Last Saturday, I conducted another Blind Tasting at our humble little abode here in Houston, to which I invited other wine writers from the area. As you may recall, I conducted a tasting of American True Rosés in the Spring, and the second was this Fall when I tasted American Pinot Noirs.

All of the blind tastings (now nineteen in total) 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.

Why do I limit my tasting to just American sparkling wine? Good question. As any casual reader of this space knows, I am a bit of a champagne hound. I dare to mention how many bottles from what I consider the world’s greatest wine region actually reside in this house currently. But. There is no doubt that American sparkling wine has made great strides and while I hesitate to assert that Yankee bubbles have “caught up” to their French counterparts, I do maintain that the top-end American sparklers give Champagne a run for the money.

Here is third set of twelve of the 48 sparklers that we tasted this past weekend. I will publish the remaining notes on Monday as well as my overall top wines and what I consider to be the “best value” wines from the tasting.

NV Gran Moraine Pinot Noir Brut Rosé, Yamhill-Carlton, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $60. 52% Pinot Noir, 44% Chardonnay, 4% Pinot Meunier. Rosé with a lovely red berry nose and a pink bubblegum color. A bit salty on the palate with really good fruit and plenty of sparkle. This is a pretty fun wine with plenty of zing. Excellent. 92 Points.

2018 King Estate Brut Cuvée, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $40. Extremely Heavy Bottle (99g; 31.4oz). 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. Medium straw with a bit of a dirty nose. The palate is rather austere, with both flint and salinity more prominent than the fruit. I think I like it, but it is certainly a different approach to sparkling wine. Very Good. 89 Points.

NV Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut Rosé, Columbia Valley, WA: Retail $13. Exceedingly Heavy Bottle (876g; 1lb 14.9oz). Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. A bit of color here. Rosé? Close to golden. With another nose that is a bit oxidized and masking the fruit. OK fruit on the palate with what seems like a bit of age. That the best wine in this flight, but I certainly like it. Excellent. 90 Points.

2020 Sanford Brut Cuvée, Sta Rita Hills, CA: Retail $60. Extremely Heavy Bottle (849g; 29.9oz). No information available on line about this wine. Yeasty with some fruit on the backend of the nose of this light straw wine. Interesting on the palate, as it is oxidized and sherried, which I normally love, and I certainly like it here. The question is how much? Excellent. 91 Points.

The reveal is always fun and often provides some surprises!

2021 Hanna Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $56. 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Quite aromatic. It’s not Riesling, not Muscat, it has to be the Hanna Sauvignon Blanc with some cut grass and cat pee on the nose. The palate? Wow, quite different with loads of tropical fruit and perceptible sweetness. I like it. Excellent. 90 Points.

NV Bryn Mawr Vineyards Sparkling Rosé, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $40. 82% Pinot Noir, 10% Pinot Gris, 8% Chardonnay. Rosé. Pale salmon. Sweet strawberry on the nose with a bit of yeast. The palate is fruity, tart, and comes off initially as a bit sweet. But I think it is just very fruity, this is a fun wine, certainly a crowd-pleaser. Excellent. 92 Points.

2021 Acquiesce Grenache Rosé Sparkling, Lodi, CA: Retail $55. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (903g; 32oz). 100% Grenache. Pale bubblegum with some wild strawberry on the nose. Really fantastic on the palate: great fruit (strawberry and cherry) with fantastic balance and weight. Holy cow, this is good. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2017 Domaine Carneros Le Rêve, Carneros, CA: Retail $125. One of the heaviest bottles I have ever weighed (1117g; 39.4oz, not quite 2.5 pounds). 100% Chardonnay. A bit of sulfur and salinity on the nose of this near yellow wine. The palate continues that theme—very salty with some tart lemon rind and tons of zing. Excellent. 90 Points.

Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Brut Rose M.V. 5, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $105. 64% Pinot Noir, 24% Chardonnay, 12% Brut Reserve. Rosé. Quite pale, but clearly a rosé. Ripe strawberry and a touch of yeastiness on the nose. Very nice on the palate, even exceptional with that tangy wild strawberry dominating. Whoa. Yeah, this is Outstanding. 95 Points.

NV JaM Butter Sparkling, California: Retail $17. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (905g; 31.9oz). There is virtually no information about this wine on their overly glitzy website. Close to yellow with a bit of caramel on the nose, interestingly. Sweet and disjointed. Not enough acidity here to hold up to the sugar. Good. 86 Points.

Rosés always seem festive.

NV Korbel Brut Sparkling Wine, California: Retail $12. Extremely Heavy Bottle (891g; 31.4oz). Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, French Colombard, Pinot Noir. Quite mineral on the nose of this medium straw colored wine. Smokiness. A touch of sweetness on the palate, but there is plenty of acidity to hold up to the sugar. It works. Very Good. 89 Points.

2019 Brooks Muscat Terue, Eola – Amity Hills. Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $35. Extremely Heavy Bottle (840g; 29.6oz). 92% Orange Muscat, 8% Early Muscat. Close to golden in color with clearly a Muscat nose. Lovely and aromatic. Great fruit and acidity here, with just a hint of sweetness. I really liked this wine a couple of years ago, and I like it now, but it may have zoomed past its peak in the interim. Excellent. 91 Points.