In the delightful Opera, Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss, Prince Orlovsky offers a Toast to King Champagne, singing: “We toast Champagne, the essence of the essence, the king of effervescence!”
Champagne is the king of effervescence and it continues to reign supreme in the world of bubbly. It’s edifying, and fun, to try comparisons of Champagne and sparkling wines from around the world. Prosecco from Italy, Cava from Spain and sparkling wines from California can all be wonderful but they almost always come up short when compared to the King.
But what if there was a sparkling wine that could hold its own with a number of non-vintage Champagnes? And, imagine if it cost only $14 and came from the New Mexican desert?
The story begins more than half a century ago with the founding of the Champagne house, Gruet et Fils in Bethon, France, by Gilbert Gruet. In the years following the establishment of Gruet et Fils many of the big Champagne houses such as Moet and Chandon, Mumms and Taittinger purchased land in California wine country and began producing sparkling wine there. Gruet investigated this possibility but soon discovered that land in California was at least as expensive as land in Champagne. So, in the early 1980s he brought his family to the US and set out on a journey through the Southwest to find agreeable ground for growing grapes. After exploring Arizona and Texas, he discovered a perfect spot near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Grapes have been cultivated in this part of the world since 1629.
In 1989 Gruet released his first two sparkling wines. A total of 5,000 bottles were vinified in a rented warehouse in Albuquerque with equipment that had been shipped over from France. Critics were astounded that such elegant wines were emerging from vineyards 170 miles south of Albuquerque. As Wine Spectator’s Matt Kramer wrote: “If there’s a better sparkling wine made in America – or anywhere else, for that matter – that delivers this kind of quality at that low a price, I haven’t tasted it.”
At 4300 ft. the vineyards are some of the highest in the United States. Hot days alternate with cool nights creating what oenologists call a beneficial “diurnal temperature difference” (DTD), in other words because the night time temperature can drop as much as thirty degrees the grapes are cooled and they don’t become overripe. Extremely low humidity also helps prevent rot, and the sandy, loamy soil yields consistent harvests of quality fruit, grown without pesticides, year after year.
Gilbert’s children, Laurent and Nathalie, relocated to the Land of Enchantment and continue to make sparkling wines with the traditional Methode Champenoise. They now produce more than one million bottles every year. And they affectionately call their wines “The Juice of Love.”
Mark Twain once quipped: “Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right.” These sparkling wines from Gruet are all just right, and if you’re on a budget then you’ll appreciate not having to spend too much to enjoy them:
Brut NV ($14): This dry, fine bubbly tickles your nose with playful notes of pear and grapefruit. A common flaw of many sparkling wines is that they turn either too sweet or too bitter on the finish, but this non-vintage Brut manages to finish cleanly.
Blanc de Noirs NV ($14): Predominantly Pinot Noir, this wine has a creamier texture than the Brut and the creaminess serves as a perfect vehicle for the ripe red berry flavors.
Rosé NV ($14): All of Gruet’s wines represent great value but the non-vintage Rosé may be the best of all the bargains. You can slide this wine into a blind tasting of non-vintage pink Champagnes without blushing. The cornucopia of fruits on the nose and in the mouth—cherries, raspberries and strawberries—is balanced with the toasty notes to create a level of elegance that is mind-blowing for the price point.
Grand Rosé (Vintage) ($32): All the great qualities of the non-vintage with more complexity and concentration.
Gilbert Gruet Grande Reserve (Vintage) ($46): A tribute to the founder, this is the tête de cuvee ( “head of the growth”) of the Gruet Winery. Aged for six years prior to release, this wine shows exceptional complexity and character in every vintage. It’s not yet comparable to Cristal or Dom Perignon, but for $150 less per bottle it represents an opportunity to experience levels of depth and profundity that aren’t usually found outside of the sacred ground east of Paris.
Gruet also produces a few other limited-production sparkling wines, and some still Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. They all offer superb quality for the money, and the Pinot Noir Barrel Select ($46) is a particularly fine, intense wine with real aging potential.
