Secrets you’ll uncover at top sparkling wine houses

A slew of untold mysteries await when you visit the top sparkling wine houses in Wine Country. And uncovering these intriguing unknowns will make your experience richer and all the more delicious.

What does Napa Valley sparkling wine have to do with Madame de Pompadour, an official courtesan of King Louis XV? Which Sonoma County sparkling wine house ages its sparkler for 15 years? And which Sonoma County winery has had its bottles served at the last 10 U.S. presidential inaugurations?

Domaine Carneros

In the entry at Domaine Carneros winery in the Napa Valley, Madame de Pompadour’s portrait greets visitors coming in for a splash of sparkling wine. But few know who this flamboyant woman is or that a rosé is made in her honor.

“Born Jean-Antoinette Poisson, (she) was granted the title Madame de Pompadour by King Louis XV as official courtesan,” CEO Remi Cohen said.

“The madame and the king began their affair in 1745 when she was 24 years old, and she remained an integral part of the court until her death at 46,” Cohen said. “She is said to have wielded influence over foreign policy decisions.”

Madame de Pompadour’s apartments were full of art, and her love of culture was well-known, Cohen said.

“She is said to have captured the king with the plays she wrote and performed for him,” Cohen added.

The courtesan, Cohen said, loved Champagne and brought it to the court of Versailles. She famously said, “Champagne is the only wine that a woman can drink and remain beautiful.”

The sparkling wine house pays homage to Madame de Pompadour with a rosé because her fondness for a particular deep pink led to the color being coined “Pompadour Pink,” Cohen said.

The Domaine Carneros Cuvee de la Pompadour Brut Rosé, at $45 a bottle, is a blend of Carneros-grown pinot noir and chardonnay grapes. It’s aged for a few years before it’s released. It has aromas of wild strawberries and flavors of peach, apricot and watermelon and a touch of honey. The winery produces about 4,000 cases a year.

This rosé is not typically offered in the tasting room, but it’s available if you ask for it. You can sip this rosé while enjoying the ornate French chateau with views that reach deep into the Carneros region. On chilly days, there’s usually a fire going in the tasting room fireplace. Domaine Carneros is at 1240 Duhig Road, just off Highway 12 between Napa and Sonoma; 707-257-0101; domaincarneros.com.

Gloria Ferrer Wines

Few know that vintner Gloria Ferrer has a massive collection of at least 2,000 glasses, treasures from across the globe and spanning centuries.

The collection began with a red Murano glass from Venezia, Italy, and it’s the most sentimental to her. It’s in Ferrer’s collection in Spain, but you can see 75 others at the winery in Sonoma.

“It was Gloria’s father who purchased the Murano wine glass with a dolphin-shaped stem that ultimately became the first piece in her collection,” said Melanie Schafer, vice president of direct to consumer and marketing. “He suggested Gloria start a collection while on a family holiday in Venice in 1956.”

Another rare find is an avant-garde glass from 1949, with each piece stained by hand and designed by Josep Maria Gol, a favorite artist of Ferrer’s from her hometown of Barcelona.

A glass crafted in America is a 1950s Tiffany’s crystal flute, inspired by the curtains in Radio City Music Hall.

“This was the first American glass Gloria bought during her first visit to New York City,” Schafer said.

The sparkling wine house in Sonoma, which opened in 1986, has an arched entryway and tiled roof, offering a taste of Barcelona, Spain. Drawn to the promise of California, Jose Ferrer named the Carneros winery after his wife.

“Gloria’s love for wine was a shared passion with the Ferrer family, as they set on their endeavors in the world of international winemaking,” Schafer said. Gloria initiated the first trip to California more than 40 years ago, inspiring him to build a winery in the Carneros, she added.

Ferrer, who lives in Spain, keeps the lion’s share of her glassware collection in the Spanish wineries she owns and is likely still searching for unique gems to add to it.

“Gloria has always had a flair for the arts,” Schafer said, “and all things creative.”

Gloria Ferrer Wines is located at 23555 Arnold Drive, Sonoma; 707-933-1917; gloriaferrer.com.

Iron Horse Vineyards

Few sparkling wine houses age their sparklers for 15 years, about twice as long as normal for sparklers. But at Iron Horse you can find one that’s been hibernating for 15 years — the Joy 2006, with grapes picked in 2006.

“It has aged for the longest of our sparklings,” CEO Joy Sterling said. “The magnum is best suited for this aging because there’s so very little oxidation. This kind of aging allows the slow breakdown of the yeast cells.”

The winery only sells Joy in the magnum format and produces about 250 cases yearly, with each bottle priced at $275.

The fruit was groomed in Green Valley, close to the ocean. It has a refreshing twist of chardonnay and pinot, Sterling said.

Sterling said Joy is the sparkling wine house’s best effort.

“In our evaluation, this is our finest, thanks to the extended time,” she said. “The greatest benefit of aging this long is the stunning finesse which only comes with time.”

Iron Horse Vineyards is located at 9786 Ross Station Road, Sebastopol; 707-887-1507; ironhorsevineyards.com.

Korbel Champagne Cellars

This sparkling wine house holds a surprise for those intrigued by the pomp and circumstance of presidential inaugurations. Few know Korbel has been served at the last 10, starting with the late President Ronald Reagan’s 1985 inauguration and running through President Joe Biden’s in 2021.

In these polarized times, Korbel has managed to sidestep the politics of party affiliation.

“It’s an honor and a tradition, not political,” said Margie Healy, vice president of communications for Korbel. “It’s not about who is president, but more about America’s historical events.”

The Korbel wine is typically served at the inaugural lunch after the swearing-in ceremony. The favorite bottling continues to be magnums of the Korbel Russian River Natural. Twenty-five cases of magnums typically supply the event.

“For President Biden’s inaugural lunch, the exact bottling was the Korbel, 2017 Russian River Valley Natural,” Healy said. “And due to the pandemic, they only asked for 15 cases.”

Korbel has been producing bubbly using methode champenoise, the traditional method used in France for crafting Champagne, since 1882, The winery relies on a provision under U.S. law that allows it to call its bottlings California Champagne or Russian River Valley Champagne. Typically the term Champagne is reserved only for sparkling wine coming from the Champagne region of France.

The gabled and ivy-clad buildings on its property have stood among the redwoods for more than 140 years. Healy said it’s fitting for such a historic winery, founded in 1882, to be a staple in consequential events like presidential inaugurations.

“This is an honor for us, one we don’t take for granted,” Healy said. “We believe such a historic celebration deserves to be toasted with a premium American champagne with roots in our country’s most memorable occasions.”

Korbel is located at 13250 River Road, Guerneville; 707-824-7000; korbel.com.

You can reach wine writer Peg Melnik at peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5310.