Review: NV Graham Beck Brut
Here’s a fun story: Graham Beck Brut “was affectionately dubbed the “President’s Choice” as it was served at both Nelson Mandela’s inauguration and to celebrate Barak Obama’s presidential nomination.” This nonvintage South African sparkler is made from chardonnay and pinot noir grown in the country’s Western Cape region and is produced using the classic méthode champenoise method.
It’s a bright and lively sparkling wine, brisk with citrus fruit and plenty of lemon peel notes. Hints of grapefruit interplay well with a slightly biscuity body, with a mildly yeasty character emerging on the finish. Never short of vibrant fruit and acidity, the wine offers solid value for a sparkler, fighting well above its weight class.
B+ / $20 / grahambeck.com