EAST COAST PALATE

2000 Mumm Napa DVX...
This premier bottle from Mumm Napa is a serious sparkling wine.  It a 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  Its yeasty aromas lend to it a sugar cookie smell that is enticing and warm.  There is a fresh citrus component that brings this wine into balance, and that lemon zest bite lingers all the way to the end of a SweetTart finish.  This bottle deserves an A, 93 points for my taste.  At $50, it's more of a special occasion kind of wine, perfect for holiday merry-making.

Mumm Napa Brut Rosé (NV)
This is a very balanced Brut rosé, made mainly from Pinot Noir grapes.  Its subtle strawberry/raspberry scent gives it an almost desert-like allure, but it's nice and dry, with frothy bubbles that burst with flavor.  This doesn't have the lasting finish as the high-end DVX, but it is an excellent wine, priced under $20 (I saw it over the weekend at Circle Wine & Liquor for $17.99).  I give this a B+.  It's a great bottle to give as a gift or to kick off any party.