Ratings & Reviews
Ratings & Reviews
Non Vintage Brut
San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
January 2010Food & Wine
December 2009"Apple and fennel flavored"
Wine & Spirits
Joshua Greene - December 2009
"This is a pale, dry sparkling wine with a robust pinot noir scent. The yeastiness leaves an impression of smoky richness, with a stony mineral note."
San Francisco Chronicle
Jon Bonné - November 22, 2009
"Tex Sawyer's Pinot-dominant blend has a softness and ripe tree fruit flavors that define the Scharffenberger style, but the berry and orange highlights, toasty accents and high-acid precision are a sign of a more anchored, gastronomic wine."
Wine Spectator
Tim Fish - November 15, 2009
"Fresh and easygoing, with aromas of green apple and fennel and crisp, lively citrus, mineral and toasty vanilla flavors that finish on a creamy note."
Press Democrat
Peg Melnik - July 25, 2009
"Yeasty, nutty, with notes of vanilla, crème brulee and brioche. Aromas of cherry and plum. Rich and full-bodied."
Wine Enthusiast
July 2009A value sparkler for summer sipping
Consumer Reports
January 2009"Fruity, toasty..."
Wine Enthusiast
Steve Heimoff - December 31, 2008
"This is a beautiful brut, easily worth its price. It shows the fancy elegance of more expensive bubblies, with its refined texture and rich but subtle flavors of strawberries, peaches and brioche. Made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and easy to find, with 25,000 cases produced."
Wine Spectator
Laurie Woolever - December 23, 2008
A recommended sparkling wine for New Year's Eve
Washington Post
Dave McIntyre - December 10, 2008
"Arguably the best value in California sparkling wine. It is neither the best nor the cheapest. But it combines champagnelike quality with a budget price (it is often on sale for about $15) and so offers great bada bing for the buck."
San Francisco Chronicle
Lynn Char Bennett - December 05, 2008
"Scharffenberger's wines keep getting better. Crisp and lively, with mushroom, toast and touch of fino sherry with a hint of brulee on the nose. Some plum skin and berry lift the palate."
Food & Wine
December 2008"A blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, this California Brut is creamy and full-bodied with tropical flavors."
Wine Spectator
Tim Fish - November 30, 2008
"Appealing for its sleek sense of focus and proportion. Nutty and spicy aromas blend with citrus and green apple, then open to zesty baked pear and lemon zest flavors."
Wine Enthusiast
Steve Heimoff - December 31, 2007
"This lovely brut offers real Champagne-like finesse. It’s rich and dry, with yeasty flavors of pineapples, lemon chiffon and raspberries. The mousse is creamy and smooth. This polished bubbly will develop with five years of cellaring."
Fort Collins Colorodoan
Kelli Lackett - December 26, 2007
Recommended U.S. sparkling wine
Wall Street Journal
Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher - December 01, 2007
"$15 to $25. At this price range, we'd look for California bubbly: Scharffenberger Cellars..."
Wine News
December 2007"Fresh aromas of butterscotch and croissant with yeasty, buttery notes. Bright peach and apricot flavors with a green apple tartness. Fresh, steely close with a mix of lemon drop and minerals."
Shop Smart from Consumer Reports
December 2007The editors recommended Scharffenberger Cellars NV Brut in their tasting of bubbly for $20 or less. They said it paired well with savory appetizers and seafood.
San Francisco Chronicle
Lynne Char Bennett - November 30, 2007
The Examiner, San Francisco
Pamela S. Busch - November 03, 2007
"[T]he wine has remained tried and true and for the money — you cannot ask for a better sparkling wine made in California. Delicate and a little bit yeasty with vanilla, almond cream and briochelike flavors, keep this in mind for holiday celebrations."
Food & Wine
November 2007"California sparkling wine is a great match with any crisp, salty, fried appetizer...This green-appley bottling is especially refreshing."
Dallas Morning News
Tina Danze - August 28, 2007
"This elegant blend of two-thirds pinot noir and one-third chardonnay melds red-fruit richness with classic chardonnay tropical fruit for a balanced, fruit-forward sparkler. Its cleansing character and dry finish made it a match with the tuna and yellowtail as well as with sushi rolls coated in sesame seeds. 'The toasted, nutty character of the wine is a good complement to the toasted sesame seeds,' Mr. Wardlow said. Mr. Pinnell noted that it cuts through pickled ginger very nicely."
