A bit of background explains why this, and other Vara sparkling wines, are so good. Laurent Gruet, raised in Champagne, had been making world-class sparkling wines in New Mexico for 25 years under the eponymous Gruet label before he sold the company in 2014. In 2020, he joined Vara as winemaker, and as the saying goes, the rest is history. An intriguing blend of Chardonnay (72%) and Syrah (3%) from Washington State with Xarel-lo and Macabeo from the Penedès region of Spain, the Silverhead Brut delivers elegance balanced by a piercing, but not aggressive, straight spine of support. Certainly fine as an apéritif, its cutting nature will hold up to anything on the table.
93 Michael Apstein – December 17, 2025