After two rough bottles in a row, I was beginning to lose faith in this mission to find great wines for $15 and under. We were down to one last bottle in the house from my big BevMo run last month, and I was dubious. The Domaine Ste. Michelle Non-Vintage Brut (on-sale for $7.99) was chilled and opened without occasion or ritual, and I poured my glass with a definite lack of gusto, mindlessly gnawing on a piece of baguette.
The Domain Ste. Michelle Brut deserved so much more.
This delightful Columbia Valley sparkling wine mimicked the bubbles of Champagne in all the right ways, from the chardonnay/pinot noir grape blend to the soft yeastiness to the delicate, dancing effervescence. One sip and suddenly I was laying in a hay field, hiding my face from the sun under the protective branches of a lemon tree, letting the yellow straw tickle the backs of my knees. The scent of home-baked bread spread with fresh clotted cream and almond paste was leaking alluringly from the picnic basket by my side as I basked in the moment, lightly pulling the petals off fragrant flowers in a state of love- and sunshine-induced intoxication. The hymns of my childhood played softly in the distance, drifting toward me from the lovely steeples of the Church of Saint Michelle.
It is a truly beautiful thing to experience faith restored.
Cheers to that.
Allison was raised on the vine in Sonoma, California, and believes that life is too short to drink bad wine, count calories, or second-guess your destiny. She now lives in Los Angeles where she practices many things, the two most important being contentment and tricks for opening a wine bottle without a wine key.