Sparkling Chardonnay from Virginia

Dec 14, 2009 by Katelin

With all the hoopla involved at the State Dinner, you like I, might have missed that they served a sparkling wine from Virginia with dessert. However, my Father-In-Law bought a couple bottles for us to enjoy for our Thanksgiving and introduced me to the wine and it’s history:

cuvee

Thibaut-Janisson, Cuvee SparklingChardonnay

Claude Thibaut and Manuel Janisson have had years of noteworthy experience with Champagne, Thibaut comes from a family of champagne makers. You can find their history and where to purchase their wine here on their website, but it can be found locally quite easily, including Best Cellers, Daily Planet Wine, Rick’s Wine and Gourmet and the Georgetown Dean & Deluca. The Cuvee, is made of 100% Chardonnay from the Monticello Appellation, the grapes are grown in Ivy, right by where we dined for Thanksgiving- isn’t growing local great. Then they are fermented right down the road at Veritas Vineyards. It was a very crisp and refreshing sparkling wine that was balanced nicely between being fruity and dry with definite notes of pear.

As an interesting note, I learned from the below article Thibaut is also an instructor at Piedmont Virginia Community College. I just adore people that are not only passionate about what they do, but imparting that knowledge to others. Thibaut says the grapes in the Charlottesville area yield sparkling wines that give Thibaut’s hometown of Champagne, France a run for its money.

An article with more information can be found here.

We really enjoyed this wine and I hope you do too. I am a really big fan of sparkling wine, champagne, cava and etc, I think it pairs nicely with so many types of food. Plus, I think serving sparkling wine really shows dinner guests you are celebrating their company.