The Louise d’ Estrée Brut (in 2023) is a Trader Joe’s $9.99 exclusive, in places not served by Trader Joe’s this Bubbly sells at wine shops for $17 to $20. This is a Cremant wine, meaning it is a Bubbly produced in the Traditional Method (Champagne) but not in Champagne.
The label is devoid of all the information offered on French wine bottles. There are no AOC, IGP, or even table wine designations in place of origin. It has Traditional Method printed in several locations, but that seems to be for American wine buyers, because if this label said Cremant for Loire Valley, French wine drinkers would know exactly what it is and also have a good guess at the grapes used.
The Louise d’ Estrée Brut (in 2023) seems to be sold by Aldi Nord in Europe with a different label, there is a Sparkling wine from the Loire Valley using Chenin Blanc and Vouvray grapes. Is this the same wine? It is hard to tell with this label that has the information required for the US and not the info needed in France.
Louise d’Estree is a brand name and if you dig a little you will find the producer as Marcel Martin which is also a brand name. If you keep digging you will find the actual producer as Maison Lacheteau a huge wine company based in the Loire Valley but able to produce wine throughout France. They are a well-respected producer known for their quality Cremant.
We can only guess at the grapes, though both Chenin Blanc and Vouvray make excellent Bubbly and it is very possible that Chardonnay was also used. I do not have information on the length of the second fermentation, so we will have to trust the winemaker to get the details right, this is a ten-buck Bubbly the result is more important than the details. A good indicator is this Bubbly sells for closer to $20 in wine shops. The alcohol content is 11%.
The Louise d’ Estrée Brut (in 2023) Tasting Notes
The color is shiny, pale gold. The nose is crisp, lemon, apples, grapefruit, a little melon some lime, and soft spice. The Louise d’ Estrée Brut (in 2023) is a tasty Bubbly, sleek, and reasonably long with a stew of flavors.
This Cremant (French Traditional Method Bubbly not from Champagne) tastes like lemon, apple, a hint of almonds, grapefruit (not too tart), melon, edgy spice, and nectarine. The acidity is very well controlled and this Bubbly has good length.
The Summary
- The Louise d’ Estrée Brut (in 2023) is a very solid $9.99 French Bubbly.
- It is well-made, balanced, and full of interesting flavor.
- Good French Bubbly selling for ten bucks is a bargain.
