Wine of the Week: Domaine Carneros NV Cuvee de la Pompadour, Carneros Brut Rosé

Celebrating Mother’s Day during a pandemic brings new meaning to protective love. Who knew moms’ pampering would ever show up as a stern warning to wear a mask and gloves to the grocery store?

To celebrate mom and her protective love, pink bubbles are in order. The Press Democrat had a blind tasting of delectable rosé sparklers, with our wine of the week winner, Domaine Carneros NV Cuvee de la Pompadour, Carneros Brut Rosé at $44. It’s an elegant brut rosé, with yeasty, nutty aromas and bright citrus on the palate.

This feminine sparkler is nice and dry. It has notes of peach, strawberry, mineral and brioche. While it has a creamy texture, it finishes crisp with a nice mousse of pinpoint bubbles. It’s a perfect Mother’s Day pick.

Other tasty, less expensive rosé sparklers in the lineup include the Korbel NV California Brut Rosé at $13 and the Roederer Estate NV Anderson Valley Brut Rosé at $35.

As for the Domaine Carneros brut rosé, CEO and head winemaker Eileen Crane said the house style is like “Audrey Hepburn in a little black dress, understated elegance, kicky and fun.”

Most of the uninitiated are surprised to learn that rosé sparklers, while fruity, are dry, Crane said.

“A lot of people expect them to be sweet, but the finer rosés are dry,” she said. “They’re brut level with 8 to 10 grams per liter. Just a tiny bit of sugar.”

While the tasting room at the chateau is closed, the winery is busy producing wine during the pandemic. But Crane and her team have found clever ways to keep employees’ spirits uplifted. They send them a gift - a bottle of wine every week. With a rosé, they sent this note: “We’ll be looking through rose-colored glasses soon enough.”

With more than four decades behind her as a winemaker, Crane said she loves being in sync with the seasons. Crane often stops at the door of the winery, pausing to look at the vast expanse of land ribbed in vineyards.

The CEO, who grew up in New Jersey, said, “I could have driven to work on the New Jersey Turnpike. Instead I’m here on the Carneros Highway, which is barely a highway. … There’s so much to see and enjoy here.”

Crane, 71, has spent the last 33 years at Domaine Carneros. Claude Taittinger, president of parent company Champagne Taittinger in France, hired her to build the winery and create a house palate.

Crane has a master’s degree from the University of Connecticut in nutrition. She later took classes in oenology and viticulture courses at UC Davis.

Focusing on bubbly was instinctual. Crane’s father allowed her to sip her first sparkler at age 8, and she was smitten. “This is it,” she recalls saying.

The CEO plans to retire after the 2020 harvest, and this avid traveler, who has been to more than 120 countries, plans to spend more time exploring once the pandemic is over.

For now, Crane hopes everyone enjoys some shelter-in-place sparkling rosé for Mother’s Day.

“Pink is such a traditional color for women,” she said. “I always think of May as strawberries and pink bubbles.”

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