Hi all - my first time lab ratting so please bear with me!
Bottle: beautiful, heavy, with metal labels bonded to both sides. Only 132 cases made! I tried researching history and vintner descriptions online only to find none - it wasn’t even listed on their web site. I inquired with my Casemates POC and learned that this was a limited test run by the winery and an exclusive to Casemates - lucky us/me!
On opening: nice heavy cork as befitting the fact that this wine is actually made with the full méthode champenoise. Opens easily with a satisfyingly loud pop - not jammed as I have sometimes found with denser/smaller corks used on sparklers in recent years.
Initial pour: yields ample bubbles that die down quickly but plenty of vertical bubbles remain in the glass even 20+ minutes later. Color - interesting! A beautiful pale blush/apricot tint that leads me to wonder if this is characteristic of the pinot noir grape, or if this wine was left on the skins slightly longer than usual?
Nose: at first more closed off, but faint notes of citrus and fruit come through. I’ll note that I love all wines but drink mostly reds, so my sparkler palette is not as well “trained!”
First sip: also more closed but given this was taken from my fridge only 10 minutes prior, I know it will open up more as it warms a bit. Notes of citrus, maybe faint floral/mineral? And the strongest note I get is of stone fruit (peach or maybe nectarine or apricot?) on the finish. The wine has a very light fizzy character as I would expect for the champagne method as opposed to other carbonation methods. The finish is not long but again I suspect it’s due to being a bit too cold at first? The wine is certainly not sweet, and the fruit is fairly subtle - but I don’t know that I would classify it as bone dry either. Slightly off-dry perhaps? Initially I’m left thinking it would be a nice light pairing for subtle cheese, fish dishes, or as a celebratory sparkler.
With food: my food choices for dinner tonight were not optimal, but worked out better than expected! I was having ginger-marinated steak with some dubliner-mushroom risotto and broccoli. Tasting the wine after the risotto - its acidity cut through the richness of the cheesy dish nicely. The wine was also warming up and showing more of its character as I ate. The nose now showed herbal notes that I hadn’t caught before - perhaps lemongrass among them? The palette still shows subtle grapefruit and stone fruits more prominently - but I thought I might have picked up notes of strawberry on the finish as well?
Sipping after dinner: I also noticed that when warmer, the wine tasted less subtle and more fruity overall. I sampled it with some cheeses. I decided that smoked gouda was too strong because it overwhelmed the wine’s more subtle flavors. Ripe brie cheese however went better - I might even recommend milder cheese than that though. As I finish the glass which is now just slightly under room temperature, I still get general citrus and fruit but feel that much of the subtle flavor it had earlier has faded at this point.
I have a closure device that retains the carbonation on sparkling wines, so I sealed the bottle and set it in the fridge to bring back out on the next night…
Night 2 notes: I unsealed and tried the wine with a wider variety of pairings and found that the flavors changed depending on what I had. Now that it was open and had some air in it for a couple days, I found that some mild toasty notes had developed in the mid-pallet - especially when paired with mild bread and butter or crackers. The citrus and stone fruit notes were still dominant in the palette. When paired with cheeses, the fruit notes came more to the forefront. The texture of the wine was still wonderful with plenty of light delicate bubbles remaining even having been open (but re-resealed) for two days.
Looking at this listing this morning: I’m pleased to see that I picked up many of the notes that were described when I tasted it on Tuesday and Thursday nights this week! Before seeing the details - I would have deemed this wine worthy of a $25+ price point based on my tastings. Certainly more elegant/complex than the typical grocery store sparkler - and my only other high end comparison is Iron Horse’s wines. This did not have the same minerality/complexity as some of those, but I don’t think it was meant to either. I found it to be enjoyable both on its own and as a pairing for various foods. I don’t often buy sparkling wines in bulk at this price point, but I am definitely considering going in for a smaller set (or a case share if someone in Northern MA/Southern NH wants to) at this point. Thanks to Casemates for the opportunity to try this out!
Post-note: If I can get the upload feature to work later I will upload some photos I took of the bottle and wine in the glass
@chipgreen LOL, great comments. I pulled the trigger on the smaller recent offer from Iron Horse If these bottles didn’t contain alcohol, I would probably have a garage sale at inflated prices! I was also thinking of maybe taking a long soaking bath in the contents of some of bottles to help me re-live my younger, crazier partying days, except for two key reasons: 1. I sure as #ell don’t want to walk around looking like grape; and 2. It’s much more fun to drink with friends, or even alone watching recorded programs into the wee hours of the morning!
