Sparkling wine blind tasting

We tasted 8 sparkling wines from around the globe in random order and blind. After going through once we tasted each again.

• NV Mionetto Prosecco di Valdobbiadene 88 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene

  Tasted blind. Pale yellow color. Yeasty nose. Fine bubbles. Some citrus notes. 88+

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• NV Jean François Mérieau Touraine J'ose les Fines Bulles 89 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine

  Tasted blind. Very nice first time around: Dark yellow color. Complex nose. Relatively unstructured bubbles. Strong finish. Originally 90 pts. By the time we got back to it for the second taste it had fallen apart. 88-89

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• NV Avinyó Cava Brut Reserva 89 Points

  Spain, Cava

  Tasted blind. A little funk on the nose, plus some yeast. Good bubbles. Lingering finish. 89+

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• NV Louis Roederer Champagne Brut Premier 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  Tasted blind. No formal notes, but it was a very good wine. Quite funky nose; really nice. On the second taste (after ~1 hour) it had really opened open and became more complex. At that point it was clearly the wine of the night, solidly beating even the 2000 Dom Perignon (which took second).

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• 2005 Westport Rivers Brut 89 Points

  USA, Massachusetts, Southeastern New England

  Tasted blind. Typical "Champagne" nose, but a little on the funky side (in a good way). Really good bubbles. Strong finish. Citrusy. Best value of the tasting.

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• NV Segura Viudas Cava Brut Reserva 87 Points

  Spain, Cava

  Tasted blind. Very different nose than the others, and a much shorter finish. However, still pleasant, especially once one learns the price. 86-87

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• 2000 Dom Pérignon Champagne 90 Points

  France, Champagne

  Tasted blind. Strong nose. Really fine bubbles. Good finish. Second best wine of the tasting, but not worth the steep price. 89-90
  
  Go with the Roderer instead, which was ranked first and cost 1/3 the price. The 2005 Westport Rivers RJR Brut (from Massachusetts!) came in just behind the Dom, but it's less than 1/6 the cost. There's the QPR! This wine is definitely worth tasting blind, as the ~$150 price tag will make you think this is better than it is.

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• NV Gruet Winery Brut Blanc de Noirs 85 Points

  USA, New Mexico

  Tasted blind. OK, but nothing impressive. Least favorite of the tasting.

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The Roderer was the best of the night by far, especially once it was given some time to open up. The Westport Rivers was the best value, as it trailed the 2000 Dom Perignon closely even though it cost less than one-sixth the price!