"Tastes like an old Bollinger... yes... a Bollinger RD." --Michael Broadbent

"As good as any California sparkling wine we've ever had, consensus. Eighteen years sur lie! Tasted Blind, thought it to be a grower Champagne." --Fritz Hatton

“…complex tiers of toast, brioche, lees, roasted hazelnuts and vanilla. A fascinating sparkler, totally dry and very crisp in acidity. Delightful to drink and should continue to evolve in the bottle for years.” --WE

I simply cannot WAIT to blind taste this with someone. Plus, I scored a price that is absolutely the finest in the country and a MUST-HAVE for geeky wine enthusiasts. This fascinating and utterly delicious RUSSIAN RIVER sparkling wine will make you forget EVERYTHING you have thought about California bubbly. Don Baumhefner, a longtime Sonoma winemaking consultant, quietly released this mind-blowing bubbly a few months back. To launch it, he held a blind tasting with a large group of experts, mostly winemakers and wine buyers, including Michael Browne and Dan Kosta. Here were the results:

First place:              1990 Dom Perignon [$250]

Third place:            1998 Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame [$108]

Fourth place tie:     1998 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne [$140]

Fourth place tie:     1999 Dom Perignon [$140]

1992 EN TIRAGE Extra Brut Russian River $48.95 (lowest in the country!)

BUY 3 or MORE and pay only $41.95!! ($252 a 6-pack!) sweet! LIST PRICE: $60!

This wine was aged a stunning 18 years on the lees and recently disgorged. It tastes like a great vintage of Champagne. It is a modest 12% alcohol. Wonderfully complex, brilliantly crisp, with a fantastic layered depth - toasted bread, creme brulee, resin, cream, starfruit, and spice. Just an amazing find - at $252 a 6-pack I think everyone should try this. Amazing! While it lasts!

Did I say WOW? Arrives one week.