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The Mumm Napa Blanc de Blanc is a Bubbly that lists at $26 but should be available for under $20 during the holiday season. Mumm Napa is the California division of C.H. Mumm, a Champagne house founded in 1827. In 1983 they started producing Sparkling wines in Napa under the Domaine Mumm name which was changed to Mumm Napa in 1990.
Blanc de Blanc translates to White wine from White grapes and this Bubbly is 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Gris. Gris is French for grey, while Grigio is Italian for grey, it’s the leaves, not the grapes that look grey. The “House Style” is the Mumm Napa Brut which is 45% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, and a mix of 10% Pinot Grisnad Pinot Meunier. Mumm Napa has several variations with extended triage (time in bottle), overall aging, and special vineyard parcels. In case you are wondering Pinot Gris is an approved grape in Champagne.
The Mumm Napa Blanc de Blanc was sourced from up to 50 contracted growers, they do mention locations inside Napa County, but I suspect a good portion of the grapes came from Carneros. The second fermentation (Triage) lasted for 18 months, which is the same as the minimum standard in the Champagne region. This Bubbly is made in the Brut style which means this is a dry Sparkling wine, not sweet. The alcohol content is 12.5%.
Napa Valley and Champagne do not have many similarities, the soils in Champagne are underlined with limestone, while Napa has more Mountain/rocky elements. Champagne is a cool growing region and while parts of Napa can be cool, it is warmer. Both regions can grow excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay which is the most important element.
The Mumm Napa Blanc de Blanc Tasting Notes
The color is silver with a touch of gold. The nose is fresh, there is a green apple, pear, peach, lemon, and grapefruit, I am picking up a little creamy vanilla, maybe from “on lees”, and stone fruit. The Mumm Napa Blanc de Blanc has an engaging mouthfeel and is crisp on the palate with solid acidity.
This Napa Bubbly tastes like slightly sweet lemon, tart grapefruit, nectarine, and Anjou pear. The mid-palate offers a soft slap of spice, juicy peach, lemon hard candy, but not sugar sweet. The acidity is well controlled and gives this Bubbly excellent structure.
The Summary
- The Mumm Napa Blanc de Blanc is an excellent Bubbly.
- Unless you are well versed in the wines of Champagne (because there is a difference) you would be hard-pressed to tell the Napa from the Champagne in a blind tasting.
- You should be able to find this Bubbly selling for half the price of an entry-level Champagne and that makes this wine a bargain.
