Roederer Estate NV Brut Alexander Valley

You can pick this up in a lot of places for less than 20$--Costco has it for 18$ right now in SoCal, but I actually bought this at Von's (Even though I despise them, they are the closest store to me. Basically, I never go in there, unless it's late and someone needs booze.) for just 1$ more (Sometimes, you just have a craving for some bubbles with popcorn at 9PM on a Tuesday. Not exactly the time to go cracking open vintage Champagne that you've got kicking around in the cellar...). Anyways, wanted to try this because W. Blake Gray spoke highly of it, and I've decided that I really need to taste more California wines. For the most part, I haven't bothered much with California since I started drinking wine (although I have had pleasurable excursions with Land & Reed, Cambria, Pax, and Dehlinger that are all fresh in my mind). Furthermore, I've really been craving white and sparkling wine like crazy lately--at the expense of my red wine consumption. There's something about the bubbles that really has me going lately. They just seem more enticing to drink than red wine...

60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir. A blend of various vintages. Perhaps it was my reading of the W. Blake Gray review, but I have similar notes as he does--there's a whole lot of lime character, along with some yeasty breadiness. I also get a fair amount of ginger on the nose, especially right after the cork is popped, and a lot of lemon on the palate in addition to the lime. The lime almost gives it a bit of an exotic flair in my book--that isn't what I normally associate with Champagne. I bet this thing would go awesome with some non-nuclear spice-wise Thai Food (like maybe some larb??). Definitely a whole heck of a lot fruitier than the Champagne that I had last week, although not as fruity as the 01 Gloria Ferrer. Wine Spectator gave the 01 GF a 93, and I'm guessing that was because it was so ripe and fruity. It was a huge wine. In comparison, this wine is more refreshing, with more acidity, good balance of fruit and other elements, and a lot more allure as far as I'm concerned. It's like a good cross between the fruity California style and the crisper, more delicate Champagne style. A stylistic intermediary, that has some almost exotic tasting flourishes. Maybe a wee bit on the pricey side, but this is a nice fun bottle to drink, plus it's easy to find and readily available. B+/A-