O.K., on the left side of the plate, a slice of olive-oil toasted bread piled with marinated red onions, roasted red peppers, roasted eggplant, roasted Portobello mushrooms and arugula; on the right side of the plate, another slice of olive-oil toasted bread with match-stick slices of hard salami and shredded feta cheese. Slap ‘em together, hold ‘em with both hands, and dive it! I think LL and I each said, practically simultaneously, “This is the best freakin’ sammich in the universe!” It was; they were. We had all these marinated and roasted vegetables on hand because we had arranged for the catering of a reception last week and brought home a tray of leftovers. I used some of the stuff on Saturday’s pizza, and more went into a simple pasta dish.

Still on the theme of Prosecco sparkling wines from the Cartizze region, with these glorious sandwiches I opened the Bisol Cartizze Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore, non-vintage; the producer also makes a vintage version. Again, as with Le Colture Cartizze mentioned a few days ago, the Bisol Cartizze is an extraordinary effort, especially compared to all the soft, sweet, vapid Proseccos that dominate the market. This is a very pale straw-gold color. Pungent aromas of ripe peaches and pears, orange zest and lime peel make an immediately impression, followed by a subtle strain of almond skin and apple skin, all making for a super-seductive bouquet. A touch of sweetness entices the palate, but this is a sparkling wine largely about structure framed by steely acidity that gives you a taste o’ the lash and limestone that sings the highest poignant notes of minerality. What’s so intriguing about the Bisol Cartizze is a paradoxical quality that combines slightly sweet lip-smacking “drink-me” viscosity with a spare, bone-dry savory character. As always with sparking wines, the alcohol level is low, about 11 percent. Excellent. About — ahem — $43 to $48.

I’ll admit that I would feel more comfortable with the Cartizze category of Prosecco if the price range were $25 to $30 instead of $35 to $45 or so. When the cost of these (granted) superior sorts of Proseccos crosses $40, then we’re in the realm of non-vintage Champagne, and comparisons may start to falter.

Vias Imports, New York. A sample for review from a trade group.

How much would you pay for a bottle of Prosecco? You’re thinking, $18, $20 tops, right? Or even less?

What if I told you that there is a segment of Prosecco that is positioning itself to compete, price-wise, with sparkling wines in the $30- to $45-range? These products are from a small area within the Valdobbiadene D.O.C. region (north of Venice) called Cartizze; examples are allowed the designation Superiore di Cartizze. How small is Cartizze? Within a triangle of steep hillsides defined at its points by three villages, the vineyard area amounts to 108 hectares, or about 277.5 acres. (In comparison, Chateau Lafite Rothschild, one estate in Bordeaux, covers 247 acres.) It is here that the Prosecco grape reaches (or supposedly reaches) its apotheosis. All right, perhaps that’s too strong a word for what’s going on, but I’ll admit that over the past few days I’ve tried several Prosecco Valdobbiandene Superiore di Cartizze, to give the full name, and they were miles better than 90 percent of the Proseccos I have had in the past.

One of these was Le Colture Cartizze, a non-vintage spumante made from an estate in Santo Stefano, one of the trio of villages mentioned above. The winery belongs to Cesare and Renato Ruggeri, whose family has owned it since 1500. Le Colture Cartizze opens with scintillating aromas of lime and pear with hints of lemon balm and jasmine, these strands resolving to steel and cloves. Myriad tiny bubbles are like feckless glints of silver in a pale gold column. The wine is crisp and lively, taut with steely acidity; this is not a creamy, dreamy Prosecco such as may come from further east, near the town of Conegliano, but an edgy, nervy thing inspired by the soil and exposure of the hills around Valdobbiadene. It’s pure lemon in all that fruit’s manifestations in the mouth: Spiced, macerated and roasted and charged with a tinge of tangerine and almond, yet these delights bow before the stark elegance of limestone and shale. No, readers, this is no ordinary Prosecco. Excellent. About $30 to $35.

Imported by T. Edwards Wines, New York. A sample from a trade group.

