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Best American Sparkling Wines

While California leads the pack, other states make strides with their sparkling wines

Posted: Monday, December 20, 2004

Grapes are grown and still wine is made in every state in the union these days, but sparkling wine-that's a different story. It poses notable challenges that range from the grapes themselves-the best are harvested for firm structure and full flavor, no mean feat given the hot growing seasons of many states-to the labor-intensive techniques necessary to produce the bubbles.

In this survey of U.S. sparkling wine, we found high quality bubblies from six states. Among the 91 wines tasted, California, with the longest and most successful track record for making sparkling wines, retains its dominant position in terms of both quality and the number of wines produced.

But you would be missing out if you limited your search to wines from the Golden State. Outside of California, sparkling-wine producers continue to make strides. They offer a diverse range of styles that should serve well at the holiday table. Oregon can make wines to rival the best from California, while four other states-Washington, New York, New Mexico and Michigan-serve up a total of 12 wines scoring 85 points or higher on Wine Spectator's 100-point scale, which indicates very good quality.

The best American sparkling wines follow the example set by Champagne, relying primarily on the European noble varieties Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and sometimes Pinot Meunier. The most popular designation is brut, a dry style that is usually a blend; blanc de blancs indicates a wine made solely from Chardonnay while a blanc de noirs is made with either Pinot variety (or a blend thereof). There are also rosés. A few wineries, most of them located outside California, also use other varieties, including Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Muscat and native American grapes and hybrids. The most successful wines are made using the traditional méthode champenoise, the process by which the still base-wine undergoes a secondary fermentation inside the bottle to create bubbles.

California made all but two of the 10 outstanding wines (90 points or higher). While the current batch of new releases is not up to the excellent run California sparkling wine had from 1998 to 2000, when more than 20 percent of the wines tasted received outstanding scores, the latest releases are among the best of the past four years.

Sparkling wine has a long tradition in the United States. California's Korbel, the largest American producer of sparkling wine, was founded in 1882, while Ohio had a booming sparkling business in the mid-19th century. Yet it wasn't until Schramsberg, in the northern Napa Valley, released its first sparkling wines in the mid-1960s that the wine world began to take notice.

Schramsberg is now making some of its best wines ever. The J. Schram Napa-Monterey-Mendocino Counties 1998 (91, $80) offers a complex array of flavors and layers of concentration, with spice, ginger and fresh pear. The Schramsberg Reserve Napa-Mendocino-Sonoma Counties 1997 (91, $60) is tightly focused, with spicy pear and creamy vanilla, gaining complexity on a long, elegant finish.

Both wines-J. Schram is a blanc de blancs, the Reserve is a blanc de noirs-are fermented for the most part in stainless steel, but about 25 percent of each blend is fermented in older French oak barrels and goes through malolactic fermentation. "We do that to get some components that are more full in body and a bit softer in acid," Schramsberg winemaker Hugh Davies says.

Schramsberg is also aiming for better-balanced fruit by drawing on vineyards in cooler climates. The estate vineyard near Calistoga simply proved too hot for sparkling wine and has been replanted to Cabernet Sauvignon for still wine. Instead, the winery is using vineyards in three cooler regions, Carneros, Monterey and Anderson Valley in Mendocino, that consistently produce some of California's best sparkling wine. Davies says that the climate in these regions allows the grapes a longer hang-time before harvest, resulting in more mature fruit while providing the acidity key to making high quality sparkling wine.

Four other wines from Napa receive outstanding marks, including three wines from Domaine Carneros. Le Rêve Carneros 1998 (90, $55) delivers a tight, focused beam of complex fruit flavors built around spicy pear and hazelnut; the 1997 (91, $55) is sleek and rich, with a lingering finish that turns creamy and delicate. The Brut Carneros 2001 (90, $25) is rich and concentrated, with pretty black cherry and spice aromas. The Schramsberg Brut Rosé Napa-Mendocino-Sonoma-Marin Counties 2001 (90, $35) is impressive for its delicacy, fleshy texture and ripe cherry flavors.

