Wine & Country Living

While attending a champagne tasting last week in Manhattan, New York, I was blown away by the exceptional differences in tastes and styles of the all-French tasting.

After a visit and dinner with associates, I returned to my room with the nagging thought: What about bubbly here in Washington state?

As soon as I landed at the airport, I met with Chad Diltz, owner/winemaker at Tru Cellars, the only producer of sparkling wine in Walla Walla. I sampled his Blanc de Blanc Me'thode Champenoise NV, and I was stunned. No wine at the New York tasting could top this.

Diltz explained his theory about the French Cooper's, who made the barrels in which he aged the luscious wine. The Blanc de Blanc is full of lively acidity, something you really want in a sparkling wine, and dry as a bone, rippling in crisp apple, fruity nuances and that classic little tickle with each sip.

In Diltz's blend, he uses grapes from two sides of the Columbia Gorge: Pinot Noir from Oregon, and Chardonnay from Washington. The scruffy Pinot Noir grape is difficult to grow in Walla Walla, so we don't see champagne-styled wines here much, and this explains why Wine Guy is so busy in California, where Pinot Noir grows exceptionally well.

Tru Cellars, 509-876-2939, earns 98 Points from Wine and Country Living, for dry as a bone quality and fruity, expressive nuances in the glorious Blanc de Blanc Me'thode Champenoise NV.

Happy New Year everyone!

New Year's Cheese Mold

Serves 4

Method: In a food processor, blend all. Line a 2-cup custard cup with damp cheese cloth and stuff with cheese mix. Fold over ends of cloth and gently press down. Place cheese mold in refrigerator overnight. Unmold cheese onto a plate of fresh mint sprigs. Serve with sliced, toasted baguette and very cold Blanc de Blanc.

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