CUPID ALERT!:

Clever Agents will order this special bubbly for their upcoming romantic covert missions. Order today, in time for V-Day Operations…

SUPERIOR WINE ALERT!:

Today’s delicious sparkling wine is not only very romantic, it’s also extremely excellent.

SECRET SAVINGS ALERT!:

Subscribe to our Daily Dispatch (above) and you’ll always know what our Top Secret coupon code of the day is. Every day we issue a new members-only code that entitles you to have Ground Shipping included on orders of six or more and, sometimes, an added discount!

Mission Codename: The Son of Venus

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: With Valentine’s Day rapidly approaching, locate a stellar bubbly for our romance-minded Operatives

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Mumm Napa

Wine Subject: Mumm Napa Brut Rosé (Formerly, Mumm Napa Blanc de Noirs)

Winemaker: Ludovic Dervi

Backgrounder: For today’s selection, we sent Agent Red out in search of a sparkling wine worthy of our romantically inclined Operatives from around the country. After an arduous search, Red returns with a secret cache of Mumm Napa’s delicious Napa Napa Brut Rosé, a tender, flavor-filled and very romantic sparkler. Read his detailed tasting notes and mission report below, which includes an interview with Mumm winemaker Ludovic Dervin

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – A gorgeous soft pink with glinting coral highlights, this wine shows of a gentle cascade of never-ending bubbles of mixed sizes

Smell – Initially slightly floral, deep inhalations of this wine reveal soft cherry, young strawberry, soft pear and softer peach. These are accompanied by citrus zest and slate minerals

Feel – This is a soft and sensuous wine on the tongue, with no hard edges or the sort of in-the-mouth rush of bubbles that can be present in other sparkling wines. Overall, the wine maintains a soft wetness that goes only slightly dry on swallowing it

Taste – Delicious, with layers of flavor, including young strawberry, dark cherry, soft lemon, pear and soft apricot

Finish – Initially very wet medium-bodied, the goes slightly dry as flavors dwindle off slowly. As flavors fade, the mouth waters, inviting another delicious sip

Conclusion – This is a fantastic sparkler – at a fantastic price! If you are looking for a delicious Valentine’s Day treat to enjoy with some special, or if you just love sparkling Rosé , this is an easy choice. Regular followers of our wine adventures know that we continue to have a special relationship with this special winery. This is simply because we love their great sparkling wines. Happy Valentine’s Day to you, dear Operative. Make a fellow Agent happy this year, by surprising them with this very special sparkling Rosé .

Mission Report:

What follows is a mission recap, from a previous Mumm Napa mission:

It was a high level meeting of all of our overseas operatives. HQ wanted to have a rare face-to-face. We needed to get on the same page and refocus our efforts. I, Agent Sparkle, was tasked with arranging the summit.

Choosing the location was easy; I just had to get us all to the Monterey safe-house. Agents from around the world arrived. It was good to see Agent Baco Noir in the flesh, in her signature Italian pumps. Agent J played pilot to Agent Terroir and Agent White, flying them both in in her Citation X. They had come all the way from France for the meeting (stay tuned for the results of that ongoing mission). Agent Red arrived a little late but, as a founder of The Wine Spies, he can get away with it.

Agent Grenache, the heavy-lifter of the group, fresh cleaning up our latest logistical nightmare, was in attendance. So, too, were Agent Neutron and Agent Orange (our hipster Paso Robles Operatives), Agent Noir (Monterey), and Agent Smith (you read about him in Agent Red’s mission report of yesterday). Also in attendance were a select group our Agent’s field assets, moles, and confidential informants.

The meeting room was packed. So was the agenda: There were extended tastings to conduct, technical analysis, sessions on trade-craft, research on trends and perhaps most importantly, the latest harvest reports.

It was a long and grueling day and thankfully Agent Red arranged a great after-conference BBQ, Aussie style, in my honor. He arranged the dinner, but I had arranged the refreshment of the evening, a beautiful sparkling wine from my newest friends, Mumm Napa.

Mumm Napa’s Reserve Brut became an instant favorite from the moment I first placed the winery under surveillance. It took some skillful subterfuge to procure enough to serve at our gathering – and to keep enough for our well-deserving Operatives for today’s offering. We’re sorry that you weren’t able to attend our conference, but I am sure that today’s superb bubbly is consolation enough.

The day behind us, the BBQ was in full swing. We were having a great time, and I just love the fall along the California coast. It was the perfect way to finish the days activities, watching the sun set into the mighty Pacific – with a glass of Champagne in hand.

Agent Terroir raised his glass and said, “A mes amis et à un grand avenir!, A votre sante!”. He took a sip and smiled at Agent Sparkle with a glowing look of approval. Sparkle just smiled back and whispered to Red, “Mumm’s the word.”

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The gorgeous Rutherford, California location of the Mumm Napa winery and vineyards can be seen in this satellite photo.