Cheap French Sparkling wine of dubious province is something of a dodgy proposition. Our history has shown that these wines range across the board from decent to not so great to you’d be better off hitting your boat with this. Such are the trials of finding cheap French sparkling (and actually, cheap Pinot Noir). So can Veuve Du Vernay Brut break the cycle?

Sight:  Straw with a hint of gold and tons of excited little bubbles.

Smell:  There’s a nice amount of fresh green apple and pears coming off the top here, and they mingle with some lemon and yeasty notes.   The bready elements have a hint of musk.

Sip:  The body is moderate, and jumps up quickly with lots of little bubbles.  There’s good notes of apple and pear with a lot of bready notes.  Hints of mushroom join in, and a big wave of lemon floods through from time to time.  As bruts go, it seems more dry than most.

Savor:  The ending is clean, with lemon pith, apple skin, and a good amount of bread and yeast.

Veuve Du Vernay Brut is nicely put together, but not overly engaging.  As a brut goes, this is nice, and there’s a lot of the right elements working together.  None of them are overly stand out, and they don’t build off one another.  However, as a way to ring in the new year at the end of the night, or for Mimosas in the morning, Veuve Du Vernay Brut is more than capable.

Verdict: Green Apple, Pear, Lemon, Yeast
Rating: 78
Price: $9
France

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