See, this is what happens to an old retired guy that’s overloaded in wine! Although the recent weather here could be having an effect on these old bones and brain cells, I can’t wait for some MUCH, MUCH WARMER weather here in NEO!! THIS HAS GOT TO BE “THE YEAR OF PARTIES”!!!
Furthermore Wines Blanc de Noir Sparkling Wine
3 bottles for $74.99 $25/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $279.99 $23.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Already in for a triple because I have a soft spot for Blanc de noirs and haven’t had this one, but interested in details from the winery: PH/TA, vineyards, whether this was picked as a sparkling, who riddled your bottles…
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Furthermore Wines Blanc de Noir Sparkling - $20 = 6.65%
Im in!
I made the mistake of looking at all of the wines on their site overnight and naturally I want them all. I’ve added them to the list of places to visit next time I’m in the area.
This lovely non vintage Blanc De Noir is a dry white sparkling wine made 100% from Sonoma County Pinot Noir. It leads with aromatic hints of fresh strawberry, grapefruit and orange blossom. Enjoyably crisp with small bubbles that deliver light stone fruit on the palate.
In 2006 we created our first two barrels of Pinot Noir - about 50 cases of wine. The fruit came from the Bohemian Vineyard in Freestone just a few miles from Nevina’s Vineyard, the estate vineyard on Willow Creek Road that we purchased in 2011. Having discovered our love of wine together in the 90s, particularly for Pinot Noir, our mission back then was to begin conducting a long term study of how Pinot Noir expresses itself regionally throughout California, particularly in areas influenced by coastal climates. All these years later, it is still our mission. Though we’ve grown gradually over the years, we are still a relatively small operation - we now produce about 2,000 cases annually from as far south as Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County all the way up to Yorkville Highlands in Mendocino county, and many places in between. In 2015 we purchased Graton Ridge Cellars and established another estate vineyard, Graton Ridge Vineyard. This began a new chapter for us by establishing a tasting room and moving all of our operations to our new home just north of Sebastopol at the corner of Gravenstein Highway and Vine Hill Road.
People often ask us where the name Furthermore came from. We like to say that the name alludes to the never ending dialog that we engage in as we explore the ethereal beauty and diversity of Pinot Noir, and how its expression in the glass is easily affected by the place where it is grown and the special circumstances of each vintage.
We’d love to continue the dialog with you - please come and visit us at the tasting room. We can share a glass and maybe even play a game of bocce together.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OR, PA, TX, VA, WA, WI
Definitely in. I love blanc de noirs. And i will be visiting on my next trip. I already stop by Sebastapol for Iron Horse so nice to have another place in the area.
Wondering what method is used for the bubbles…
I haven’t even touched one of the Blanc de noirs of the guets that was picked up on here. But considering a 3 pack to at least try it.
Actually was at furthermore/graton last time I was in Sonoma area (Mar 2018) and bought a half case of something that was very enjoyable (although can’t for the life of me remember what it was). They were mentioning at the time the new winemaker and their pinot futures.
Wow…This was going to be my first casemates purchase, but not available in KS. (first I’ve noticed that isn’t) Do some states not allow bubbly stuff, but all other wines?
![Labrat Photo][1]
[1]:
Hi all - my first time lab ratting so please bear with me!
Bottle: beautiful, heavy, with metal labels bonded to both sides. Only 132 cases made! I tried researching history and vintner descriptions online only to find none - it wasn’t even listed on their web site. I inquired with my Casemates POC and learned that this was a limited test run by the winery and an exclusive to Casemates - lucky us/me!
On opening: nice heavy cork as befitting the fact that this wine is actually made with the full méthode champenoise. Opens easily with a satisfyingly loud pop - not jammed as I have sometimes found with denser/smaller corks used on sparklers in recent years.
Initial pour: yields ample bubbles that die down quickly but plenty of vertical bubbles remain in the glass even 20+ minutes later. Color - interesting! A beautiful pale blush/apricot tint that leads me to wonder if this is characteristic of the pinot noir grape, or if this wine was left on the skins slightly longer than usual?
Nose: at first more closed off, but faint notes of citrus and fruit come through. I’ll note that I love all wines but drink mostly reds, so my sparkler palette is not as well “trained!”
