2020 Anonymous Wine Collective "Manchester Ridge Vineyard" Mendocino Ridge Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine

Staff Reviews

SB

Scott Beckerley

Scott Beckerley

Review Date: 11/2025

There is an extremely lovely nose on this very Champagne-like bubbly. All Honey Crisp and Granny Smith apple with a nice dose of lemon meringue and limestone. On the palate, despite being Brut Nature, it has a very nice creaminess and a very fine bead. The tart apple flavors are at the forefront with a light saltiness. In the background, there is a little shaved ginger, cream puff pastry and lemon juice. Just marvelous! It tastes far more expensive than it is.

AH

Aaron Hughes

Aaron Hughes

Review Date: 11/2025

Yet another arrow in the quiver of the Anonymous Wine Collective, and what a pretty and flashy arrow it is. Vineyard specific Blanc de Blanc for just $30 is pretty cool, but what's even better is they went about the right way. This spent one year on the lees on neutral oak and then four years on tirage, being hand-riddled by one of the best in the California sparkling business. This is serious bubbles, with a lovely toasty brioche nose, green and red apples, and touches of lemon curd. The palate has a lot of fruit, but by now you know I like that. It's really bright and juicy fruit, barely ripe apple, lemon juice, and then more baguette on the finish. This is just delicious, and a very compelling bottle at the price. I took a couple of bottles home over my weekend, and can guarantee you it goes with creamy pasta and makes one hell of a mimosa. It's good, folks. It's good.

Notes

The first ever Anonymous sparkling wine! And wow, what a beauty to kick things off! This wine isn't quite as Anonymous as some of our other bottlings in the collection because with this one we are able to share the name of the vineyard source. This vintage Blanc de Blanc is 100% Chardonnay from the remote Manchester Ridge Vineyard in the spectacular Mendocino Ridge AVA. This little-known AVA is often referred to as the "Islands in the Sky". The region is defined specifically by mountain peaks that exceed 1,200ft elevation on the Mendocino Coast. Mendocino Ridge is the only non-contiguous AVA in the United States. Within the region there are around 20 mountain tops and ridges that rise above the almost constant coastal fog.  The wider region covers some 250,000 acres, however at elevations that surpass 1,200ft only around 2,000 acres are thought to be suitable for planting vines, and of that only 200-300 acres are currently planted. The Manchester Ridge is planted at 2,300ft elevation on a remote mountain top just 2 miles from the Pacific Ocean. These Old Wente clone vines, planted on marine sedimentary sandstone, produce less than 2-tons per acre of fruit. The vin clair was fermented and then aged sur lees for 12 months in once used French oak. The wine was then put on tirage and aged for another four years! Finally, in September of this year, the wine was riddled entirely by hand, disgorged and finished with zero dosage.