Hello, and welcome to my periodic dig through the samples pile. I’m pleased to bring you the latest installment of Vinography Unboxed, where I highlight some of the better bottles that have crossed my doorstep recently.

This week I’ve got the sparkling edition of my weekly samples review, just in time for your holiday celebrations (not that you shouldn’t be drinking sparkling wine every OTHER week of the year, mind you). But I inevitably get e-mails from readers asking for sparkling wine recommendations this time of year, so what better excuse to open up all those sparkling samples for a taste?

Let’s start with wines that aren’t Champagne, as I’ve got a lot of Champagne to cover this week.

I’ve got two very interesting domestic sparklers to share. The first is a picture perfect rosé from Gran Moraine in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Gran Moraine is owned by Jackson Family Estates, and is a relatively newer brand in the Willamette Valley having replaced the Solená Estate Winery, which the Jackson Family purchased in 2013. This non-vintage sparkler shows just how serious they are about making good wine, and will satisfy anyone looking for a bright berry-filled glass of pink bubbly.

A bit farther outside the mainstream, let’s look at the pettillant naturel from the Faith Armstrong Foster’s Onward Wines brand. For those unfamiliar with this kind of wine, it is essentially a still wine whose fermentation is stopped before all the sugar is gone, and then sealed with a crown cap. The completion of the fermentation in the sealed bottle produces bubbles and results in a lightly sparkling wine. This one happens to be made, unusually, from Malvasia Bianca, which results in a distinctive “green” tasting wine that is quite tasty.

Let’s move on to Champagne, shall we?

First, I received two very unusual bottles from a producer I’ve never heard of. That’s because Arteis is a recently manufactured brand in the truest sense of the word. But that doesn’t mean the wines are manufactured. Indeed, they are made by Jean Diot, a small producer who has been making Champagne since 1960 or so. The Arteis wines are made from older vintages and have a nice patina as a result. The rosÉ in particular is worth seeking out in its aged beauty.

I’ve also got two bottles from Jean Diot as well, both of which are classic in form and have a much lower tariff than the Arteis bottlings.

Do you like Pinot Meunier? Then you need to know about Champagne Michel Loriot, one of the best producers whose wines feature a lot of this lesser known grape variety that plays an important role in Champagne. I’ve got two wines from the Loriot family this week: their Theodorine rosé and their brut nature.

If we’re talking about pink Champagne, we can’t complete the conversation without a taste of Jean Vesselle’s Oeil de Perdrix (literally “eye of the partridge”) Champagne, whose faintly pink, citrusy bright juiciness makes it one of my favorites.

And finally, before we move off pink, let’s savor the gloriously fruity and distinctive rosé from biodynamic producer Fleury.

I’ve also got some really nice bottles from Remy Massin, Pol Roger and the tiny organically farmed Pascal Doquet, whose Arpege Blanc de Blancs is a stunning example of the form.

All these and more this week. Enjoy your holiday celebrations!

NV Jean Diot “Brut Selection” Champagne Blend, Champagne, France
Light bronze in the glass with medium fine bubbles, this wine smells of freshly cut apples and sea air. In the mouth, a moderately coarse mousse delivers flavors of baked apples, butterscotch, and candied citrus peel. Good acidity, but the fruit is a little dried and bitter in the finish. 12.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5 . Cost $45. click to buy.

NV Jean Diot “Brut Rosé” Champagne Blend, Champagne, France
A bight baby pink in the glass with moderately fine bubbles, this wine smells of wet chalkboard and a touch of watermelon rind. In the mouth, a thick mousse delivers flavors of berry and watermelon rind mixed with pink grapefruit and notes of citrus pith. Bright and clean with a nice snap. 12% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost $54. click to buy.

2007 Arteis & Co “Brut Rosé” Champagne Blend, Champagne, France
A light coppery pink in the glass with very fine bubbles, this wine smells of berries and dried citrus rind. In the mouth citrus peel and a touch of autumn leaves are buoyed up on a silky cloud of mousse which leaves flavors of citrus pith, wet chalkboard and sea air lingering in the finish. Delicate and delicious with excellent balance. 3100 bottles produced. Disgorged April 2015. 6 g/l dosage. 12% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost $92. click to buy.

2004 Arteis & Co “Brut” Champagne Blend, Champagne, France
Light gold in the glass with very fine bubbles, this wine smells of crushed shells and parchment. In the mouth, a silky voluminous mousse delivers flavors of wet chalkboard, dried orange peel, pomelo pith and a touch of honey. Excellent acidity and brightness, with a nice balance. A chalky note lingers in the finish. 6000 bottles produced. Disgorged April 2016. 4 g/l dosage. 12% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost $80. click to buy.

NV Gran Moraine “Brut Rosé” Champagne Blend, Willamette Valley, Oregon
The palest baby pink in the glass with very fine bubbles, this wine smells of bright berries and citrus peel. In the mouth, wet stone flavors mix with forest berries and a hint of watermelon amidst a silky mousse. Nicely balanced with a faint sweetness, this is exceedingly easy to drink. 12.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost $50. click to buy.