Joan Didion was once asked to lecture on the topic “Why I Write.” Her response was something like, “Look at the vowels in those three words: I, I, I.” In other words, writing is all about me, myself and I, and writing on a blog is the same deal. Wait! No! Those are the other blogs! This blog is all about you, you, you, my readers! Just so, the title of this post, “Nine White Wines,” encloses those “I, I, I” implications, but is really about wine choices for you, though today I limit those choices somewhat by excluding wines made from the chardonnay grape. I’ve tried some pretty good ones recently but also some chardonnays that were sodden with oak, so that grape will get separate posts in a week or so, “a week or so” being such a comfortingly elastic expression of futurity. (I’ve never seen this photograph of Joan Didion before, from 1970; wow, what a dish! And one of my favorite writers and heroes for her courage, her unflinching gaze, her slashing prose! I’m on a project now of reading or re-reading all her books.)

Anyway, Nine White Wines (and a bonus at the end).
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Made all in stainless steel, the Dry Creek Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2008, Wilson Ranch, Clarksburg — in the Sacramento Delta region of Northern California — opens with whiffs of lemon balm and dried thyme, with tangerine and a hint of orange zest. This is an incredibly fresh and refreshing wine whose crisp acidity whets the palate and lays the groundwork for juicy citrus flavors touched with a bit of mango; lightness and delicacy are wedded to a moderately lush texture. The finish rounds out the wine with some lime peel and bracing grapefruit bitterness. The alcohol is a soothing 12.5 percent. Always a favorite for summer quaffing with grilled shrimp, seafood risotto or linguine with clam sauce. Closed (for the first time) with a screw-cap. Very Good. About $12, representing Great Value.
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The torrontés grape makes charming and delightful wines but not great wines, and that’s nothing for it to worry its pretty little head about; how happy we are, for example, to meet a person who is consistently charming, delightful and undemanding. Sort of like me. The Trivento Amado Sur Torrontés 2009, Mendoza, Argentina, however, blends 15 percent viognier grapes and 10 percent chardonnay with 75 percent torrontés. What, I thought, is this an attempt to pump up the virtues of a simple grape and turn it into something “important,” a “Super Torrontés,” as it were? The fact is, this is a terrifically appealing wine that offers scents of ripe peach, pear and quince with meadowy undertones and a whiff of camellia. It’s very dry, very crisp and mounts a limestone element so piercing that it’s almost poignant. Give the wine a few minutes and it becomes slightly honeyed (but not sweet), with notes of candied grapefruit and ginger, but there’s always that crystalline acidity and austere minerality to leaven the sensuousness; the finish brings in the forthright bitterness of grapefruit and lime peel. So, I suppose this is a kind of Super Torrontés and no worse for the bolstering. Very Good+. About $15, Good Value.

Imported by Excelsior Wine & Spirits, a division of Banfi Vintners, Old Brookville, N.Y. Trivento — “three winds” — is the Argentine outpost of Chile’s giant wine producer Concha y Toro.
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Bold in stone fruit, the Adegas D’Altamira Albariño Brandal 2008, from Spain’s northwestern region of Rias Baixas in Galicia, takes yellow plum and peach and blends them with dried thyme, sage and white pepper for a striking bouquet; in a few minutes you’ll notice touches of orange zest and lime peel, grass and hay. The texture is amazing, so plush that it feels talc-like yet cut with riveting acidity and a scintillating limestone quality. Flavors are more melon and pear than stone fruit, with hints of cloves and ginger, the whole package being dry, zesty and savory. The wine is made all in stainless steel and does not go through the malolactic process, so it retains buoyant freshness and concentration. I can hear it now, on its knees, begging, “Please, please, please, serve me with oysters right out of the sea!” Or mussels grilled with rosemary would be good too. 12.5 percent alcohol. Drink now through 2012. Excellent. About $18.

Imported by Quintessential, Napa, Ca.
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Winter’s Hill farm was established in 1961 by the Gladhart family in what is now Oregon’s Dundee Hills appellation within the Willamette Valley. Dundee Hills is where David Lett, Dick Erath and the Sokol Blosser family started their pioneering wineries in the 1960s and early ’70s, staking a claim for pinot noir. The Gladharts planted their first vines in 1990. The winemaker now is Delphine Gladhart, a Frenchwoman married to Russell Gladhart.

