Roederer Estate 1999 Anderson Valley Sparkling Wine, L'Ermitage, Brut.
Purchased some time in the early aughts at the winery, during a vacation that involved a couple of nights in Elk, California, at a little inn on the west side of Highway 1, where the patio door opened on to the edge of a cliff above the Pacific. I remember that patio, and I remember that I made the mistake of leaving a Clif Bar in my jeans pocket overnight, which a hungry mouse accessed by chewing a hole in my jeans. (Dude, you can have the bar, just carry it out the easy way next time, okay?)
Anyway, the wine. Other than a bit of bronze around the edges and the now quite faint fizz, this is fresher than I expected for 25-year-old sparkling wine. If you look for it, you’ll find creamy citrus with a vibrantly bright streak of acidity, some tree fruit, and the telltale hints of Pinot in the background (I couldn't find the proportion for this vintage online), as well as some pie spice, but nothing especially sherried or otherwise oxidized in this bottle. The real pleasure of this, though, is in the harmony of all the parts, smoothed by age. It tastes generously dosed for a Brut… old-school, straightforward, and really well executed. Happy new year.