TN Schramsberg J Schram 2009- Thanksgiving wine

I visited Sonoma a few years ago and went out to a nice restaurant. The wine list was extensive, but I wanted to drink local. The sommelier recommended J Schram. I had tried the Schramsberg BdB before, and enjoyed it, but never had their higher end stuff. I took the recommendation and remember being mightily impressed. Though I remember thinking the wine was fantastic, I never picked up another bottle; too much wonderful Champagne out there for less money. But I wanted to go American for Thanksgiving this year and a nearby wine shop had a good deal. So here is my CellarTracker tasting note:

Thanksgiving 2021- Really nice. Light colored but starting to turn gold. Mousse is a bit coarse, but this is the only knock against it. The nose is creamy and beautiful- candied citrus and baking bread. It tastes slightly oxidative, caramel, baked spiced apples, toasty bread, a little bit like the stuffing we ate as part of our meal (!) with a cleansing focused acidity that cut right through the fatty food. Very much like an opulent Champagne. Can’t imagine anything better to accompany Thanksgiving. Magnificent!

UPDATE Day 2- Saved approx 1/4 of a bottle in the fridge overnight with a cork shoved in the neck. I thought this was good yesterday; it is better today. Much better. It is stunning! It tastes both fresher and more integrated. Paradoxically, this tastes less oxidative than yesterday. There is an emerging orange fruitiness that melds with the toasty yeasty flavors beautifully. Like a fresh Honeybell and a crunchy piece of buttered brioche toast. Highly highly recommended. I paid nearly $100 for this bottle, so its not cheap, but I still think this is way undervalued. There are precious few wines that I think are undervalued at $100; this is one of them. No doubt, the quality of this is up there with Champagnes costing twice as much. Seriously.

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Thanks. Great note.
One of the great California wineries, bar none.

Thx for the note. We have visited Schramsberg, and over the years have bought multiple bottles/varieties locally, including a bottle of J Schram (which was awesome).

Thanks for the TN. Sounds like you enjoyed it immensely but I guess I’m struggling to understand the QPR. Released at $120 about the same time 08 DP was released for the same price. Today you can get it for under $100 while the 08 DP is about double at $240? This is the problem I have with so many US producers’ pricing models.

Amazing note on a wine that we unfortunately don’t hear about often around here. I have a couple of birth-year bottles of 2010 for my son along with the ‘reserve’ and this makes me hopeful that they will age well


Side note - does anyone have any experience with the reserve? Reviews (and pricing) are similar to the J Schram.

Thanks again for the note!

I love J. Schram! Great wine!

I can’t speak to why the models are so different, but I like the US model from a consumer standpoint. Few people have the ability to age bottles that they buy on release. I’m in this boat myself. So I try to purchase wine that is ready to drink, or will be soon. For Old World wines, that means shelling out a lot of money because their prices skyrocket after release. This model also works better for people exploring regions that are new to them.

I don’t understand how it helps the consumer to pay more on release so you feel better about buying it later at the same price? I’m not saying $100 is necessarily a bad price for this wine, as I have never had it and it seems that is what the market will bear. What I’m saying is that it should have been sold for $50 on release instead of $120. When you buy 08 DP for $120 on release from a retailer who bought it from a distributor who bought it from an importer, the house is only getting a portion of that cost. My problem with (most) US producers is that they feel entitled to the same final price for their product as a comparable EU producer even though they sell mostly direct to consumer and pocket the entire amount. If I could buy US wines at the same value that I could buy French wines directly from the producers if I lived in France, I would drink a whole lot more US wines. Sadly the only US producers that operate this way are impossible to purchase from because their lists are bloated with flippers.

I enjoy both the JSchram (Blanc de Blanc) and Reserve (Blanc de noir). For my taste profile, I generally enjoy the Reserve earlier on as it already has a rich and round profile. The JSchram certainly turns that way as it ages. I had a 2000 magnum of the JSchram Late Disgorged earlier this year and it was absolutely fantastic. I think both of these sparklers from Schramsberg have great runway to age.

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Anyone have the 2007 lately? I was gifted a bottle for my birthday this fall and am thinking about opening it for Christmas dinner, if it’s drinking well at present.

Awesome Shay - Thank you so much for the breakdown on the 2 bottles! Super helpful and very much appreciated [cheers.gif]