Table of Contents
The Mumm Napa Brut Prestige is a blend of 45% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, and the other 10% is a mix of Pinot Gris (White) and Pinot Meunier (Red). This Bubbly is produced in the Traditional Method or Champagne style. The second fermentation or triage lasted for a minimum of 18 months. GH Mumm started their Champagne House in 1827 in Reims, France.
In 1983, winemaker, Guy Devaux who was sent by GH Mumm to explore the possibilities of California Sparkling wine bottled the first Domaine Mumm Buubly, later changed to Mumm Napa. The current winemaker of the Mumm Napa Brut Prestige is Tamra Lotz.
Mumm Napa sources its grapes from the Carneros AVA. Carneros is located in both Sonoma and Napa, but the bulk of the vineyards are on the Napa side and this AVA is highly regarded for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. Mamm Napa owns its vineyard and also works with 50 contracted vineyards.
In Champagne, few of the producers own their vineyards and the leading Champagne wines can use up to 100 different vineyards. The Champagne Vineyards are soil over limestone which give the Bibbly unique characteristics.
The Carneros AVA is located just north of San Pablo Bay (east of Oakland) and has clay soil. Vines that struggle during the growing season produce more interesting grapes and the poor soil, cool weather, and windy conditions do cause the vines to struggle. With grapes the struggle is good.
The Mumm Napa Brut Prestige grapes were harvested by hand in the early morning hours so the heat of the day couldn’t cause some of the juice to evaporate. Most of the juice was fermented (first time) in stainless steel vats, but selected lots were aged in French oak barrels.
The Mumm Napa Brut Prestige is the Mumm Napa house style and is the representation of their Bubbly. All the other variations are informed by this wine. Mumm Napa offers single-vineyard Bubbly, different blends of grapes, and extended aging, but this is the bottling that represents Mumm Napa.
It is also one of their more affordable Sparkling wines, I found it on sale for $15.99. In contrast, the GH Mumm French house-style Champagne starts at $45. Are using Carneros Vineyards rather than Champagne Vineyards worth $30?
The Mumm Napa Brut Prestige Tasting Notes
The color is pale gold and the bubbles are plentiful. The nose is citrus, a little bakery bread, dried strawberry, toasted marshmallow, nectarine, and honey, with a floral edge. The Mumm Napa Brut Prestige shows apple, citrus, cherry, and a bit of cream.
This California Bubbly tastes like apple, grapefruit, peach, pear, and guava. The mid-palate adds a creamy sensation, orange, and tart cherry, but not sweet, with a salty sensation, and dried pineapple.
The acidity allows the flavors to unfold and gets your palate ready for the next sip.
The Summary
- The Mumm Napa Brut Prestige is an excellent Sparkling wine, it is balanced but full of flavor with outstanding acidity.
- Pair with pasta in white sauce and various seafood, Firecracker Shrimp will match up well.
- You can pay more for French Champagne, but is that really necessary?
