A new wave of California sparkling wines are emerging, offering a competitive alternative to the traditional dominance of Champagne. These wines are lauded for their quality, energy, and unique flavor profiles.
It’s nearly the New Year and our wine fixations inevitably turn effervescent. Traditionally, that would mean Champagne , the world’s sparkling wine par excellence, synonymous with celebration, luxury, extravagance, etc. Champagne , both the wine and the region, has had few rivals in style and grandeur for generations. It has had market competitors, like Prosecco and Cava, but those don’t come close to matching it in quality.
Until recently, neither could California sparkling wines compete, by and large, except as poor stand-ins for Champagne. But no longer. In the last decade a new breed of California sparkling wine has surfaced, and the energy and quality are palpable. Here’s a rundown of California’s sparkling New Wave, producers who are giving Champagne a run for its money. NV Racines Sta. Rita Hills Grand Reserve Multivintage, mostly from 2020, made entirely of Chardonnay in the traditional methode champenoise. This is supple and elegant, with a precise mineral edge and scents of hazelnuts and pear beneath green citrus flavors. At Wine Country in Signal Hill and Wine House in Los Angeles, about $65. 2017 Caraccioli Santa Lucia Highlands Escolle Vineyard Brut Rosé A single-vineyard rosé of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Monterey County. After 50 months on lees, this is toasty and lush, with an aroma of candied pecans and pale cherry. At Wine House, about $70. 2017 Patz & Hall North Coast Brut All Chardonnay from James Hall, a master of the variety. This is creamy with toasted lees and toffee notes overlaying a core of Meyer lemon. That citrusy finish gives the wine nerve and tension. At Wally’s in L.A., about $65. NV Blackbird Vineyards Starling Sonoma County Blanc des Blanc Yellow apple flesh and a juicy, creamy caramel note gives way to a dusty, zinc-like edge, finishing dry and a touch zesty, plenty of nerve for oysters. Available at Wally’s, about $5
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