Catching up on some recent visits to the Sparkling Houses of Napa with my thoughts:

• Domaine Carneros – the Napa HQ for Tattinger’s U.S. endeavors. What a bustling location, tons of visitors. We were able to sit in the cafeteria style lounge and have some food along with a tasting of some of the latest offerings. The caviar was a treat. I’m still honing my sparkling wine critique’s, but I enjoyed everything. Nothing was too cloying for my palate. I ended up taking home two of the Late Disgorged La Reve’s and two of the Vermeil Demi-Sec’s. 4/5
• Mumm Napa – the Napa location for G.H. Mumm & Cie. Nice location, and the outdoor seating was very pleasant on the spring day. I especially liked the flexibility of the tasting setup – three of their highly regarded labels, and a fourth of your choice. Some interesting wines in the tasting, but opted to not purchase any. If I were, I would like to start collecting the DVX label. 3.5/5
•  Domaine Chandon – the LVMH conglomerate’s sparkling house for Napa. The setup here was more for accommodating large parties and not for a serious tasting. I will have to revisit with an appointment for that, I think. The “workflow” here needs improvement – as they expect you to hang out in a line at the bar top to get your glass, and go elsewhere for tasting that glass. Again, it felt as if you were at a bar and not a winery tasting. The wines were okay. 2/5