This is the first in a series of articles when I look back on the year that was 2024. Once again, I tasted over 1,000 wines in the previous twelve months, which boggles my mind a bit since that averages out to about three a day. As I contemplate the state of my liver, I also like to reflect on the top wines that I was fortunate enough to taste over the course of the year. Here, I present the best domestic sparkling wines I tasted in 2024.

These first five wines come from my Seventh Annual Blind Tasting of American Sparkling Wine. I have conducted this tasting every year since moving to Houston and it often offers several surprises. This year was no exception.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 second group of five wines also comes from a singular tasting, this one in Manhattan, which I dubbed “The Finest Tasting of American Sparkling Wines Ever“. Needless to say, perhaps, the tasting was phenomenal and here are five of the top six wines from that tasting:

2006 Domaine Carneros Le Rêve, Blanc de Blancs, Carneros, CA: Retail $175? 100% Chardonnay. Yellow in color with a touch of green on the rim. Quite shy on the nose with just hints of tree fruit (pear, apple) and a smoky, toast aspect that really works. The palate is fruity yet refined with plenty of tartness and depth with a lingering finish. Lovely. This wine is close to two decades old but might need even more time. Outstanding. 96 Points.

2007 Roederer Estate l’Ermitage, Anderson Valley, CA: Retail $125 (?). 52% Chardonnay, 48% Pinot Noir – 4% aged reserve wine, vintage 2004 and 2005. Really yeasty and lovely on the nose with red apple again and some slight oxidation happening. Lovely. Really fantastic, rich and lively on the palate with layered baked red apple, crumbly croissant and a mineral, oxidative note that is just fantastic. Whoa. Extraordinary. 97 Points.

1997 Roederer Estate l’Ermitage, Anderson Valley, CA: Retail $150? 55% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir. Another fabulous nose with plenty of toast. Whoa. Golden in color and tons of baked golden delicious apple. The palate is again just off the charts with fantastic flavors of apple compote and baked bread with a finish that seems to last for days. Extraordinary. 97 Points.

2015 Schramsberg Vineyards J. Schram Blancs, North Coast, CA: Retail $150. 84% Chardonnay, 16% Pinot Noir. Lovely red apple and yeast on the nose with just a slight hint of color. Again, quite tart and young with both red and golden delicious apple paired with a freshly baked croissant. Very long finish that lingers and lingers. Outstanding. 95 Points.

1997 Schramsberg Vineyards J Schram Late Disgorged, North Coast, CA: Retail $300? 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir. Very nutty with some slight oxidation the nose with predominantly baked apple; quite Burgundian in fact. The palate? Whoa. This is a layered and complex wine, with considerable depth. Surprisingly, there is still plenty of fruit on the palate, albeit dried and baked. But whoa is it it fantastic. Wholly cow. Extraordinary. 98 Points.

My Sparkling Wine of the Year:

As I have mentioned countless times in this space, I have been fortunate to taste some amazing wines and meet some pretty incredible people. As for the latter, Remi Cohen, the C.E.O. of Domaine Carneros is at the top of the list. It just so happens that one of the wines she brought to that New York City tasting is also my Top Sparkling Wine of 2024. While I prefer to avoid hyperbole, the 1995 Domaine Carneros Le Rêve might just be the finest wine I have ever tasted.

1995 Domaine Carneros Le Rêve, Blanc de Blancs, Carneros, CA: Retail $250? 99% Chardonnay, 1% Pinot Blanc. The last wine of the tasting and as with many of the others, this was initially quite shy on the nose but with persistence, it showed loads of toast and a touch of oxidation. Whoa. I could just smell this for days. The palate is both full and layered with a harmony that is a hallmark of Le Rêve, in my opinion. And this has it in spades. One of the most complete wines I have ever tasted. Extraordinary. 99 Points.