The Winter’s Hill Pinot Blanc 2007, Dundee Hills, delivers wonderful tone and presence while maintaining a fleetness and delicacy of effect that’s exhilarating. Mildly spicy pear and lemon scents segue into spicier flavors of pear, roasted lemon and melon, with a touch of almond skin. The balance and restraint here, the equilibrium and sense of elegance allied to a feeling of slightly repressed depth, are not only admirable but irresistible. So many wines could profit from this sort of decorum that never feels fastidious. Production was 840 cases, so mark this Worth a Search. The alcohol level is 14 percent. Excellent. About $18.
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The Guado al Tasso Vermentino 2008, from Antinori’s winery in Bolgheri, in southwestern Tuscany, is a sort of seaside wine; one feels the briskness and breeziness of the sea-wind, the snap of salt and crusted oyster shells. There’s the slight fragrant astringency of rosemary crushed in the hand, the richness of roasted lemon and lemon balm, a subtle note of honeysuckle and jasmine. Adding to the freshness are tingling acidity, a touch of spritz –this is all stainless steel — and heaping elements of damp limestone. So this is delightful and charming, but not simpleminded; there are serious bones here, the structure of elegance, an evocative whisper of Olympian distance in the austere finish. 13 percent alcohol. We drank this with roasted salmon with a potato and artichoke hash. Excellent. About $25.

Imported by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Woodinville, Washington.

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Yes, you’re reading this correctly: Pinot blanc grapes — a mutation of genetically unstable pinot noir — do grow in Burgundy, though they are found rarely in vineyards and even more rarely bottled as a single wine. (They thrive in cooler Alsace.) The venerable Domaine Henri Gouges, however, employs pinot blanc for its Bourgogne, and for 2007 produced a delightful example. Did I say “delightful”? Actually, the Domaine Henri Gouges Bourgogne Blanc Pinot Blanc 2007 is one of the prettiest wines I have tasted in dog’s years. This is wonderfully fresh, clean and pure, with notes of jasmine and chalk, macerated lemons and lemon curd with a touch of spiced pear and quince. Avid acidity flashes like a bright blade — man, I just freakin’ love alliteration! — enlivening a texture that inextricably weds crispness to slightly cushiony lushness. If this didn’t fall a tad short on the finish, it would be well-nigh perfect, though it’s still well-worth seeking out. Very Good+. About $26 to $32.

Imported by Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, Ala.

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Here’s what hard work and perseverance (and maybe being in the right place at the right time) will do for you. Damian Parker, director of winemaking for Joseph Phelps Vineyard, came to the winery in 1981 as bottle-line supervisor. Ashley Hepworth came to Joseph Phelps in 1999 to work the crush, after two years in the kitchen at Charlie Trotter, and in 2008 was promoted to winemaker. America is a great country after all!

Whatever the combination of knowledge and experience Parker and Hepworth represent, they got the Joseph Phelps Sauvignon Blanc 2008, St. Helena, Napa Valley, exactly right. While there’s nothing wrong (or not much) with the larky, snappy, blastingly citric and tropical sauvignon blancs that flood the market today, it’s nice to sip a sauvignon blanc fit for grown-ups. First, all things lemon are here, from roasted lemon to lemon balm and lemon curd, with an infusion of dried thyme and tarragon and a hint of dusty summer meadows. The wine is quite lively, sporting a keen edge of damp limestone and a tingling line of crisp acidity. The oak is subtle and supple, the result of eight months in new French oak puncheons — generally defined as holding 500 liters — and one- and two-year old French barriques, holding 225 liters or 59 gallons; in other words, the winemakers consciously decided to forgo the influence of new barriques for a more nuanced approach. What can I say? This is a sauvignon blanc of immense presence and authority that doesn’t neglect the elements of elegance and grace. Drink now through 2012 or ’13. The alcohol content is a sensible 13.5 percent. Exceptional. About $32.
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The Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2008, Clare Valley, South Australia, delivers exactly what you want from a Clare Valley riesling: a classic bouquet of lychees and peaches, lime peel and petrol (or rubber eraser) and penetrating aromas of gunflint and damp shale. If you could drink such a bouquet you could stop there, but move along, please, to flavors of orange zest, grapefruit and mango ensconced in a very dry, very crisp and spare structure that makes it feel as if you’re drinking liquid limestone that dates back to the Ice Age it’s so pure and immediate, and yet, paradoxically, here comes a gentle whiff of rose petal and lilac. The finish, not surprisingly, is elegantly-wrought, all high cheek-bones and unblemished foreheads, very cool, pale, princesse lointaine, complete. The whole effect is beguiling and seductive, and I wish I had a glass sitting right here beside me (though I’m having a fine old time with this quaffable Domaine “La Garrigue” Cuvee Romaine Côte du Rhône 2008 that I’m sipping rather too much of at the present moment). Drink now through 2014 or ’15. Screw-cap closed. Exceptional. About $38.

