Two weekends ago, I conducted another Blind Tasting at our humble little abode here in Houston, to which I invited other wine writers from the area. This most recent iteration was the seventh annual tasting of American sparkling wines.

All of the blind tastings (now 22 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.

This is the last of four installments for my Seventh Annual World’s Largest Blind Tasting of American Sparkling Wines, and tasting notes for the final 12 wines. There were 48 wines in total, making it close to the largest of the seven sparkling wine tastings that we have had (last year there were 50).

I started this tasting seven years ago with the aim of shining a bit of light on the sparkling wines being made in this country. It wasn’t (and isn’t) meant to be a competition with Champagne, but rather to highlight wines from both widely available producers and a few that are only available direct from the winery.

At the end of the notes, I have also listed the top wines from this year’s group of tasters, my top wines (at least as I see them), and those that I consider to be the best values.

Bagged and ready.

2016 Brooks Sparkling Riesling, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $55. 100% Riesling. Extremely Heavy Bottle (868g; 30.6oz). Golden in the glass sherried and rich on the nose with just a slight hint of petrol. Yowza. The palate is much of the same, and I love it. Baked apple and fresh croissant with that sherried note that is fabulous. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2016 Sanford Blanc de Noirs, Sta Rita Hills, CA: Retail $55(?). Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (912g; 32.2oz). 100%(?) Pinot Noir (the info on this wine was scant online). Smoky and salty on the nose with hints of lime. The palate is off the charts, however, with a load of yeasty goodness and just enough fruit to make this an amazing wine. Outstanding. 95 Points.

NV Gloria Ferrer Brut, Sonoma County, CA: Retail $30. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (900g; 31.7oz). 88% Pinot Noir, 12% Chardonnay. Tons of sulfur on the nose of this fairly pale wine. A bit of sweetness here, and it seems to work. Good fruit and tartness follow, rendering this a pretty well balanced wine. But that nose… Excellent. 90 Points.

2020 Domaine Carneros Brut, Carneros, CA: Retail $39. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (913g; 32.2oz). 57% Pinot Noir, 43% Chardonnay. A bit of a smoky pear thing on the nose of this fairly pale wine. The palate is crisp and fruity, but missing a bit of the “wow factor” that I like to see in sparkling wines. Very Good. 89 Points.

Isn’t it time to do away with all the foil? It serves no purpose…other than to fill up landfills.

NV Chemistry Pinot Noir Rosé Bubbles, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $25. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (901g; 31.8oz). 100% Pinot Noir. Rosé. Medium pink to salmon with a bit of a wild strawberry/flinty nose. Rich and fruity on the palate with intense fruit that comes off as a bit sweet but it certainly works. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2020 Roco RMS Brut Rosé, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $65. 100% Pinot Noir. Rosé. More of a light bubblegum in color with a dirty, wild strawberry vibe on the nose. Good fruit and balance here as well, with a bit of flint and a touch of sweetness, both of which work. Excellent. 92 Points.

2020 Sanford Blanc de Blancs, Sta Rita Hills, CA: Retail $55. 100%(?) Chardonnay (no info is available online). Citrus and salinity on the nose of this very light straw colored wine. The palate is nice, with more than a bit of tang. This really works for me, but there is a bit of a quirkiness to it. Very Good. 88 Points.

NV Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut, Columbia Valley, WA: Retail $13. Extremely Heavy Bottle (874g; 30.8oz). “Varietals like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier.” Peach and pear are at the top of the list here of aromas in this pale straw wine. Fruity and rich with plenty of tartness, this swings a bit toward the overly fruity side, which is fine. Very nice. Very Good. 89 Points.