Food Arts
Jeffery Lindenmuth - June 2007
Sommelier Steve Hua, NobHill, MGM Grand, of Las Vegas recommends Scharffenberger Cellars NV Brut.
Orange County Fair Wine Competition
January 01, 2007Monterey Wine Competition
2007Wall Street Journal
Dorothy J. Gaiter & John Brecher - December 01, 2006
"Most notable was our old friend Scharffenberger, which was the clear best of tasting, with interesting layers of taste, some complexity and an intricate melding of bubbles and wine...Best of tasting. Classy, with true, clean tastes of minerals, toast and ripe grapefruit. Nutty, with a slightly buttery finish that's quite luscious and lasts."
USA Today
Jerry Shriver - December 01, 2006
San Francisco Chronicle
December 01, 2006"The goal of Scharffenberger winemaker Tex Sawyer is to craft drink-now wines, and the two-thirds Pinot Noir composition highlights freshness over its ability to age. Another woodsy nose, with sharp apple, red fruit and lemon. Very, very precise on the palate, to the point you wish it had a bit more breadth."
Sunset
Sara Schneider - December 2006
"John Scharffenberger, of chocolate fame, started--then later sold--this gem of a winery in California's cool Anderson Valley. This one is light, fresh, and frothy."
Wine Enthusiast
Steve Heimoff - March 2006
"Here's a polished, elegant wine, very dry, with delicate flavors of citrus rind, bread dough and yeast, toast and vanilla. It has a lightness and charm on the palate that make it irresistible."
Wine Spectator
J.L. - December 2005
"Distinctive for its baked pear, orange zest and spice notes. Crisp apple and lemon flavors blend nicely, adding richness on the finish."
Wine & Spirits
December 2005"Yeasty and dry in style, this emphasizes broad richness of flavor. It gives a soft, round impression, then ends integrated and clean. Serve with roast veal in a light cream sauce."
Wine News
January 2005"Pale gold hue with ribbons of small bubbles. Rich aromas of apple, ginger, bread dough and a subtle whiff of oxidation. Berry flavors of green apple, banana and roasted grains. Dry close."
Brut Rosé
San Francisco Chronicle
Jon Bonné - December 07, 2009
"Longtime winemaker Tex Sawyer has been pointing this venerable California name in an excellent direction. This year he's unveiled an elegant rosé that's a pure delight. ...It bursts with fresh strawberry and peach, zingy citrus and a pastry-like opulence."
Wine & Spirits
Joshua Greene - December 2009
"An elegant wine with tart and juicy sour cherry flavors, this has the full fatness of ripe California fruit. Yet it's harmonious, not aggressive, a finely balanced sparkler for duck meatballs."
Wine Spectator
Tim Fish - November 15, 2009
"Festive and lively, with aromas of rose petal, raspberry and graham cracker and luscious strawberry and cream flavors that finish on a crisp mineral note."
San Francisco Chronicle
Jon Bonné - August 09, 2009
"Salmon-colored, with fresh strawberry and peach, and a pastry-dough richness. But plenty of bright citrus and a mineral bounce that lifts its distinct fruit. Elegant stuff."
Winery
San Francisco Chronicle
Jon Bonné - November 22, 2009
"Scharffenberger... has also returned to fine form. If the wines of corporate sibling Roederer Estate glance across the water toward Reims, the Scharffenberger wines are unabashedly Californian, with a softer profile (from full malolactic fermentation) and more distinctly ripe fruit. Not only has longtime winemaker Tex Sawyer given the standard brut extra finesse, but the house this year also unveiled a serious rosé."
San Francisco Chronicle
Tara Duggan - February 22, 2008
"The experience: The staff person at the tasting room was very knowledgeable about the winery and the history of the area. She pointed out that the brut's composition of two-thirds Pinot Noir and one-third Chardonnay was the opposite of Roederer's, which is made in the French style. We were regaled with tales of the valley's winemaking past, including the days when nearby Greenwood Road was called Vinegar Ridge because locals would go there during Prohibition to buy 'vinegar' from Italians who grew grapes there."
Wall Street Journal
Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher - November 16, 2007
One of the producers that has "helped to set a standard for sparkling wine that is very good and fairly widely available"