Tasting: Mumm Sparkling Pinot Noir

  I was in the mood to try something a little different and found a bottle of Sparkling Pinot Noir from Mumm Napa on nestled away. I chilled it briefly and then cracked it open with a terrific pop.; the kind of almost cliche pop you get from sparkling wines and Champagne with a small puff spilling out of the opening.

Pouring it into a flute released a torrent of tight carbonation that rose above the rim but never broke and spilled over. Ok, maybe not my best pour, but a very beautiful wine to look at.  I thought of it as a glossy light cherry.

The first sip hits you with a ton of “grapiness”.  Mumm takes Pinot Noir from the Carneros region as the base for this terrific sparkling beverage. I actually have a lot of Mumm in the cellar and none of it has ever disappointed.

On subsequent sips you’ll pick up hints of cranberry and the slightest amount of spice. This is almost too easy too drink and a nice alternative for people who say they don’t like Champagnes or bubbly wines. This is sparkling, in many senses of that word, but nothing I would consider bubbly.

With Thanksgiving approaching this would be a fantastic accompaniment  to the main course. In fact when I checked the Mumm web site (http://www.mummnapa.com) they have it on sale for the holiday. You can also follow Mumm on Twitter and on Facebook.