This is the first in a series of articles when I look back on the year that was 2025. 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 2025.

These first few wines come from my visit to the Franciacorta region of Italy. Based on my brief time there, I will need to get back soon.

2019 Corte Fusia Millesimato Dosaggio Zero, Franciacorta, Italy: Retail 35€. 80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Nero. 3,500 bottles produced. 55 months on lees. Vintage is only made in the best years. A bit lighter in color with a brilliant straw and a familiar salinity/yeasty note, but here is also nutty and again, citrus. Palate is refined, elegant, gorgeous. Richer and a tad heavier than the Satèn and right in line with the house style, but cranked up a notch. Holy cow. Outstanding. 96 Points.

2016 Ferghettina Riserva, Franciacorta, Italy: Retail 38€. 100% Chardonnay. Zero Dosage. Riserva is usually only 5-6k bottles, and is not made every year. Brilliant yellow-straw. With a vibrant sparkle. More citrus but also a gorgeous yeastiness on the nose. Yowza. Wow. The best nose of any wine from Franciacorta that I have witnessed. Rich, vibrant, fruity, nutty, and incredibly layered, this is fantastic. But also still quite young. This could use another decade easily. Whoa. Outstanding. 96 Points. 

2005 Le Marchesine Franciacorta Brut Millesimato, Franciacorta, Italy: Retail: I have no idea. Composition: I have no idea. I searched this wine for this wine for a while on the interwebs and came up close to nothing. Actually, it was nothing. No idea about the varieties used, the aging, really anything. But let me tell you: this is wild. I mean that in a very good sense; it is unlike any sparkling wine I have had (and I have had a ton of sparkling wine). At first glance, yellow, even golden in the glass, which suggests some oxidation (not much of a “pop” either upon extraction), and the nose underscores that assumption. The wine has an intense lanolin/sherried note that while unusual (at least for me when it comes to sparkling wines), is also captivating as there is also the glorious baked croissant aspect that one looks for in older sparkling wines. Yum. The palate continues the theme where the lanolin, even exotic fruit nature of the wines combines with the yeasty, oxidized components yielding something truly spectacular. Look, this is not for everyone. In fact, at first taste, I was not sure it was right for me. But as I progressed through the bottle, I realized I was tasting something unique from a region I hopefully will learn more about soon. Yowza. Outstanding. 96 Points.

During a trip to the Willamette Valley, I had a few extra minutes in between appointments and decided to wander into the Lytle-Barnett tasting room. I am glad I did as several of the wines were fantastic.

2018 Lytle-Barnett Brut Rosé Saignée, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $90. 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay. Inaugural vintage. Five years sur lie. 125 cases produced. Dosage: 4.0 g/l. A bit shy on the nose with hints of red fruit, mostly cherry, but also some ripe strawberry, as well as a red rose floral aspect. Shy on the palate as well, so I took a step back (figuratively), and held the glass in my hands a bit to allow the wine to warm slightly. After a few moments? Both the nose and the palate were much more vibrant, revealing perhaps the most complete wine in this lineup with intense fruit and impeccable balance, and an incredibly lengthy finish. A Yowza and a Whoa. The assertion I made at the end of the previous note about the best Oregon sparkling rosé I have tried did not last all that long. Outstanding Plus. 97 Points. 

2019 Lytle-Barnett Blanc de Noirs, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, OR:Retail $75. 100% Pinot Noir. Estate only fruit. Five years sur lie. Dosage: 0.5 g/l. A bit golden in the glass with lovely toasted notes of a golden apple fruit tart along with some red berry fruit, but more on the darker side (black cherry, blackberry). Yeasty and slightly oxidized on the palate with just an incredible mouthfeel. Another stellar wine that really shines with a finish that lasts forever. Outstanding. 96 Points.

The last few wines on the list were tasted during my Eighth 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.

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.

2021 Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé, Carneros, CA: Retail $47. 57% Estate Grown Pinot Noir, 43% Estate Grown Chardonnay. Quite pale, just a hint of orange-ish pink. Wonderful nose of dried cherry, wild strawberry, and a decided yeasty component. Lovely. Whoa. Fantastic fruit, sure, but the balance here is impressive as the tartness marries rather seamlessly with the fruit. The finish is equally enticing as it lasts for minutes. Yowza. Outstanding. 96 Points.

2021 Domaine Carneros Brut, Carneros, CA: Retail $39. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (903g; 31.7oz). 53% Estate Grown Chardonnay, 47% Estate Grown Pinot Noir. Really pale, with a fine sparkle and a classic citrus, yeasty nose. Yum. Whoa. Holy cow, another stunner. Really citrusy but this is another level. Rich, balanced, and subtly powerful, this is the kind of wine that you hide from your uncle Cletus. Outstanding. 96 Points.

NV Roederer Estate Brut, Anderson Valley, CA: Retail $28. 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir. Pale straw with a fine bubble and an interesting meaty/smoky nose, which is not at all off-putting. Whoa. The palate is perhaps the most layered and sophisticated thus far with good fruit, yes, but a touch of campfire smoke, plenty of fresh-baked croissant, and a finish that lasted even after I tasted the following wine. Holy mother of goodness kinda good. Outstanding Plus. 97 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? Brilliant straw with a fine sparkle and a yeasty, fruity nose. Yum before I even taste it. The palate is no disappointment: good fruit and acidity, with a yeasty, yummy component that really elevates this wine. Yeah, this is good, even great. Yowza. Outstanding. 96+ Points.

NV Stoller Brut Sparkling Wine – Estate, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $40. 98.5% Pinot Noir, 1% Pinot Meunier, 0.5% Chardonnay. Disgorged Spring, 2022. Closer to yellow than straw with an average bubble-size and a yeasty, citrusy nose with a floral aspect that struggles, but works in the end. Classic sparkling palate—this is what people want (and expect) when they open a nice Brut. Good fruit, great balance, and a real yeasty biscuity component that, quite frankly, American Sparklers struggle to achieve. Bravo. Outstanding. 96+ Points.

My Sparkling Wine of the Year:

There is no doubt in my mind that I have been blessed on this earth. Not only do I have a happy and healthy family with a brilliant and wonderful partner, but just about every day I get to taste some amazing wines. Every so often, I also travel to various wine regions around the world and this year I made my first visit to Franciacorta where I sat down with Daniele Gentile and had this gorgeous wine from Corte Fusia, this year’s Sparkling Wine of the Year.

2014 Corte Fusia Orfano Terre Rosse Riserva, Franciacorta, Italy: Retail 65€. 100% Chardonnay. 1,000 bottles produced. The first of their “vineyard designate” wines, this comes from a terraced 1.7-hectare (about 4 acres) plot at 200 meters. 75 months on yeast. 4.5 years after disgorgement. From the second vineyard I visited, but from only the oldest vines. Whoa. The nose of this brilliant yellow wine stopped me in my tracks. Rich, layered, unctuous, lemony, a tad oxidative, and yes, salinity. Yowza. Holy cow. The palate is even more worthy of note. All of their above with incredible balance, depth, and breadth. If you don’t like this, you can’t like Franciacorta, as this is the best wine from the region I have ever tried. Extraordinary. 98 Points.