NV Domaine Carneros Cuvée de la Pompadour Brut Rosé, Carneros, CA: Retail $40. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (916g; 32.3oz). 58% Pinot Noir, 42% Chardonnay. Rosé? Light salmon-orange with a lovely peachy/cherry vibe going on. Whoa. The palate explodes with flavor, tons of fruit, tartness, and just a touch of yeastiness. Whoa. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2020 Chehalem Limited Edition Sparkling Brut, Chehalem Mountains, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $65. Extremely Heavy Bottle (875g; 30.9oz). 84% Pinot Noir, 16% Chardonnay. Past yellow and on the way to golden with a hint of salmon. Smoky and meaty on the nose with some wild strawberry and a touch of baked apple, rich and layered. Fantastic. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2019 Brooks Sparkling Riesling, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $65. Extremely Heavy Bottle (846g; 29.8oz). Pale straw with a lovely nose of brioche, the palate is a bit different (Riesling?) and aromatic. Really fantastic. Bright, engaging, lively. This is really fantastic. Outstanding. 94 Points.

NV Stoller Brut Sparkling Wine – Estate, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $40. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (906g; 32oz). 75% Chardonnay, 22% Pinot Noir, 3% Pinot Meunier. Estate Disgorged 2023. Pale but brilliant with a dirty, flinty, apple-y nose. Yowza. Lovely. Balnced, fruity, layered and introspective, this is easily one of the best wines in the tasting. The finish lasts for days. Holy cow. Outstanding. 96 Points.

The Group’s Top Wines

My only “assignment” for the group (we were five in total) was to give me a list of their “top wines”. It could be two, it could be twenty and the definition of “top” was up to them. Only two wines appeared on all four lists, thus the consensus top wines of the tasting (The scores in all parentheses are mine.):

1. 2013 Gloria Ferrer Carneros Cuvée ($110, 96 Points)
2. NV Domaine Carneros, Cuvée de la Pompadour, Brut Rosé ($40, 95 pts.)

All of the following wines appeared on at least three of the four lists of “top wines”.

1. Piper Sonoma Brut Rosé ($22, 93 pts.)
2. 2018 Sokol Blosser Blossom Ridge ($64, 94 pts.)
3. 2020 Sanford Brut Cuvée ($55, 91 pts.)
4. 2021 Acquiesce Grenache Rosé ($55, 94 pts.)
5. Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve M.V.5 ($105, 95 pts.)
6. 2020 Chehalem Limited Edition Brut ($65, 94 pts.)
7. NV Stoller Brut ($40, 96 pts.)
8. 2019 Brooks Sparkling Riesling ($65, 94 pts.)

My Top Wines

1. 2013 Gloria Ferrer Carneros Cuvée ($110, 96 Points)
2. NV Stoller Brut ($40, 96 pts.)
3. Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve M.V.5 ($105, 95 pts.)
4. 2016 Sanford Blanc de Noirs ($55, 95 pts.)
5. NV Domaine Carneros, Cuvée de la Pompadour, Brut Rosé ($40, 95 pts.)
6. 2018 Sokol Blosser Blossom Ridge ($64, 94 pts.)
7. NV Piper Sonoma Blanc de Blancs ($22, 94 pts.)
8. 2016 Sanford Blanc de Noirs ($55, 94 pts.)
9. 2021 Acquiesce Grenache Rosé ($55, 94 pts.)
10. 2016 Brooks Sparkling Riesling ($65, 94 pts.)
11. 2020 Chehalem Limited Edition Brut ($65, 94 pts.)
12. 2019 Brooks Sparkling Riesling ($65, 94 pts.)

My Best Values

1. NV Piper Sonoma Blanc de Blancs ($22, 94 pts.)
2. NV Piper Sonoma Brut Rosé ($22, 93 pts.)
3. NV Chemistry Rosé ($25, 93 pts.)
4. NV Piper Sonoma Brut Réserve ($22, 92 pts.)
5. NV Piper Sonoma Brut ($22, 91 pts.)
6. NV Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut Rosé ($13, 90 pts.)
7. NV Gloria Ferrer Brut ($30, 90 pts.)
8. NV Korbel Brut ($12, 89 pts.)