Schramsberg, America's First House of Sparkling Wine

A truly unforgettable part of my recent trip to Napa was a visit to the Schramsberg estate, which is tucked into the slopes of Diamond Mountain, a few miles south of of Calistoga.
 

 

The estate is a registered historic landmark. The Victorian house, the winery itself, and the wine caves remain unchanged since the days of it's founder, Jacob Schram in the 1800's.

 

When doing my research before the trip, I had heard from several people who were in-the-know about Napa that a tour at Schramsberg is a "must-do." I can say without question -- they were absolutely right.  

Schramsberg has played a role in world history as the sparkling wine of the White House. Their Blanc de Blancs was used for Nixon’s 1972 “Toast to Peace” with China’s Premier Zhou Enlai.

Schramsberg’s sparklers have been served at official State functions by every U.S. Presidential administration since. After learning a little about the winery history, we descended into the caves for a tour and tasting.

Our guide was fantastic (and funny) and explained the champagne method by which the wines are made and demonstrated riddling to us, the step in the traditional method of making sparkling wine, that helps to consolidate sediment prior to removal.

The riddling rack played a critical role in the making of champagne for hundreds of years. Before they get corked, the bottles are stored upside down to allow unwanted sediment to collect in the neck. 

To say I was happy about being in the underground cavern, surrounded by sparkling wine as far as the eye could see is an understatement.

I was like a kid in a candy store. A very upscale, world-class candy store. The rows of aging bottles seemed to go on forever.

We stumbled upon the winemaking team was hard at work in the underground labyrinth of caves. We learned how they now use riddling machines to expedite the process. This doesn't make the process any shorter, per se, but it alleviates the process of manual riddling, which we learned is tough physical labor. Then it was time for the tasting.

Our guide then led us to an area deep in the cave where this elegant set-up awaited us...  It was all very Phantom of the Opera. I was half expecting the masked one to pop out and serenade us with the "Music of the Night." That didn't happen, but corks started popping and the real fun began.

Blanc de Blancs was the first type of wine Schramsberg produced. It was  America’s first commercially produced Chardonnay-based brut sparkling wine.

Next up was la creme de la creme, J. Schram.  It epitomizes Schramberg's philosophy to "create a wine in which no effort has been spared and no care has been omitted." Its complexity is obtained through oak barrel fermentation and stainless steel tanks; the wine is then aged in the caves for more than five years. In other words, J Schram is as good as it gets.

It was very dark inside the caves and my photos don't do it justice, so this one, taken off the Schramsberg Facebook page, will show you what it really looked like.

Schramsberg pioneered the Blanc de Noirs style in the United States, releasing the first such American version in 1967.  Pinot Noir from Carneros and Anderson Valley combine with fruit from Sonoma and Marin coastal vineyards to develop a sparkling wine with a fruity aroma and flavor. Select Chardonnay  gives zest  to the blend.

Schramsberg Brut Rosé is complex and dry, strongly influenced by Pinot Noir grown in Carneros, Anderson Valley, and the Sonoma and Marin County coasts.  A few small lots of Pinot Noir are fermented in contact with their skins to add depth and color. Chardonnay gives it its signature spice and structure.

We concluded the tasting with a red wine and came out from the caves into the sunlight again, to meet the Schramsberg frog, the unofficial symbol of the vineyard.  I left with a bottle of Blanc de Blancs to-go, and a much better understanding of how (the best) American sparkling wines are made.

They generally offer five scheduled tours a day, with a fee of $45 per person. Tour event times are: 10a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., & 2:30 p.m.  For full details, check out their web site.



*Thanks to my friend Christy M. for taking some of these photos with her awesome camera!