First sip: also more closed but given this was taken from my fridge only 10 minutes prior, I know it will open up more as it warms a bit. Notes of citrus, maybe faint floral/mineral? And the strongest note I get is of stone fruit (peach or maybe nectarine or apricot?) on the finish. The wine has a very light fizzy character as I would expect for the champagne method as opposed to other carbonation methods. The finish is not long but again I suspect it’s due to being a bit too cold at first? The wine is certainly not sweet, and the fruit is fairly subtle - but I don’t know that I would classify it as bone dry either. Slightly off-dry perhaps? Initially I’m left thinking it would be a nice light pairing for subtle cheese, fish dishes, or as a celebratory sparkler.
With food: my food choices for dinner tonight were not optimal, but worked out better than expected! I was having ginger-marinated steak with some dubliner-mushroom risotto and broccoli. Tasting the wine after the risotto - its acidity cut through the richness of the cheesy dish nicely. The wine was also warming up and showing more of its character as I ate. The nose now showed herbal notes that I hadn’t caught before - perhaps lemongrass among them? The palette still shows subtle grapefruit and stone fruits more prominently - but I thought I might have picked up notes of strawberry on the finish as well?
Sipping after dinner: I also noticed that when warmer, the wine tasted less subtle and more fruity overall. I sampled it with some cheeses. I decided that smoked gouda was too strong because it overwhelmed the wine’s more subtle flavors. Ripe brie cheese however went better - I might even recommend milder cheese than that though. As I finish the glass which is now just slightly under room temperature, I still get general citrus and fruit but feel that much of the subtle flavor it had earlier has faded at this point.
I have a closure device that retains the carbonation on sparkling wines, so I sealed the bottle and set it in the fridge to bring back out on the next night…
Night 2 notes: I unsealed and tried the wine with a wider variety of pairings and found that the flavors changed depending on what I had. Now that it was open and had some air in it for a couple days, I found that some mild toasty notes had developed in the mid-pallet - especially when paired with mild bread and butter or crackers. The citrus and stone fruit notes were still dominant in the palette. When paired with cheeses, the fruit notes came more to the forefront. The texture of the wine was still wonderful with plenty of light delicate bubbles remaining even having been open (but re-resealed) for two days.
Looking at this listing this morning: I’m pleased to see that I picked up many of the notes that were described when I tasted it on Tuesday and Thursday nights this week! Before seeing the details - I would have deemed this wine worthy of a $25+ price point based on my tastings. Certainly more elegant/complex than the typical grocery store sparkler - and my only other high end comparison is Iron Horse’s wines. This did not have the same minerality/complexity as some of those, but I don’t think it was meant to either. I found it to be enjoyable both on its own and as a pairing for various foods. I don’t often buy sparkling wines in bulk at this price point, but I am definitely considering going in for a smaller set (or a case share if someone in Northern MA/Southern NH wants to) at this point. Thanks to Casemates for the opportunity to try this out!
Post-note: If I can get the upload feature to work later I will upload some photos I took of the bottle and wine in the glass
@wordek
EXCELLENT RATTAGE!
@wordek Thanks for the notes!
@wordek Well done!
This will likely end up being an offer where those that grabbed 3, will wish it were a case.
@wordek Heyoooo great rattage. Might be what I need to pull the trigger.
Thank you for not shipping this to Ohio. I need a break!
@chipgreen Though the sparklers are rarely available in Ohio… no Gruet, no Furthermore… which is why I pulled the trigger on the Iron Horse
@chipgreen LOL, great comments. I pulled the trigger on the smaller recent offer from Iron Horse If these bottles didn’t contain alcohol, I would probably have a garage sale at inflated prices! I was also thinking of maybe taking a long soaking bath in the contents of some of bottles to help me re-live my younger, crazier partying days, except for two key reasons: 1. I sure as #ell don’t want to walk around looking like grape; and 2. It’s much more fun to drink with friends, or even alone watching recorded programs into the wee hours of the morning!
See, this is what happens to an old retired guy that’s overloaded in wine! Although the recent weather here could be having an effect on these old bones and brain cells, I can’t wait for some MUCH, MUCH WARMER weather here in NEO!! THIS HAS GOT TO BE “THE YEAR OF PARTIES”!!!