Imported by USA Wine West, Sausalito, Cal., for The Australian Premium Wine Collection.
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What you need to know about the St. Urbans-Hof Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese 2007, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, is, first (working backward), that it’s from Germany’s Mosel region; second, that it derives from the excellent and even better year of 2007; that’s the ripeness level of Auslese is pretty damn ripe and potentially sweet; that the grape is riesling; that the vineyard is the well-known, even legendary Goldtropfchen; that the commune wherein the vineyard resides is the equally well-known Piesport; and that the producer is St. Urbans-Hof. Got that? And they say that German wine labels are too complicated!

The color is shimmering pale gold; aromas of softly spiced and macerated peaches and pears are permeated by lime peel and cloves and by subtle earthiness, clean and damp, and pert slate-like minerality. The acidity is so tremendous that the wine practically vibrates in the glass, yet the faint sweetness, a subtle sense of honeyed and baked stone fruit, like brioche with peach and plum marmalade, cuts the acid down to layers of etched limestone. This is vital, resonant and lively, though the finish comes through with an aura of stately balance and integration. We drank this with roasted salmon accompanied by roasted potato salad in a cilantro/jalapeño vinaigrette. Yay, LL! Now through 2017 or ’20, well-stored. Excellent. About $55.
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Yer Bonus: Two sparkling wines from Vouvray, Loire Valley, meaning chenin blanc grapes. Each made in the traditional champagne method of second fermentation in the bottle.

The Francois Pinon Vouvray Brut (non-vintage) is all steel, limestone and shale, roasted lemons, quince and ginger; the color is pale straw/gold, the myriad tiny bubbles as uncountable as the galaxies in the heavens. Very clean and fresh and crisp, with touches of biscuits, baking spices and toasted almonds, with a faint whiff of almond blossom. We drank this while cooking dinner one night and snacking on flatbread slathered with dried tomato and walnut pesto. Charming and delectable. Very Good+, and a Bargain at about $17.

Imported by Louis/Dressner, New York.
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Maison Huet — “oo-ay” — has been among the best producers of dry, semi-sweet and late-harvest Vouvray wines since it was founded in 1928. You will notice that the Domaine Huet Brut 2002, Vouvray Petillant, is seven and a half years old, and at this point it is drinking to perfection. Pop the cork — I mean open it properly and gently — and you smell the fresh bread, biscuits and granite from a foot away. The color is medium gold; the “bead” is gently effusive — petillant implies lightly sparkling — and mildly effervescent. This sparkling wine, which ages four years in the bottle on the yeast, evinces the straw/hay quality of the chenin blanc grape but offers, also, touches of buttered toast, cinnamon bread and a hint of roasted hazelnuts and macerated lemons and pears preserved with cloves. I hope readers get the idea that the Huet Brut 2002 is not just “a reasonable alternative” to Champagne but a fine expression of a grape and a style of sparkling wine in itself. It should be consumed within a year or 18 months. Excellent. About $30 to $35.

Imported by Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York.
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Samples for review, except for the Domaine Henri Gouges Bourgogne Pinot Blanc 2007, tasted at a trade event in New York. Photo of Joan Didion, Hollywood, 1970, by Julian Wesser, Time Life Pictures/Getty Images. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

I mean, the fact that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day is neither here nor there, right? I mean, if you wanted to get a bottle of a rosé sparkling wine to share with your sweetheart, that’s up to you. I am merely a vehicle, a conduit of information and opinion.
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First is a new product from Freixenet, the giant Spanish firm — “among the ten largest wine companies in the world” — best known for its champagne method sparkling wines, that is, the second fermentation (which produces the essential bubbles) occurs in the bottle in which the wine will be aged and sold. The Freixenet Elyssia Pinot Noir Brut Cava, non-vintage, is all steel and strawberries and dried red currants. Made mostly from pinot noir, with 15 percent trepat grapes, this sparkling wine sports a lovely rosy-pink hue with a hint of bluish magenta and a steady stream of glinting bubbles. A touch of sweetness is nicely balanced by bracing acidity, while flavors of red currants and black cherries (and an undertone of peach) are bolstered by a burgeoning mineral element. Nothing particularly complicated here but lots of charm. Very Good+. About $18.
Imported by Freixenet USA, Sonoma, Cal. A review sample.
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For twice the price, you get at least twice the quality with the J Brut Rosé, Russian River Valley (non-vintage). Composed of 59 percent pinot noir grapes and 41 percent chardonnay, the J Brut Rosé offers a very pale onion skin color, like palest gold with a bare blush of pink, and a continuous upward surge of tiny bubbles. This is very dry, quite elegant and high-toned and beautifully balanced among keen acidity, luscious berry and stone fruit flavors and heaps of limestone and shale. The nose is dried strawberries with touches of apple and orange rind with almond and almond blossom; Rainier cherries, peach and lime peel dominate the palate, woven into a texture poised between slightly creamy lushness and crisp, vibrant, steely minerality. Enticing presence and authority conveyed with delicacy and refinement. Excellent. About $35.
A review sample.
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Schramsberg’s two flagship sparkling wines, the Schramsberg Reserve and the J. Schram, have just been released in their manifestations of vintage 2002. Since they cost the same amount — $105 a bottle — it’s instructive to look at the differences and similarities between them, both in subtleties and broad strokes.

