11 November 2005

Freixenet Brut de Noirs NV

Earlier this afternoon I purchased a $10 bottle of the Freixenet Brut de Noirs based on my positive experience at the wedding last weekend. I was going to get one of the standard sparklers, but I came across this bottle and my brain and palate mimicked Strong Bad. I thought, "DRY? SPARKLING? DE NOIRS?" and made appropriate happy grunting noises.

Something I've noticed about Spanish rosés is that they have a lovely salmon/coral color to them. Almost orange, depending on the light. This wine is a half and half blend of Garnacha and Monastrell (Grenache and Mourvèdre, made in the rosé and sparkling styles). This wine barely bubbled in the glass, but fizzed up nicely on the pour and retained firm bubbles on the palate. Flavors tended towards strawberries with a hint of stronger red wine in the background. A decent wine for hanging around the house, listening to music and reading a good book. I know that sounds... less than manly, but a sparkling wine is an ephemeral thing, and I hate to leave an open bottle sitting in the fridge overnight. If you don't have to drive anywhere, why not spend a few hours drinking a tasty sparkler and enjoying life?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

My husband and I discovered this sparkler a couple of years ago. It became part of a favorite ritual - "woo woo Tuesday night". Our friends asked us why we had this every Tuesday, and we said because, woo woo it's Tuesday night! Anyway, it's very enjoyable, very drinkable, and fun.

Anonymous said...

I tried this sparkling wine for the first time on NYE. I find many sparkling wines (champagne included), unless they are completely dry, tend to give me a headache and/or a bad hangover if I have more than a flute or two. So when I saw this one was dry and had a wonderful colour (I like an all 'round wine experience including the visual!) I wanted to try it. I love it! I admit I had more than two flutes worth and no headache or bad hangover. Not only that but people at the party I brought it to kept asking about it because of it's glorious colour. In other words it turned out to be a conversation starter as well!

It is now my celebration sparkler of choice!

Anonymous said...

Glad y'all enjoyed it. I've tasted out the rest of the Freixenet line and have found all of them to be fun and a great bargain.

If you like a sparkling Blanc de Noirs that's dry, the Domaine Ste. Michelle and Gloria Ferrer versions are quite nice. The former is one of my standards for dinner parties, and I can generally find it for under $12. Unlike the wine in this post, both of those are going to have just the slightest hint of pink.

Ted said...

I came across a bottle of Freixenet Brut de Noirs in my girlfriend's liquor cabinet. It has an expiration date on the back label which says L6243 07'01. What are the chances this is still drinkable? My guess is I should point it towards the outdoor heavens as I open it, right? Or am I just wasting my time? Ted in northeastern Florida

Anonymous said...

Just returned from Sicily, and YES this is the flavor you taste in the "back country" outside Palermo and Catania. It is still made in the small farms.