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 $50.
2020 Under the Wire Mendocino Alder Springs Vineyard
This wine shows a strong sense of place: a very cool, meticulously farmed vineyard in Mendo. It’s tense and earthy, with scents of lees, soil and stones, pale berry flavors and a sea-air salinity.
At K&L Wines, Lou Wine Shop and Lincoln Fine Wine in L.A., about $70.
NV Carboniste California Modern Sparkling Wine V.20
Shaded slightly amber, this wine walks the line between sunny red apple scents and exotic, toasted lees accents. Its flavors are at once juicy and extravagant, with a nutty caramel finish.
At Total Wine & More (multiple locations), Wine Country in Signal Hill and Mission Wine in Pasadena, about $35.
2016 Sandhi Sta. Rita Hills Blanc de Noirs
This wine is a live wire of tension and freshness, with faint scents of brioche and Fuji apple, the mid-palate flavors juicy and mouthwatering.
At Kogod Wine Merchants (online) and at the winery in Lompoc, about $75.
NV Cruse Tradition California Rosé
The color of a fading rose petal, this has a dusty, chaparral scent that hints at summer days. The flavors are generous with red berries and pomegranate, slightly briny, with a taut texture and lean finish.
At Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa, Wine Exchange in Santa Ana and K&L Wines, about $50.
2020 Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Clark Road Sparkling Wine
This starts out toasty and bright, with a crisp apple tartness. Its flavors are more round, with good middle-palate sweetness and just a hint of Pinot Noir depth and grip.
At K&L Wines, about $55.
2020 Forlorn Hope Rorick Heritage Vineyard Sierra Foothills Sparkling Mondeuse
Woodsy and savory, this smells of herbs and leaf litter, with a seductively creamy middle palate and a grip mildly reminiscent of Italian bitters. Drink this with game or lamb.
At Buvons in Long Beach, about $50.