J. Schram 2002 is not quite a blanc de blancs; it’s a blend of 83 percent chardonnay and 17 percent pinot noir. Schramsberg Reserve 2002 is not exactly a blanc de noirs; it’s a blend of 75 percent pinot noir and 25 percent chardonnay. Each wine ages for five years and nine months on the yeast in the bottle in which it will be sold; this is, of course, the “champagne method” of second fermentation in the bottle to produce the essential bubbles and build character and complexity. These sparkling wines receive an additional year’s aging in the bottle after they are disgorged and capped.

Following the winery’s usual policy of drawing on vineyards from Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma and Marin counties, the Schramsberg Reserve 2002 and J. Schram 2002 carry North Coast designations. There’s an interesting contrast, though: With its emphasis on chardonnay, the J. Schram ’02 derives primarily from Napa (56%) and Sonoma (21%); the Schramberg Reserve ’02, however, with its 75% pinot noir, draws mainly from Napa (45%) and Mendocino (33%). The Napa and Sonoma components are from the Carneros district.

What about the winemaking process? The grapes for J. Schram ’02 are 35 percent barrel-fermented, meaning that 65 percent is fermented in stainless steel tanks; for Schramsberg Reserve ’02, the proportion is 45 percent barrel-fermented, 44 percent in stainless steel. Only small portions of the wines go through the malolactic process in order to ensure the crisp acidity necessary for sparkling wine but also to provide some lushness in texture.

So, blah, blah, blah, this is all technical crap and your eyes are glazing over, but what I find interesting is that the two sparkling wines are made in close to identical manner, the primary differences between the products being not what happens in the winery but in the nature and proportion of the grapes themselves. With the blending of grapes in varying percentages from four counties, dominated by Napa Carneros, it’s obvious that winemaker Hugh Davies is not attempting to create a regional identity, and certainly not a narrower appellation identity, but a consistent and expressive house style, as is generally the case with the large houses in Champagne.

So, how does this philosophy and practice translate into the bottle and your glass?

The J. Schram 2002 — remember, 83% chardonnay, 17% pinot noir — offers wonderful presence, tone and body; this is a sparkling wine with plenty of there there. The color is an almost immoderate gold with pale silver highlights and myriad tiny swirling bubbles. Scents of roasted hazelnuts, fresh biscuits, buttered cinnamon toast and orange zest twine with baking spice and an undeniable damp limestone element, like rain on gravel. It’s large-framed, substantial, dignified and earthy, jazzed by scintillating acidity and minerality in a texture that’s both crisp and supple. Massively dry and adroitly confident, this sparkling wine is no light-hearted aperitif; sip with grilled shrimp, gravlox, lobster salad or a seafood risotto. 973 cases. Excellent. About $105.

The pale gold/platinum blond Schramsberg Reserve 2002 — 75% pinot noir, 25% chardonnay — takes the opposite tack toward the ethereal and the elegant; this is the essence of liquid limestone set to an upward drift of bubbles in stately polonaise. This sparkling wine delivers Schramsberg’s typical yeasty, bready aromas but laced with scents of dried red currants, orange zest and crystallized ginger. It’s quite dry but luscious and slightly creamy, and it displays fine-boned balance among clean, bright acidity, a fruit-forward nature and the plangent keenness of chalk-like minerality. An absolute delight, more spare and high-toned than lavish. Again, this is an appetizer and dinner sparkling wine, appropriate for the best caviar (because of its piercing acidity and minerality), smoked salmon, sushi, duck spring rolls and some curry dishes. 1,473 cases. Excellent. About $105.

