne (seven are allowed). You will also find cremants using pinot noir and chardonnay just like Champagne.
This particular cremant has the yeasty taste you often find in Champagnes. The acid is also high and the bubbles fine. Small, fine bubbles are a good thing; you don't want a sparkling wine with big Coca Cola bubbles.
There are eight white grapes and six red permitted in Bordeaux. Three of those grapes are used to make this wine: muscadelle, semillon and cabernet franc. Cab franc may seem like an unusual choice to use in a white sparkling wine but it certainly works here.
Fruit-wise I have a hard time not writing “grapefruit” here. It is a flavor that pops up quite a bit in white wine descriptions (sometimes more referring to the pith than the fruit itself). It applies here and this flavor mixes with floral elements. Citrus blossoms spring to mind. Think of taking a deep breath in an orange grove in the fall.
I worked at a wine shop that was selling this wine for $21 a bottle. When I tasted it I thought $21 was the store's cost; that is how highly I thought of this wine. I've had Grower Champagnes I didn't like as much.
$18-22
Château de Lisenne's Bulles de Lisennes Cremant de Bordeaux is a French sparkling wine. You may ask; French sparkler doesn't that make it a Champagne? Not necessarily because if it sparkles and isn't from Champagne? It isn't a Champagne.
Cremants are sparkling wines from France (and in one case Luxembourg) that are not made in Champagne. Some people reading this are, no doubt, aware of this but others may not be (yes, I also know locales outside France have taken to using the term “cremant”). Let me state this clearly; do not be afraid of cremants! They can be wonderful wines and they are generally made using the same method as in Champagne. The location they come from and the grapes used will often be different from the three or four main grapes used in Champagne (seven are allowed). You will also find cremants using pinot noir and chardonnay just like Champagne.
This particular cremant has the yeasty taste you often find in Champagnes. The acid is also high and the bubbles fine. Small, fine bubbles are a good thing; you don't want a sparkling wine with big Coca Cola bubbles.
There are eight white grapes and six red permitted in Bordeaux. Three of those grapes are used to make this wine: muscadelle, semillon and cabernet franc. Cab franc may seem like an unusual choice to use in a white sparkling wine but it certainly works here.
Fruit-wise I have a hard time not writing “grapefruit” here. It is a flavor that pops up quite a bit in white wine descriptions (sometimes more referring to the pith than the fruit itself). It applies here and this flavor mixes with floral elements. Citrus blossoms spring to mind. Think of taking a deep breath in an orange grove in the fall.
I worked at a wine shop that was selling this wine for $21 a bottle. When I tasted it I thought $21 was the store's cost; that is how highly I thought of this wine. I've had Grower Champagnes I didn't like as much.
$18-22
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