Gundlach Bundschu

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Sonadora

The Wine Blogger Conference is only 31 days away! And thanks to the generous donors to the Wine Blogger Conference Scholarship fund, 11 wine blog writers will be able to attend and join in the wine, fun, and networking!  As an attendee last year, I can certainly attest to how great an experience the WBC was, and I’m looking forward to it again this year, especially since we were able to sponsor so many additional great folks through the Scholarship.  None of that would have been possible without the kind support of companies such as Gundlach Bundschu.

Now, I must admit, I didn’t know a whole lot about Gundlach Bundschu (or GunBun as they seem to be colloquially called!) before looking them up to write a bit about them here, thanking them for their generous donation.  Gun Bun began in 1858 when Jacob Gundlach purchased 400 acres of land in Sonoma.  Despite a setback along the way due to Prohibition, Gun Bun has been continuously growing grapes since 1858 and currently produces all estate produced wines.  They are among the first to ever bottle a single varietal Merlot!  The wine range in price from about $20 to about $40 for current release and cover the spectrum from Gewurztraminer to Cabernet Franc.

Many thanks to Gundlach Bundschu for their generous support of the Wine Blogger Scholarship Fund!

Filed under: Wine | 3 Comments »

Sparklers!

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Sonadora

When it gets warm out, I start to think “bubbles.” Which is odd. Drinking sparkling wine routinely doesn’t usually occur to me.  I have plenty of sparkling wine in the basement, but when I’m considering what to pop open that night, it’s not often that I say to myself “Oh, let me grab a sparkler.”  I should more often. Sparkling wine is so refreshing and goes really well with almost any food group….from eggs to french fries!  I plucked the NV Jean Francois Mérieau Bulles Loire Sparkling Wine from the basement for an aperitif the other night.  I purchased this wine from Domaine547 a long time ago…I want to say it was around $17, it had a traditional champagne closure, and clocked in at 11% alcohol by volume.

On the nose I found lemon, honey, yeast, citrus, and sea salt.  It smells like a Blue Moon!  In the mouth the wine had nice bubbles.  I found it to be yeasty, with lemon, bread, toast, green apple, lemon drops, and almonds.  Overall, the wine showed as tart and refreshing and definitely got our palates ready for the big steak and Cabernet that came next!  Plus, the bottle had such a cute label 🙂

Filed under: Domaine 547, France, Sparkling wine, White, Wine | 3 Comments »