One exciting new sparkling house out of Oregon, Lytle-Barnett has impressed with their recent releases that saw extended aging. I love the concept of waiting several vintages to release bubbles. Lytle-Barnett utilizes talent across the globe as they have commissioned Oregon’s iconic winemaker, Andrew Davis, as well as South Africa’s sparkling winemaker Pieter Ferreira in making their méthode champenoise wines. 

It is expensive to make Oregon Sparkling Wine and these wines aren’t cheap at $75.00 retail. I will say that I was massively impressed with the new lineup of wines, having never tried these. I hadn’t viewed the website until I wrote my review and I saw that a colleague reviewed these similarly, which is good inter-rater reliability that the wines are seriously good. Look to the 2014 Lyle-Barnett ‘Brut’ Sparkling Wine (OB, 92) which has really good polish, finesse and weight. This beauty will cellar well for at least another decade. Learn more at https://lytle-barnett.com/ Here are my reviews of the great new Lytle-Barnett wines.

2014 Lytle-Barnett ‘Brut’ Sparkling Wine- The 2014 ‘Brut’ is a seriously good effort from a vintage that was hard to making sparkling wines in Oregon. feeling of weight and tension is really good here despite the obvious warmth of the vintage. Meyer lemon zest laced brioche and porcini mushroom and forest floor tones combine with the silky mousse, giving this an err of elegance. This is seriously good in its youth, as this has some good aging potential. Drink 2020-2030- 92

2015 Lytle-Barnett ‘Blanc de Blancs’ Sparkling Wine- The 2015 ‘Blanc de Blancs’ Sparkling Wine is a great new release from this new winery. Bright lemon rind and sourdough bread tones connect with hints of baking spices with green apple tones all fill the nose. The palate is bright and this wine is highly linear with citrus zest and Japanese pear flavors with salty undertones. Drink 2020-2028- 90

2013 Lytle-Barnett ‘Blanc de Noir’ Sparkling Wine- Sourced from this challenge vintage in Oregon, this shows nice weight with ripe peach and Pink Lady apple flavors alongside Challah bread and wild mushroom on the palate. This is really good stuff that is already showing good earthy tones, as the 2013 ‘Blanc de Noir’ will cellar well over the next decade. Drink 2020-2030- 92

2013 Lytle-Barnett ‘Brut Rose’ Sparkling Wine- Fresh, vibrant and energetic, the 2013 ‘Brut Rose’ shows sour red fruit aromatics that dance wit kumquat zest and cinnamon sticks that all take shape in the glass. The palate is fresh and shows really good finesse, with layers of cranberry and guava alongside green apple and peat moss flavors. Complex and delightful to savor in its youth, this great new Rose will cellar well for at least another decade. Drink 2020-2030- 92

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About Dr. Owen Bargreen

Dr. Owen Bargreen is the founder/executive editor of OwenBargreen.com, formerly Washington Wine Blog. He is a clinical psychologist and has his private practice in the Seattle area. He is a Level 2 Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers. He writes part time for Decanter Magazine and has been featured in the Seattle Times. He has been writing about wine for more than ten years and has reviewed thousands of wines from around the world. Owen has also traveled extensively in Washington, Oregon and California, as well as throughout wine regions of the world, including the Bordeaux and the Rhone valley in France, Spain, Germany and Italy. He speaks German, Italian and English.