Medium gold with tinge of pale brown color; green apple, butterscotch, citrus, lemon, honey on the nose; toast, grapefruit, green apple, citrus, lemon, yeast, honey on the palate.
Brut; very vigorous bubbles; creamy. Medium body, good acidity. Made using traditional second fermentation in the bottle. Aged one year on the lees before disgorgement. Blend of 85% chardonnay, 15% malbec; the malbec provides extra body and separate character than traditional chard-pinot noir-pinot meunier blend. 12% ABV
Rodolfo “Opi” Sadler is the master winemaker. His grandfather father was an Austrian vegetable and grape farmer—today, that territory is in Italy—who immigrated to Argentina in 1908. He saw the mountains in Mendoza to be similar to what he knew back home and became an oenologist.. The grandfather was known as “Opa.” Since Rodolfo resembles his grandfather, his name became “Opi”—“little grandfather.” He notes the first time he tasted wine when he was “10 or 11” years old. He has since become a star winemaker.
La Mascota Vineyards Unänime Brut NV is an interesting take on classic sparkling with malbec the red in the mix rather than pinot noir. Pleasing in the mouth with just a touch of honey to sweeten up the sip while keeping it snuggly in the brut sparkling category. Works as an aperitif. Pair with light bites—cranberry and brie; raw fish, sushi. Pair with cheesecake for dessert. Cheese—brie, camembert, parmigiano reggiano, colby, gorgonzola. $26