@Boatman72
Hey, at least we hit 15 degrees today. In fact, I don’t think 15 has ever seemed so warm, after the last couple days.
AFA bathing in wine, we both have enough of it! If Fat Gus can do it, so can we! Just not together, haha.
My last 3 Casemates orders consist of 13 bottles of sparkling wine. #sucker
Furthermore Wines Blanc de Noir Sparkling Wine
3 bottles for $74.99 $25/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $279.99 $23.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
NV Furthermore Wines Blanc de Noir
Already in for a triple because I have a soft spot for Blanc de noirs and haven’t had this one, but interested in details from the winery: PH/TA, vineyards, whether this was picked as a sparkling, who riddled your bottles…
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Furthermore Wines Blanc de Noir Sparkling - $20 = 6.65%
Im in!
I made the mistake of looking at all of the wines on their site overnight and naturally I want them all. I’ve added them to the list of places to visit next time I’m in the area.
Wow! I now feel like this offering is a close friend…good job!
Tasting Notes
This lovely non vintage Blanc De Noir is a dry white sparkling wine made 100% from Sonoma County Pinot Noir. It leads with aromatic hints of fresh strawberry, grapefruit and orange blossom. Enjoyably crisp with small bubbles that deliver light stone fruit on the palate.
Specifications
Price Comparison
Not for sale online
About The Winery
Winery: Furthermore Wines
In 2006 we created our first two barrels of Pinot Noir - about 50 cases of wine. The fruit came from the Bohemian Vineyard in Freestone just a few miles from Nevina’s Vineyard, the estate vineyard on Willow Creek Road that we purchased in 2011. Having discovered our love of wine together in the 90s, particularly for Pinot Noir, our mission back then was to begin conducting a long term study of how Pinot Noir expresses itself regionally throughout California, particularly in areas influenced by coastal climates. All these years later, it is still our mission. Though we’ve grown gradually over the years, we are still a relatively small operation - we now produce about 2,000 cases annually from as far south as Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County all the way up to Yorkville Highlands in Mendocino county, and many places in between. In 2015 we purchased Graton Ridge Cellars and established another estate vineyard, Graton Ridge Vineyard. This began a new chapter for us by establishing a tasting room and moving all of our operations to our new home just north of Sebastopol at the corner of Gravenstein Highway and Vine Hill Road.
People often ask us where the name Furthermore came from. We like to say that the name alludes to the never ending dialog that we engage in as we explore the ethereal beauty and diversity of Pinot Noir, and how its expression in the glass is easily affected by the place where it is grown and the special circumstances of each vintage.
We’d love to continue the dialog with you - please come and visit us at the tasting room. We can share a glass and maybe even play a game of bocce together.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OR, PA, TX, VA, WA, WI
Estimated Delivery
Monday, July 27th - Wednesday, July 29th
Definitely in. I love blanc de noirs. And i will be visiting on my next trip. I already stop by Sebastapol for Iron Horse so nice to have another place in the area.
Wondering what method is used for the bubbles…
I haven’t even touched one of the Blanc de noirs of the guets that was picked up on here. But considering a 3 pack to at least try it.
@MaceKates - if the description doesn’t tell you the method, it’s almost certainly transfer process (sometimes called Charmat or bulk process).
@MaceKates @rpm
The lovely minimalistic label states “méthode champenoise”.
@karenhynes @MaceKates glad to know
@karenhynes @rpm Thanks… Ended up picking up 3 bottles to try now that I’ve heard its champenoise’d.
Actually was at furthermore/graton last time I was in Sonoma area (Mar 2018) and bought a half case of something that was very enjoyable (although can’t for the life of me remember what it was). They were mentioning at the time the new winemaker and their pinot futures.
Now would this be a good wedding bubble, hmmm.
/giphy oblong-aquamarine-cloud
@winedavid49 is there any rattage on this? Not a lot of details out on the net.
@deadlyapp See below - sorry I was a little slow to clean up and post my notes!
/giphy spotted-blurry-vanilla
Wow…This was going to be my first casemates purchase, but not available in KS. (first I’ve noticed that isn’t) Do some states not allow bubbly stuff, but all other wines?
@medz Can’t answer that. In many cases, the issue is the winery not having a license to ship to a particular state.
seems legit
/giphy terrific-wordy-dinosaur
/giphy paranoid-unequal-toy
/giphy kooky-whipped-margarita