This past weekend, I conducted another Blind Tasting at our humble little abode here in Houston, to which I invited several other local writers to help me go through the 48 bottles of domestic sparkling wine.

All of the blind tastings (now 22 in total–I also conduct blind tastings of American rosé in the Spring and American Pinot Noir in the Fall) have produced some surprises, which is, quite frankly, why tasting blind from time to time is healthy. It is often too easy to be influenced by price, producer, or PR firm when tasting non-blind, and it is also good to “re-center” one’s palate in a way—to focus only on what is in the glass.

This was the seventh tasting of American Sparkling Wine and while last year there were 50 corks to pop, this year it dropped all the way down to 48 wines ranging from $12 to $125. There were 35 Bruts and 13 rosés, and all were produced using the “traditional method” (the same method used in Champagne where the secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle).

We first chilled all the wines, then removed the corks and foil from the bottles, and then inserted them into bags. Then, after we had all left the room, my wife randomly numbered the bagged wines. This way, while I knew what wines were in the tasting, there was no way to identify the order in which we tasted the wines.

Here, in the order that they were tasted, are the next 12 wines. I will publish the remaining 24 tasting notes along with my list of top wines from the tasting, tomorrow and Monday.

Hard at work.

NV Gruet Winery Brut, New Mexico: Retail $15. 75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir. Odd nose. Close to off-putting. The palate is a bit sweet, perhaps, but really odd and not very good. Good. 84 Points. (After the “reveal” we all surmised this must have been a bad bottle from an otherwise reliable producer.)

NV Decoy Brut Cuvée, California: Retail $20. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier. More of an apple than a stone fruit, but both are there, doing a bit of a pas-à-deux. A bit flabby on the palate, just lacking in acidity. There is fruit, but not enough tartness to carry the wine. Very Good. 87 Points.

2016 Sanford Blanc de Blancs, Sta Rita Hills, CA: Retail $55. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (907g; 32oz). 100% Chardonnay. Peachy, just peachy. With a color close to yellow, but just short. Tons of apple and peach with a decent sparkle on the nose. The palate is a bit sweet, but otherwise fruity and fun. Could use a bit more acidity, but I nitpick. Excellent. 90 Points.

2017 Left Coast Estate Pinot Meunier Estate Brut Rosé, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $55. Extremely Heavy Bottle (836g; 29.5oz). Rosé. Pale salmon in the glass with lovely red berry fruit and just a hint of yeast. The palate is lovely if a bit lacking in fruit. It is there, but the acidity is certainly the headliner. Still? Excellent. 91 Points.

Bagged and ready.

NV Piper Sonoma Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs, Sonoma County, CA: Retail $22. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (905g; 1lb 15.9oz). 75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Blanc. Straw to yellow in the glass with oodles of apple on the nose. The palate is fantastic as well with just a hint of sweetness and plenty of brioche and apple. Yowza, pretty fantastic. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2020 Youngberg Hill Sparkling Wine Extended Tirage, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $65. Extremely Heavy Bottle (863g; 30.4oz). 52% Chardonnay (Carabella Vineyards) and 48% Pinot Noir (Crawford Beck Vineyards). A muted nose with interestingly some mocha and a bit of subtle apple. The palate is a bit lacking in sparkle but really tart with some weight and heft. Wonderful. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2013 Gloria Ferrer Carneros Cuvée, Carneros, CA: Retail $96. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (947g; 33.4oz). 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay. Whoa. Quite pale, barely even a straw with a stellar nose of baked apple pie and a touch of à la mode. Yum. The palate? Whoa. Completely harmonious and balanced with some tart apple, a touch of croissant and just a hell of a lot of verve. Whoa. Outstanding. 96 Points.

2020 Sanford Blanc de Noirs, Sta Rita Hills, CA: Retail $55. Extremely Heavy Bottle (848g; 29.9oz). No varietal composition on the webstite, I assume 100% Pinot Noir? Pale but brilliant straw color. A subtle but salty nose with just hints of fruit and brioche. Utterly fantastic on the palate with tons of appley goodness and quite mineral. Lovely. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2018 Stoller Pinot Noir Legacy LaRue’s Brut Rose, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $65. Extremely Heavy Bottle (829g; 29.2oz). 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay. Smoky and meaty on the nose of this rosé(?) (the color is faint, but it is certainly darker). Certainly a “different” nose here. The palate is really dry with a meaty, mushroom-y vibe here. Yeah, it’s different but the sparkling landscape needs more “different”. Excellent. 92 Points.

NV Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs, Carneros, CA: Retail $30. Extremely Heavy Bottle (899g; 31.7oz). 90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay. Pale straw color with tons of pear and bruised apple on the nose. Sweet on the palate. Disappointing after the nose. That sweetness really clouds the fruit, acidity, everything. Very Good. 87 Points.

2020 Roco RMS Brut, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $65. Extremely Heavy Bottle (839g; 29.6oz). Pinot Noir, Chardonnay. Earthy and a bit savory in this medium straw wine. Interesting on the palate as well with a vegetal vibe more than anything else. Good acidity and sparkle. Very Good. 87 Points.

NV Treana Blanc de Blancs, Central Coast, CA: Retail $55. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (911g; 32.1oz). 100% Chardonnay. Another interesting nose with sweet peach and maybe some mango even? The palate comes off as sweet, too, which underscores the need for a bit more acidity here. Very Good. 87 Points.