Finishing up the top tier from California are two wines from Sonoma County. The J Brut Rosé Russian River Valley NV (90, $30) features wonderful richness and depth, with a core of spicy black cherry flavors. The Gloria Ferrer Brut Sonoma County NV (90, $18) is not only one of the best values in this report but is full-bodied, rich and complex with apple and pear flavors, with a touch of pastry.

Bob Iantosca, longtime winemaker at Gloria Ferrer, says he is focusing on growing better grapes, especially Pinot Noir, in order to make more flavorful wines. Many of the wines he made in the 1980s were too crisp and lean, he concedes. To give them deeper flavor profiles, he's changed many of the grapegrowing practices in the winery's 335 acres of estate vineyards in Carneros.

"A few years back, we also started making a consistent effort to harvest the fruit a little riper. We wanted to soften the acids a little bit and allow the fruit [flavors and aromas] to develop a little more," Iantosca explains. The changes appear to be making a difference-all six of the winery's current-release sparkling wines scored 87 points or higher, and many are good values.

The best producer outside California is Oregon's Argyle, in the Willamette Valley. The Brut Willamette Valley 1999 (91, $21) is ripe, vibrant and creamy, with pear and citrus flavors. The Brut Rosé Willamette Valley Cuveé Limited 1999 (90, $25) is distinctly spicy, with a creamy texture, and delicate red berry flavors and a salmon hue.

Unlike California producers, who traditionally begin harvesting in August, Argyle winemaker Rollin Soles picks his fruit much later, more in tune with the harvest in Champagne; he says that while acidity is retained, the longer hang-time creates more developed, mature flavors. Grapes for the Brut 1999, one of the top wines in this report, weren't picked until the last week of October. North of the Columbia River, in Washington state, look for the well-priced bottlings from Domaine Ste. Michelle, most notably its Blanc de Noirs Columbia Valley NV (87, $12).

Rounding out the offerings from the west is the Gruet Blanc de Blancs 1999 (87, $22), which has ripe and vibrant citrus, apple and lemon flavors. The Gruet vineyards, located in the desert east of Truth or Consequences, N.M., at an elevation of 4,300 feet, are among the highest and most isolated in the United States. "Making wine in New Mexico for us was kind of strange in the beginning," admits Laurent Gruet, winemaker since the winery's first harvest in 1987. His family, which owns Gruet et Fils in Champagne, saw advantages in the off-the-beaten-path location, where land was inexpensive enough to keep costs moderate, but the terroir showed potential.

The high altitude means that warm daytime temperatures in summer can drop by as much as 30° F at night, allowing for slower ripening. "It's very suitable to make wine here," Gruet says. "The quality is consistent because it's very dry and we have no mildew or rot."

Gruet produces about 80,000 cases a year, making its wines widely available. However, many of the wines from outside California are sold only locally or in select markets.

Based on our tastings, the best producer east of the Mississippi is Michigan's L. Mawby, with three wines scoring 85 points or higher. Mawby is located in the small but burgeoning winegrowing district north of Traverse City. Mawby's best wine is the

L. Mawby Brut Leelanau Peninsula Talismon NV (87, $25), a blend of the American hybrid Vignoles, along with Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. It features herb and ginger flavors with a smoky finish. New York state makes a showing with the Lieb Family Blanc de Blanc North Fork of Long Island (86, $35), a pricey but elegant mix of apple, honey and citrus flavors.

Overall, sparkling wine, wherever it's made, isn't an easy business for American wineries. Unlike the still wine market, sales of sparkling wines are largely seasonal and linked to celebratory occasions. Many California wineries began augmenting their business in the 1990s by adding still wines, mostly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Some, like Codorniu Napa, which became Artesa, dropped bubbly altogether. Post-millennium sales were off significantly, and while producers report a rebound this year, the sparkling wine market remains a competitive one.

That's good news for consumers. This holiday season, there will be no shortage of very good, well-priced sparkling wine from producers around the United States, and smart shoppers will have the advantage.

Tim Fish is a Wine Spectator associate editor based in California.

Top Wines

Wine	Score	Price
SCHRAMSBERG J. Schram Napa-Monterey-Mendocino Counties 1998	91	$80
Spice, ginger, fresh pear and floral notes lead to a rich, complex array of flavors, with yeast and dough notes.