Obviously, these are priced as special occasion sparkling wines, but then a special occasion is speeding right toward us, and that’s Valentine’s Day. Nothing, it should go without saying, is too good for your sweetie.

Samples for review.

Twelfth Night, the eve of Epiphany, marks the end of the Yuletide season and the conclusion of this series about champagne and sparkling wine. For the third year, I have tried to bring My Readers a variety of sparkling wines from different countries and regions, made from a variety of grapes, and suited to the myriad purposes implied by style and price. One of my rules, so far, has been that there be no repetitions from year to year, and if you go back and look at “The Twelve Days of Christmas” on BTYH from 2008/09 and 2007/08, you’ll see that I have been true to that principle.

Twelfth Night was traditionally a time of revels, eating, drinking and play-acting, music and dance, with servants dressed as their masters, women dressed like men and so on, all activities reflected in one of Shakespeare’s most satisfying romantic comedies of mistaken identity and star-crossed love, Twelfth Night: or, What You Will. The play was first performed on Feb. 2, 1602, Candlemas Day, in the Middle Temple Hall, one of the Inns of Court in London.

Now I’m not saying that My Readers are out this evening gamboling in merry romps, disguises and amorous adventures, but whatever you do, I’ll finish this series of 12 posts about champagne and sparkling wine with four selections, trying, again, to appeal to many predilections and pocketbooks: One from France, two from Italy, one from California.
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The estate of i Stefanini makes some of the best Soave wines in the Veneto, especially from the Classico and Classico Superiore regions. Now the family turns its attention to a sparkling wine, the i Stefanini Spumante Brut. Produced completely from chardonnay grapes, this charming sparkler, made in the Charmat process, displays a limpid pale gold color and enticing aromas of pear, lime peel, orange blossom and dusty acacia. It’s a caressing fabric of delicate heft and presence, soft yet bright and crisp, and displaying, amid hints of slightly spicy stone fruit, just the right modicum of limestone. A pretty sparkling wine, dry, appealing and great as an aperitif. Very Good+. About $16.

Imported by Domenico Selections, New York.
Limited distribution. Received as a review sample.
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Made from chardonnay grapes and finished with a dose of late-harvest muscat and pinot noir, the Mumm Napa Cuvee M is a slightly sweet, pale blond blanc de blancs that offers good character for the price. Aromas of toast and fresh bread support scents of apples and pears and hints of roasted almonds and orange zest. A host — you could say cohorts — of bubbles surge upward singlemindedly. After the initial sweetness, which is more like stone-fruit and citrus ripeness than just sweetness, this sparkling wine (made in the champagne method) is crisp and dry, well-balanced and harmonious, with a texture nicely poised between lushness and vivid acidity. Very Good+. About $20.
Tasted at a trade event.
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Here’s a sparkling rosé wine that may win your heart. The Bortolomiol Filanda Rosé Brut Riserva 2007 is made from pinot noir grapes grown in the Oltrepò Pavese region of Lombardy. A very pale onion skin color with a shade of ruddy salmon, the elegant Filanda 2007 is all flashing steel and flaring limestone that allow for glimpses of dried red currants and dried raspberries over a hint of peach. A stream of tiny bubbles expresses a sort of star-struck dimensionality; call it hypnotic. Resting on a suave interpretation of damp gravel and liquid limestone, this sparkling wine is very dry, well-integrated, persistent and delicious in a spare, high-toned manner. An impressive aperitif. Very Good+. About $22.
Imported by Dreyfus, Ashby & Sons, New York.
Received as a sample for review.
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The Guy Charlemagne Brut Extra is composed of 70 percent chardonnay grapes and 30 percent pinot noir, a combination that somehow lends this champagne freshness and boldness as well as evanescence, serving as a sort of reality-meets-the-light-fantastic metaphor. What I’m saying — “yeah, F.K., what the hell are you saying?” — is that this champagne is loaded with yeasty, bready elements, buttered biscuits and baking spices, roasted lemons and baked pears and toasted hazelnuts, all the panoply of dimension and detail, character and substance, while, at the same time, it’s lovely, crisp, deft, supple and, toward the finish, bursting with limestone. A final fillip of jasmine completes the poised, confident package. Excellent. About $62.
William-Harrison Imports, Manassas, Va.
A sample bottle for review.
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One of the most gratifying aspects of producing the “Twelves Days of Christmas with Champagne and Sparkling Wine” series lies in the discovery of new or different products that bring knowledge and delight, to readers, I hope, as well as to me and LL (who would not allow me to taste anything sparkling without her participation).

