1994 Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs

Schramsberg Vineyards is one of California’s most historic wine producers. Located a few miles south of Calistoga, the estate was founded in 1862 by Jacob Schram, a German immigrant who came from a winemaking family along the Rhine River. By the end of the 19th century Schram’s California estate was producing wines that were acclaimed in New York and elsewhere. In the 20th century the estate changed hands several times, then Jack Davies and his wife Jamie purchased it in 1965 with the idea of making sparkling wine. By the 1970s the Davies’ sparkling wines were considered so exceptional that they were served at the White House. Schramsberg is now run by Hugh Davies, Jack and Jamie’s youngest son. Besides a full line of sparkling wines, the estate also produces Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.

Napa Valley AVA is the most famous winemaking region in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world. With nearly 43,000 acres of vineyards and more than 300 wineries, it is the heart of fine wine production in the United States. Winemaking started in Napa in 1838 when George C. Yount planted grapes and began producing wine commercially. Other winemaking pioneers followed in the late 19th century, including the founders of Charles Krug, Schramsberg, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards. An infestation of phylloxera, an insect that attacks vine roots, and the onset of Prohibition nearly wiped out the nascent Napa wine industry in the early 20th century. But by the late 1950s and early 1960s Robert Mondavi and other visionaries were producing quality wines easily distinguishable from the mass-produced jug wines made in California’s Central Valley. Napa Valley’s AVA was established in 1983, and today there are 16 sub-appellations within the Napa Valley AVA. Many grapes grow well in Napa’s Mediterranean climate, but the region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is also very successfully cultivated, and about 30% of the AVA’s acreage is planted to white grapes, with the majority of those grapes being Chardonnay,