30 Sep Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Domaine Carneros 2022 Cuvée de la Pompadour Brut Rosé

I first sat down with Remi Cohen to interview her for the Wine Soundtrack podcast in 2020. She told me that early in her career, she set a goal to become a winery’s general manager by age 40. She accomplished that goal at 37 and, at the time of our interview, was in her fifth year as General Manager at Lede Family Wines. Six years later, Remi is celebrating her sixth anniversary as CEO of Domaine Carneros, where she has carried forward the legacy and foundation established by founding winemaker Eileen Crane, whom we lost this past May. I sat down with Remi to catch up, record a new Wine Soundtrack interview, and enjoy a bite to eat. The Domaine Carneros 2022 Cuvée de la Pompadour Brut Rosé stood out as it paired perfectly with food and is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

About Domaine Carneros

Domaine Carneros was founded by the Taittinger family, which purchased its Carneros property in 1986 after a 13-year search for the right California site. The cool climate of the appellation, which straddles the southern ends of Napa and Sonoma, proved ideally suited to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Eileen Crane was selected as founding winemaker and oversaw the inaugural 1987 vintage as well as the construction of the winery. She led Domaine Carneros for more than three decades, becoming one of the pioneering women of the American sparkling wine industry and helping establish it as one of California’s benchmark sparkling wine producers.

Remi Cohen became CEO of Domaine Carneros in 2020, bringing more than two decades of experience spanning vineyard management, winemaking, operations, sales, marketing, and hospitality. With an undergraduate degree in molecular and cellular biology, she found her way to viticulture through the master’s program at UC Davis. Her first harvest was at Saintsbury in Carneros in 2001, the same year she first met Eileen Crane. As CEO of Domaine Carneros, Remi continues to build on the foundation Eileen established, while bringing her own perspective to the role.

Today, Domaine Carneros farms approximately 400 acres of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Carneros AVA and produces estate-grown traditional-method sparkling wines as well as Pinot Noir. The estate’s six vineyards are certified through Napa Green, Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing, and Fish Friendly Farming. Solar power has been part of the winery since 2003, and a solar microgrid and battery system installed in 2023 can supply up to 70 percent of its power. Production wastewater is recycled for vineyard irrigation, while cover crops, owl boxes, composting, recycling, and other programs are incorporated throughout the estate.

Tasting Notes

Named in honor of Madame de Pompadour who famously introduced sparkling wine to the court of Louis XV, the Domaine Carneros 2022 Cuvée de la Pompadour Brut Rosé is a blend of estate-grown Pinot Noir (60%) and Chardonnay (40%). A portion of the Pinot Noir is left on the skins for a few days, making a rosé. The rosé is then blended with the remainder of the Pinot Noir which was vinified white and the Chardonnay. The result is a delicate pale pink color with red fruit aromas of strawberries and raspberries, as well as honeysuckle floral notes. The Pinot Noir gives the wine a textured richness and the Chardonnay gives the wine structure for a perfectly balanced and elegant wine.

Food Pairing

I always say that when it doubt with what to pair a meal with, try sparkling wine. And Brut Rosé might be the most food-friendly. This wine can pair with grilled salmon, shrimp pad thai, truffle goat cheese, or panzanella salad. Or, we enjoyed it with a Peach and Fig salad with grilled peaches, Mission figs, burrata, candied pistachio, crispy Prosciutto, arugula, fig balsamic, and EVOO fig, and a Burrata Pizzetta with San Marzano sauce, Calabrian pepper, basil, and roasted garlic oil. I especially loved how the wine cut the heat of the Calabrian pepper.

Where To Purchase

The Domaine Carneros 2022 Cuvée de la Pompadour Brut Rosé retails for $48. It can be found in your local wine store but you can also buy it directly from the winery and have it shipped to your home.