Mumm Napa DVX

With Love From Napa: 2003 Mumm Napa DVX Sparkling Wine

Napa Valley’s extensive history holds a certain ‘je ne sais quois’ that makes the valley alluring and champagne so irresistible. At Mumm Napa Winery we find the man behind the legend…and the spectacular sparkling wine created to honor his legacy.

In 1979 Guy Devaux, an expert at creating fine still and sparkling wines, began his quest to find the ideal winegrowing area in the U.S. For four years he adventured across America, surreptitiously buying grapes and small lots of wine he considered prime. His only rule was to find a terroir where he could create wine from the traditional Champagne grapes and use only the highest quality production process, méthode champenoise. Guy found his prize in Napa where he founded Mumm Cuvée Napa Winery, embracing all the classic techniques and theories that were invented in Champagne three centuries ago.

Mumm Napa is now an upper-tier California sparkling wine producer at 200,000 cases annually and a product range including Brut Prestige, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, Vintage Reserve, new Cuvée M, and our favorite, the DVX vintage dated tête de cuvée. In 1995 Monsieur Devaux’s passing ignited a desire to truly honor the man who dedicated his life to the grapes.

With newly appointed Champagne-born master winemaker Ludovic Dervin leading the way the 2003 Mumm Napa DVX was born. This prestigious vintage tête de cuvée is brilliant and clear, with a pale straw loveliness that opens with toasted almonds, honey and lemon zest. A complex finish lingers with tones of creamy yeast notes, clove, granny smith apples and a hint of apricot. Each sip is fuller than a typical champagne, and yet incredibly delicate.

Making sparkling wine from the Napa Valley gives me the opportunity to be creative with the outstanding fruit that is grown here. My goal is to make a sparkling wine that shows elegance, balance and artistry.  It is a way to celebrate life everyday. -Ludovic Dervin

The Carneros region accounts for the delicate balance and intense fruit characteristics of the elegant DVX bubbly. The region’s natural climate, soil and exposure foster the perfect balance and ripeness to produce sparkling wines using the traditional French process. The high acidity gives the sparkling wine structure, finesse and a wonderful burst of excitement in the bubbles that linger on your tongue and yearn for another sip.

P.J. O’Rourke once said “After all, what is your host’s purpose in having a party? Surely not for you to enjoy yourself; if that were their sole purpose, they’d have simply sent champagne and women over to your place by taxi.”

Even though it didn’t exist at the time, we like to think he was talking about the vintage 2003 DVX Sparkling Wine by Mumm Napa.