NV Paula Kornell Brut ‘Méthode Champenoise’

80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir from certified sustainable vineyards. Made in the Champagne method, with refermentation in the bottle and 1.5 years of lees aging. Labelled as nonvintage but entirely from the 2018 harvest. Aged on the lees for a year before disgorgement.  Residual sugar is 8g/L. 12% alcohol. 

Excellent quality to price ratio on this bottle that outperforms most California bubbles. It has all the elegance, refinement and freshness that one would expect from a more expensive bottle. Racy acidity makes the wine lively and refreshing, while the small amount of residual sugar gives the wine weight and depth alongside the aromas of lemon pith, fresh peaches, just-ripe apricots, toast, acacia and honeysuckle.

Paula Kornell is a second generation Napa winemaker specializing in sparkling. She is the daughter of Hanns Kornell, a pioneer who survived the Dachau concentration camp before coming to California and establishing Hanns Kornell Champagne Cellars in Napa Valley. It was open from 1958 until 1991, and the property it occupied is now Frank Family.  Kornell was the first méthode Champenoise producer in Napa Valley. Paula grew up in the vineyards and winery at her father’s side, just as Hanns had in Germany with his father. After Hanns Kornell Cellars closed, Paula remained in the wine business, serving as the General Manager for Vichon Winery (owned by Robert Mondavi), followed by equivalent roles at Carmenet (now Repris Winery) in Sonoma County and then at Oakville Ranch. And like her father 45 years prior, in 2009 she also was President of the Board of Directors for the Napa Valley Vintners. In 2014 she founded a consulting firm, providing sales and marketing consulting for small Napa Valley wine brands.