WTN: Macon, Petit Chablis, and US sparkler

Snow, a minor surgery, a period of extreme cold, and holiday eating made me notice I might be getting a bit bigger. So for last week I’ve been eating more carefully (though well, with shrimp masala, pork tenderloin with mushrooms, gochujang chicken and more) and skipping wine. Saturday we went to an indoor/outdoor Valentine party (Betsy made Coronation Cauliflower and Chickpea, a variation of the British Coronation chicken). During my stints outdoors I sampled a few wines and used snowbanks for spittoons.

2024 Colombier Petit Chablis
Green apple, grapefruit, citrus zest, hint of seashell. Pretty good, and better than my previous Columbier experience. B

2024 Jadot Macon-Villages
Pear and lemon, orange zest, white flowers, a hint of chalk on finish. Good acids, clean and long, very good for the level.B+/B

A friend recently returned from Burgunday thought 2024 very strong red and white, this tends to confirm (at least on the fringes)

NV Gruet Brut
I tried thinking back to the days that Gruet made good wine. A faint memory now. Apple and apple cider, a metallic twang, sharp clipped finish. So happy to be spitting. C/C-


Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was the only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

[David M. Bueker]

So sad what happened to Gruet.

Very sad to hear about the Gruet. 20 years ago it used to be quite a reliable sparkler, but I certainly haven't kept up with them.

My understanding is that the family sold, and new corporation drastically expanded production. I didn't look at this bottle closely, but think switched from New Mexico appellation to "American",

Gruet was originally made from grapes grown on hillsides in NM that have limestone subsoil, much the same as in Champagne in France. This was a major factor in the quality of the wine. Then the family sold out and the new owners decided to expand production by bringing in grapes from the Pacific Coast. This is why most Gruet wines list America as the appellation rather than New Mexico. Alas, quality has plummeted. Looking at the Gruet website some of their higher end offerings are listed as New Mexico rather than America. Presumably that is where most of the original NM grapes are going. I haven't tried any of those wines so I don't know if the original quality has been maintained.

Oh well. It was good while it lasted.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Yup, a shame. Definitely not what it used to be. The original pivot was to Washington state for grapes, but now the grapes are probably coming from Fresno.

Yup, a shame. Definitely not what it used to be. The original pivot was to Washington state for grapes, but now the grapes are probably coming from Fresno.

Yipes! Shades of Gallo Hearty Burgundy ("One part Dry Creek Zin, nine parts Thompson Seedless" -- CGTCW)