Such a discovery is the Château des Vaults Brut Sauvage, from the renowned Domaine du Closel in the tiny Savennières appellation in the central Loire Valley. Southwest of the medieval city of Angers, this area, part of the Anjou-Saumur region, is the cradle, the homeland of chenin blanc, which supplies 85 percent of the grapes for this wine, designated Crémant de Loire; the other 15 percent is cabernet franc, obviously quickly taken off their dark purple skins, because the Château des Vaults Brut Sauvage reveals not the merest blush of pink. This is pale, pale, palest gold with a shadow of silver unfolded when one turns the glass in the light. “Brut Sauvage” means that after the second fermentation in the bottle — the heart of the champagne method — the wine receives no dosage, the final topping off with sugar that determines the sweetness of a sparkling wine. Rather, sans dosage, this is bone-dry yet not distant or austere. Aromas of yeast and fresh biscuits support hints of macerated peach and baked pear and a wispy scent of a shy white flower. In the mouth, a delicate line of lemon, lime peel and toasted hazelnuts threads through what feels like liquid, effervescent limestone. The whole effect is sleek and elegant, real yet evanescent; it’s quite a beauty. Excellent, and a Bargain at about $18. Limited distribution, so mark it also Worth a Search.

LDM Wines Imports (Louis/Dressner), New York.

This was a sample bottle for review.

Saturday night & I just got paid,
Fool about my money, don’t try to save.
My heart say go, go, have a time,
Cuz it’s Saturday night and I’m feeling fine!

Surely that American philosopher Little Richard spoke the plain truth in Rip It Up — in these lyrics recalled by memory from the dark abysm of the late 1950s — that Saturday night is special. (Hence the name of the .38 revolver, n’est-ce pas?) So to lend celebratory buoyancy to your Saturday night, strictly within the parameters of the Yuletide spirit of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” of course, here are three sparkling wines (review samples) from as many countries. As Little Richard sayeth, rip it up and, um, ball it up, mes amis.
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Italy.

Prosecco this and prosecco that, and it’s all mainly barely decent gluggable fizz. The Bortolomiol Prior Brut Valdobbiadene Prosecco is something else. Even LL, a notable disdainer of prosecco, said that she would go out of her way to drink this. Prosecco is the name of the grape as well as the beverage; the best area of production lies between the towns of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano, straight north of Venice. Prosecco is made in the Charmat method of second fermentation in a pressurized tank. The pale-straw-colored Bortolomiol Prior Brut is as clean as a freshly-wiped steel blade, and it feels, indeed, as if it has something of steel’s tensile rigor, illumined by a flare of bright acidity and aching limestone. This is as elegant as prosecco gets, yet despite the hauteur of arched eyebrows and high cheekbones, there’s a winsome core of peachy creaminess here, a hint of lime zest, a touch of almond blossom. Excellent. About $18.
Imported by Dreyfus, Ashby & Sons, New York.
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Spain.

The Spanish sparkling wine termed cava is designated on labels as metodo tradicional, meaning the champagne method of second fermentation in the bottle, though, naturally, the wines do not rest on the lees in those bottles for years, as in Champagne, but for months. Poema Cava Brut, from the Penedès region of Catalonia, southwest of Barcelona, has no truck with the innovation of the chardonnay grape; this cava is made with the traditional macabeo (40%), xarel-lo — which sounds like the name of one of Superman’s cousins — (40%), and parellada (20%). Actually, Poema spends 18 months in the cellar, lending it a sense of depth not seen in many cava sparklers. The earthiness common to cava is here, but seemingly softened and refined. Poema Cava Brut is fresh and crisp, with appealing elements of citrus and candied lemon peel, a trace of almond, a tide of dusty limestone, all wrapped in a deftly balanced package. Steady bubbles, too. Very Good+ and A Steal at about $13.
Imported by Kobrand Corp., Purchase N.Y.
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Argentina.

