2018 “Celebrate” Müller-Thurgau - Kramer Vineyards

Juicy white peach, bright honeysuckle, mandarin orange. Sweet lychee, raw almond, ripe honeydew melon. Crushed rock and stainless steel, citrus blossom and hydrangeas. Unexpectedly aromatic scents of dragonfruit, canned pear, and lemon-lime candy erupt from the glass in a surprisingly intense and ambrosial display generously aided by fragrant lilies and bright floral perfume. Fruit cocktail flavor concentration continues onto the palate revealing lightly-spritzy bubbles, a pinch of sweetness, and clean stony minerality. Subtle phenolic bitterness emerges on the finish adding depth behind the cheerfully simple and straightforward attack. Light, fresh, pale in color, and packed with impressive primary fruit character; off-dry and sitting at medium in body and with moderate acidity. This 2018 "Celebrate!" Müller-Thurgau by Kramer Vineyards is a lively and lighthearted sparkler from the Willamette Valley.

While a majority of sparkling wine is typically created using relatively neutral grape varieties there a number of producers all over the world making interesting bubbly using aromatic white grapes. This bottling, crafted by Kramer Vineyards using Müller-Thurgau sourced from their estate vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton, is a fun example of an unconventionally aromatic yet unquestionably delicious sparkling wine. The fragrant fruit and lifted floral character here pops from the very first sniff and continues without yielding well onto the palate. A delicate touch of residual sugar appears and lingers in the mouth, further enhancing impressions of implied sweetness brought on by the cornucopia of fresh and perfumed fruit. This unique wine is more lighthearted than serious yet still holds its own without falling flat. Pair it with brunch on a sunny afternoon.