Review: Penelope Breathless California Brut

As a wine blogger I am constantly asked what my favorite wine is. That’s an impossible question to answer. It’s the equivalent of, “what’s your favorite song?” There are just so many! I suppose the best answer is, “the one that’s in my glass.”

I bring that up because as I sat down to write this review, the first thing that popped in my head was, “sparkling wines are my favorite.” But then some days I think riesling is my favorite and other days Barolo is my favorite.

Honestly, I don’t know what my favorite wine is, but I know I sure do love a good sparkling wine. If life were perfect and I could have anything I wanted I would start every meal with a glass of sparkling wine. But alas I’m the “cheap wine” review guy for a reason. I can’t be buying that much wine, not to mention other practicalities that make that idea just a fantasy.

Being the bargain hunter I am, I do like it when I find a good sparkling wine at a good price. Let’s be honest, good sparklers aren’t usually the most budget-friendly wines. And so, I was thrilled when I tried this one.

This wine is only available from Naked Wines. I’ve done a couple reviews of their wines lately and before I get to the details on this wine I need to share with you an amazing deal they’re offering readers of this site. You can get 12 bottles of wine for $79.99 (shipping included) by clicking that link. If you want more details on what Naked Wines is, check out this review I did a view weeks ago where I explain what they offer. It’s pretty cool.

Back to this sparkling wine. The winemaker of this wine is a woman named Penelope Gadd-Coster. She’s been a winemaker in California for decades and she specializes in sparkling wines. In 2013 she was named “Winemaker of the Year” by the North Bay Business Journal. Let’s say, she knows what she’s doing when it comes to making good sparkling wine. And it shows with this wine.

The nose has classic yeasty and almond aroma found on so many good sparkling wines. It also offers some green apple aromas. The palate brings tart lemon and green apple flavors with a bit of nuttiness, particularly on the mid-palate. It has a nice mouthfeel with a good amount of bubbles. The finish has a nice salinity. This is just straight up a good, solid sparkler.

Wine: Penelope Breathless California Brut
Varieties: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Vintage: Non-vintage
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 88
Price: $18.64 Market Price / $14.99 Angel Price at NakedWines.com
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.