More QRW Spring 2008 feature articles:

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Best of The Best (Part I)

California Bubbly

These sprightly sparklers are sure to please.

QRW Tasting Team

Like French Champagne, the best California sparkling wines are based on cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vinified according to an intense, multi-step process called la méthode champenoise. And so it is with the six West Coast bubblies listed below. Thrown into a blind-tasting with Gallic counterparts, they would certainly fare well. Yet with their vibrant, fruit-driven character, they are still clearly Californian. Vive la différence!

Five-Star California Sparkling Wines

Wines of extraordinary character and quality —
in a class by themselves

BEST OF SHOW

2000 Schramsberg Reserve, $90. A 33% Napa, 28% Mendocino, 20% Marin and 19% Sonoma blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, with over five years on the lees prior to disgorgement. Big, rich, figgy, bread-doughy mouthful — major-league stuff!

• 2000 Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvée Vintage Reserve Brut, $32. A blend of 65% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay — all from Carneros — with almost five years on the lees prior to disgorgement. Big, rich, nutty, toasty wine that packs a real whallop.
  
  

Four-Star California Sparkling Wines

Wines of excellent character and quality —
benchmarks of their type

• 2000 Domaine Carneros Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs Brut, $85. 100% Chardonnay. Light, fresh, creamy and elegant, with a nice nougaty underlay.
  
  
• NV Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut, $21. A 64% Napa, 20% Mendocino, 13% Sonoma, 2% Marin and 1% Monterey blend of 55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir. Rich, concentrated, nutty, doughy flavors. BEST VALUE
  
  
• 2003 Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Blancs, $24. 100% Chardonnay. Soft, creamy, subtle, suave and well-knit.
  
  
• 1997 J Winery RRV Vintage Brut, $100. A late-disgorged blend of 49% Pinot Noir, 49% Chardonnay and 2% Pinot Meunier — all from Sonoma’s Russian River Valley. Nutty, steely and well-focused, with excellent grip; will benefit from additional bottle-age.