SCHRAMSBERG Reserve Napa-Mendocino-Sonoma Counties 1997	91	$60
Spicy pear, ginger and creamy vanilla fold together nicely, gaining complexity and nuance, with a long, creamy finish.

DOMAINE CARNEROS Brut Carneros 2001	90	$25
A rich, complex, concentrated wine, with pretty black cherry Pinot Noir aromas, spice and creamy, toasty scents.

DOMAINE CARNEROS Le Rêve Carneros 1998	90	$55
A tight, focused beam of complex fruit flavors built around spicy pear, hazelnut and lemon-lime.

GLORIA FERRER Brut Sonoma County NV	90	$18
Round and full-bodied, with rich, ripe apple, pear and honeydew flavors.

J Brut Rosé Russian River Valley NV	90	$30
Wonderful richness, complexity and depth, built around a core of spicy black cherry and Pinot Noir fruit.

SCHRAMSBERG Brut Rosé Napa-Mendocino-Sonoma-Marin Counties 2001	90	$35
Impressive delicacy, with subtle ripe cherry and wild berry flavors. Smooth and fleshy on the palate.

Smart Buys

Wine	Score	Price
MUMM Napa Blanc de Noirs Napa Valley NV	88	$18
Refreshing, with pretty cherry, strawberry and rose petal aromas extending to the palate.

ROEDERER ESTATE Brut Anderson Valley NV	88	$22
Smooth, rich and creamy, with spicy pear, fig, melon and honeysuckle flavors, ending with a tasty burst of ripe fruit.

DOMAINE CHANDON Blanc de Noirs California NV	87	$17
Tart and flinty citrus and sour cherry flavors are complex and vibrant, finishing with a crisp, lively and cleansing aftertaste.

GLORIA FERRER Blanc de Noirs Sonoma County NV	87	$18
Understated elegance, with subtle hints of ripe cherry, rose petal, spice and citrus. Refreshingly clean finish.

MUMM Napa Cuvée M Napa Valley NV	87	$18
Sweet yet refreshing, with pretty strawberry, black cherry and raspberry jam notes.

Other Recommended American Sparkling Wines

Wine	Score	Price
ARGYLE Brut Willamette Valley 1999	91	$21
Ripe and vibrant, with a sweet vanilla edge to the pear and citrus flavors, finishing long. From Oregon.

ARGYLE Brut Rosé Willamette Valley Cuveé Limited 1999	90	$25
Salmon in color, creamy in texture, distinctly spicy. Cardamom and cinnamon notes add interest to berry flavors. From Oregon.

ARGYLE Extended Tirage Willamette Valley 1994	88	$34
Lithe, elegant style has a distinct soy sauce tang to the citrus and raw white mushroom flavors. From Oregon.

SOTER Brut Rosé Yamhill County 1999	88	$40
Pale salmon color, with earthy, toasty flavors that persist on the refined finish. From Oregon.

DOMAINE STE. MICHELLE Blanc de Noirs Columbia Valley NV	87	$12
Soft, round and tasty, with delicate watermelon, strawberry and white pepper aromas and flavors. From Washington.

GRUET Blanc de Blancs New Mexico 1999	87	$22
Spicy, with ripe, vibrant citrus, pippin apple and lemon drop flavors. Long, lingering finish.

L. MAWBY Brut Leelanau Peninsula Talismon NV	87	$25
Toast, herb, ginger and citrus aromas and flavors tightly bound in an elegant frame. Long, smoky finsh. From Michigan.

MOUNTAIN DOME Brut Washington 1997	87	$26
Crisp and vibrant, a tart style that delivers pretty grapefruit and toast flavors.

LIEB FAMILY Blanc de Blanc North Fork of Long Island 2001	86	$35
A dry, vibrant sparkling wine, elegant and evoking apple, honey and citrus aromas and flavors. From New York.

This article appeared in the Dec. 31, 2004 - Jan. 15, 2005, issue of Wine Spectator magazine. (Subscribe today.)