Finca La Linda Extra Brut, from Bodegas Luigi Bosca, in Argentina’s Mendoza region, is composed of 50 percent chardonnay grapes and 50 percent semillon grapes, a most unusual blend; in fact, I can’t think of another sparkling wine I’ve encountered that includes semillon, though I’m certain my Alert Readers will let me know of some that should have been obvious. Made in the Charmat process, La Linda Extra Brut is a slightly brassy green-gold color, within which myriad shapely bubbles foam up in gold flecks; aromas of pears, almond blossom, hazelnuts toasted in butter and cinnamon toast draw the nose. In the mouth, this sparkler is very earthy, quite toasty, full-bodied and vibrant with acidity. In fact, with a finish that grows increasingly earthy and spicy, La Linda possesses the swagger to stand up to substantial hors d’oeuvres; smoked trout would be a blessing. Very Good+. About $15.
Various importers in New England, Florida and the West Coast.
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Here’s the Big Night before the Big Relaxing Day that inaugurates the Whole New Ball-Game, Year-Wise! Well, as we learn when we’re about three years old, a new year, however pristine it may seem to shine with potential possibilities, does not mean a tabula rasa upon which to write our lives anew. Forget that, Jack! Still, as a culture we are addicted to the idea that this night must be celebrated with wild abandon, not to mention bacchanalian verve. Not us. LL and I stopped going out on New Year’s Eve a decade ago. No drunken parties. No forced conviviality in restaurants. We stay home, watch a movie, have a glass of champagne at midnight. Wake the dogs. Dance around the Yule log. We do not sing “Auld Lang Syne.”

So, now, with wild abandon, I’ll offer three very different sparkling wine recommendations appropriate for whatever sort of celebration you have planned tonight. “Something for every palate, purse and purpose” is my motto. These are all French because, I dunno, just because.
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First, if you’re having a party for the entire cast and crew of Mad Men — and you know how they drink — lay in a case or two of the Louis Perdrier Brut, a non-vintage quaffer that features some of the most unlikely grapes to go into a sparkling wine: ugni blanc, chenin blanc, folle blanche and menu pineau, the latter an obscure grape dying out in the Loire Valley. I was surprised at how tasty this little number is. You’ll find hints of baked apple, lemon and limestone, a crisp dry nature and an adequate supply of bubbles. Good+ and a Bargain at about $9.
Imported by Cannon Wines, San Francisco
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Moving up several scales, try another and more complex crowd-pleaser, the Jean-Baptiste Adam Cremant d’Alsace Brut. Made from pinot blanc grapes in the champagne method, this compound of ginger and spice and everything nice neatly balances a chalky, limestone-like character with soft, round peach and pear flavors and with heart-racing acidity and effervescence. A touch of orange zest completes a really charming, airy, thirst-quenching package. Very Good+. About $20.
Imported by Winebow Inc., New York.
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On to a serious substantial champagne suitable for small gatherings or a New Year’s Eve dinner party. The Lamiable Brut Grand Cru is made from 80 percent pinot noir grapes and 20 percent chardonnay. The Lamiable family are recoltant-manipulants, “grower-winemakers,” meaning that they make their champagnes from grapes they own and farm. These happen to be from Grand Cru vineyards, the highest level in Champagne. The result here is a pale golden, deeply spicy, vibrant and resonant champagne, citrusy and yeasty, imbued with elements of cinnamon toast and roasted hazelnuts and smoke. The texture is frothy, lusciously creamy but electrified by blade-like acidity and a charge of damp limestone. One feels the confidence and elan of this impressive champagne. Excellent. Prices range from about $50 to $60.
Imported by Robert Kacher Selections, Washington D.C.

And Happy New Year. Really. I mean it.
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Looking back through two years of “Twelve Days of Christmas” series, I find it difficult to believe that I never included the Scharffenberger Brut. It might be easy to overlook this champagne method sparkling wine because it’s so familiar, but don’t make that mistake. The Scharffenberger Brut never fails to be delightful, and at the price, it represents Good Value. The winery was founded in Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley in 1981 by John Scharffenberger, but from 1998 to mid 2004 (when it was owned by Veuve Clicquot), its sparkling wine was known by the generic and rather senseless name of Pacific Echo; thank goodness saner heads prevailed after Roederer purchased the company. Composed two-thirds of pinot noir grapes and one-third chardonnay, the Scharffenberger Brut is a pale lemon-straw color invested with a profusion of tiny bubbles. Aromas of apples and pears are bolstered by toasty, biscuity elements with a touch of hazelnuts and a wisp of almond blossom. This sparkling wine is notably crisp and effervescent, yet slightly lush, with tart apple and quince flavors and a hint of roasted lemon buoyed by brisk acidity and limestone-like minerality. A terrific sparkling wine for small parties and receptions. Very Good+. About $18.