I returned to London yesterday from my trip to the US. Before I left, I had tracked down a couple of lesser-known but well-received US sparkling wines to bring back with me, and I put one of them in the fridge right after I unpacked. My husband and I had it with dinner last night - Biltmore Estate Chateau Reserve 2008 Blanc de Blancs (North Carolina).
I have a complaint right off about this wine. It was supposed to be a 2006 vintage - this is what is advertised on their website and what I ordered. At no point did they inform me that I would be getting a different vintage - perhaps most of their customers don't care about this, but I do. So points lost right there.
For the price (around $25 for the bottle) this wine was comparable to some of the proseccos that I've drunk. It's a very light wine, with sour apple flavour hitting the mid-palate followed by just a flash of sweetness and no finish. The bubbles were fine on pouring, but quickly dissipated. I was a little disappointed with it - perhaps the 2006 was as stunning as some of the reviews I read and the 2008 just doesn't compare. But I wouldn't waste the effort tracking down the 2006...
We followed the Biltmore Estate up with glasses of Maison Lenique 2005 - a world of difference between the two wines with the Maison Lenique having more creamy apple and yeast flavours, a denser, richer, altogether nicer wine. It satisfied my craving for a good glass of bubbly, something the Biltmore Estate wine didn't achieve.
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