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 25 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 ten of the 38 sparklers that I tasted this past weekend. I will publish the remaining notes tomorrow as well as my overall top wines and what I consider to be the “best value” wines from the tasting.

2019 Brooks Sparkling Riesling, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $65. Extremely Heavy Bottle (846g; 29.8oz). 100% Riesling. Pale straw to yellow with a fine sparkle and a yeasty, citrus nose that is completely inviting, some petrol is also clearly evident, and thus, despite tasting this blind, I know what this is. Yowza. Rich, with a seemingly high dosage (which is fine), plenty of fruit, and acidity, and layered. This is quite tasty and both a crowd pleaser and a very nice quaff. Whoa. Outstanding. 96 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. Brilliant straw to yellow with more than a bit of funk on the nose. That funkiness translates onto the palate as well, dominating pretty much everything else. I normally love the funk, but this is a bit out of place, honestly. Given my previous experiences with this wine, there seems to be a bit of bottle variation. Good. 86 Points.

2018 Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvée, Carneros, CA: Retail $78. 67% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay. Quite pale, barely any color, with a fine to medium sparkle. A rather muted nose with a little bit of citrus, but the palate is delightful with brilliant acidity, plenty of fruit, both of which balance each other out seamlessly. A very nice and lengthy finish only adds to the allure here. Yowza. Outstanding. 94 Points.

NV Piper Sonoma Brut Rosé, Sonoma County CA: Retail $23. 53% Chardonnay, 39% Pinot Noir, 6% Pinot Blanc, 2% Aged Reserve Blend. Pale orange with some pink highlights and a delicate sparkle. A somewhat candied nose with some yeasty notes and a touch of caramel. Good fruit on the palate as well, with a healthy dose of yeastiness and some slight oxidation. The acidity is a bit lower than I would like, but this is a nice quaff. Excellent. 90 Points.

The reveal is always fun and often provides some surprises!

2020 Sanford Brut Cuvée, Sta. Rita Hills, CA: Retail $60. Extremely Heavy Bottle (849g; 29.9oz). I could not find the varietal composition online. Brilliant straw to yellow with a fine to medium sparkle. Fantastic nose of tree fruit, a touch of citrus, and a definite yeasty component. Nice. The palate continues this theme with good fruit and tartness, a vibrant sparkle on the tongue, and nice balance. Another stellar effort in a tasting that has more than a few stellar wines, for sure. Excellent. 92 Points.

NV Chemistry Chardonnay Blanc de Blanc, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $20. 87% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Noir, 2% Pinot Meunier, 0.5% Aligote, and 0.5% Pinot Blanc. Quite clear in the glass without much of a sparkle, even with some modest agitation. A candied, somewhat fruity nose, but really not a lot here. Despite a rather modest dosage (8g/l), this comes off as a tad sweet, at least compared to the others in this lineup. Certainly a pleasant every day kind of sparkler. Very Good. 88 Points.

NV Gruet Winery Brut, New Mexico: Retail $15. 75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir. Brilliant straw with a medium bubble, and a funky nose. I normally like the funk, just not in my sparkling wines. The palate is fine: slightly sweet with OK fruit and acidity, just not all that interesting. Very Good. 87 Points.

NV Gruet Winery Cuvée 89 Brut, New Mexico: Retail $15. 100% (?) Chardonnay. This is either a really, really light rosé or a fairly dark brut (tasted blind). Small to medium sparkle with a really muted nose. Not getting much even after a healthy swirl. Not much on the palate either, but this works, I guess? Just not a ton there to talk about here. As an everyday kind of quaff? Sure. Very Good. 87 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.” Brilliant straw with a fine sparkle and a close-to-classic nose with more tree fruit and a touch of croissant/yeastiness. Good fruit on the palate and equally good tartness which makes it pretty well-balanced. A touch sweet, but it works, at least for me. Not the most sophisticated wine in the line-up, but solid, for sure. Very Good. 89 Points.

2017 Domaine Carneros Le Rêve, Carneros, CA: Retail $125. 100% Chardonnay. One of the heaviest bottles I have ever weighed (1114g; 39.2oz, not quite 2.5 pounds). Pale straw in the glass with a medium bubble and a yeasty, complex nose where the pear tries to sneak through. Really tart, very tart, yeah, tart, on the palate, but once that initial wave passes, the fruit come in and calms things down a bit, rendering a delightful quaff, balanced, structured, elegant. Nice, but could benefit from a bit more time? Outstanding. 94 Points.

Rosés always seem festive.