During our recent return trip to the North Fork of Long Island we were shocked by how many wineries were crafting extraordinarily good sparkling rosé wines, virtually all in the méthode champenoise style used to produce French Champagne. In fact, over the last 20 years, sparkling wine has emerged as a signature of the North Fork. It got us wondering how these American sparklers would compete in a head-to-head tasting with “real” Champagne. So on a gorgeous late summer day, we invited a couple of wine-loving friends over for a blind tasting with two of the Long Island wines we brought back from the wineries and two moderately-priced [$50-$100] French rosé Champagne competitors.
The Contestants
CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE
Buena Vista Winery, La Victoire Brut Rosé NV, Champagne, France; 55% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 15% Coteaux Champenois Rouge; $50 – 80 online
Veuve Clicquot, Rosé NV, Champagne, France; 40% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier; $90 – $120 online
NORTH FORK OF LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK
Lieb Cellars, NV Estate Sparkling Rosé Reserve, Cutchogue, NY; 55% Pinot Noir45% Chardonnay; $48 at the winery
Macari Vineyards, Cuvée Katherine Sparkling Pinot Noir 2019, Mattituck, NY; 100% Pinot Noir; $45 at the winery
Tasting Notes
What is it about pink Champagne that puts a smile on your face? As we tucked into these four wines, our tasters were grinning ear to ear, sure that we would enjoy anything that tickled our nose. And we were right.
Buena Vista / Bottle #1: Salmon/amber in color, with a floral nose with a bit of honey. “Full bodied;” Pleasant but “wishy-washy” flavor; “nice minerality/limestone;” smooth finish.
Macari / Bottle #2: Pale/almost translucent light salmon color; blood orange and peaches on the nose; lots of small bubbles; some residual sugar; “a real crowd pleaser.”
Veuve Clicquot / Bottle #3: Pinky/golden hue; peach and grapefruit on the nose; creamy bubbles; citrus flavor, some almond; “gorgeous and full of flavor.”
Lieb Cellars / Bottle #4: Golden hue; almond/biscuit nose; nice “peppery” taste; minerality and fruit on the tongue; long finish; “Champagne-esque” but not.
The Winners
We rated each wine on a scale of 1 to 5. All four of the wines ranked 3 or above but two wines were the clean winners – one French, the other from Long Island.
TOP RATED/4.3 SCORE Veuve Clicquot, Rosé NV, Champagne
Perhaps it was inevitable, but the OG French Champagne was the favorite of the bunch. “It just tasted like Champagne,” was the “je ne sais quois” comment of a couple of the tasters. At @$100, the price is a bit steep for everyday toasts, but for a special occasion, you can’t go wrong bringing this real deal.
RUNNER UP/4.1 SCORE Macari Vineyards, Cuvée Katherine Sparkling Pinot Noir 2019
Some of us were rooting for the American sparkler to emerge victorious, but a close second–and half the price–was pretty good for Macari. Pale, smooth, and slightly floral, the 100% Pinot would grace any table. The challenge is finding it…the 2019 is sold out at the winery and the 2020 release has yet to be announced. We’ll be keeping an eye out for the next vintage!
VinoDuo 