2017 Onward “Petillant Naturel” Malvasia Bianca, Suisun Valley, California
Palest greenish gold in color with faint, fine bubbles, this wine smells of green melon and white flowers. In the mouth, a coarse mousse delivers flavors of green melon, candied green apple and white flowers with a hint of daikon radish in the finish. Unusual and distinctive and worth checking out. 12.4% alcohol. Score: around 8.5 . Cost $26. click to buy.

NV Michel Loriot “Theodorine Rosé” Champagne Blend, Vallee de Marne, Champagne, France
Light salmon oink in the glass with fine bubbles, this wine smells of alpine strawberries and candied orange peel. Juicy bright and mouthwatering, it delivers flavors of berries washed in clear mountain spring water buoyed on a silky mousse. The finish tastes of cherry. 50% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier, 20% Pinot Noir, and 15% still red Pinot Noir. 12% Alcohol.. 9 g/l dosage. Score: around 9. Cost $45. click to buy.

NV Michel Loriot “Palmyre Brut Nature” Champagne Blend, Vallee de Marne, Champagne, France
Light gold in the glass with very fine bubbles, this wine smells of honey and marzipan. In the mouth toasted sesame, dried honey, and candied citrus peel flavors have a remarkable and unique character. Bright acidity. Wonderful minerality. A blend of 70% Meunier and 30% Chardonnay. No dosage. 12% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost $65.

NV Jean Vesselle “Oeil de Perdrix” Pinot Noir, Bouzy Grand Cru, Champagne, France
Pale salmon in the glass with medium bubbles, this wine smells of wet stones, rosehips, and orange peel. In the mouth juicy orange peel, rosehip, and hibiscus flavors are layered over snappy pink grapefruit that floats up on a coarse mousse. Long tangy aftertaste. 100% Pinot Noir. 6 g/l dosage. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost $48. click to buy.

NV Jean Vesselle “Brut Prestige” Champagne Blend Bouzy Grand Cru, Champagne, France
Light gold in the glass with fine bubbles, this wine smells of wet stones, yellow flowers, and sea air. In the mouth the wine has a wonderful balance and crispness and a soft mousse. Deeply mineral with bright apple and pear flavors and a hint of white flowers that linger in the finish. 2011 base wine and a little less than 10% reserve wine. 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay from Bouzy Grand Cru. 12% Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost $85. click to buy.

NV Fleury et fils “Notes Blanches” Pinot Blanc, Champagne, France
Bright yellow gold in the glass with very fine bubbles, this wine smells of wet chalkboard and crushed shells. In the mouth bright lemony and pink grapefruit seem to burst on the palate amidst a cloud of fine froth. Incredibly juicy, phenomenally mouthwatering. Fantastically bright. Fermented and aged for about 8 months in barriques, with no dosage. Fruit form the 2010 vintage. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost $80.

NV Fleury et fils “Rosé de Saignee” Champagne Blend, Champagne, France
Light ruby in the glass with very fine bubbles, this wine smells of rosehips, hibiscus, and raspberries. In the mouth, gorgeously bright sour cherry and raspberry fruit have a lively bounce thanks to fantastic acidity and a cloud-like mousse. Delicious and mouthwatering. 100% Pinot Noir. 8 g/l dosage. Fruit from the 2009 harvest. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost $50. click to buy.

NV Remy Massin “Arstide” Champagne Blend Aube, Champagne, France
Light gold in the glass with a slight bronze cast and medium bubbles, this wine smells of baked apples, wet stones and white flowers with a crisp green apple brightness underneath. In the mouth green apple, pink grapefruit, white flowers and crisp pear flavors have a nice creaminess and a soft mousse. Crisp minerality leaves a lightly chalky dry finish. Nicely balanced. A solera blend of 1995 through 2007. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost $50.

NV Pol Roger “Pur Extra Brut” Champagne Blend, Champagne, France
Pale gold in color with very fine bubbles, this wine smells of bright apple and honeysuckle. In the mouth, bright and crisp apple, lemon and grapefruit flavors are layered over a gorgeous minerality. Soft velvety mousse. Long lemon pith finish. One third each of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier. The base vintage for this wine is 2011 with about 20% reserve wine from the prior three years, 2010, 2009, and 2008. Ages for 3 years in the bottle. No dosage. Score: around 9. Cost $50. click to buy.

NV Pol Roger “Brut Reserve” Champagne Blend, Champagne, France
Pale greenish gold in color with very fine bubbles, this wine smells of bright apples and pears with a hint of white peaches. In the mouth, flavors of white peaches, apples, and pears take on a citrus peel brightness in the finish mixed with green apples. Soft mousse. Contains one third each of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier. Ages for 4 years in bottle before release. 2010 base wine, with 25-30% reserve wine from the prior three vintages.. Score: around 9. Cost $45. click to buy.

NV Pascal Doquet “Anthocyanes Premier Cru Rosé” Champagne Blend, Cotes de Blancs, Champagne, France
Pale pink in the glass with very fine bubbles, this wine smells of bright forest berries and a hint of wet leaves. In the mouth, grapefruit, redcurrant, raspberries and wet stone blend together with a beautiful earthy complexion. A soft, velvety mousse floats across the palate and finishes with a lovely aromatic sweetness. A blend of 2010 and 2011. 67% Pinot Noir and 33% Chardonnay. Score: around 9. Cost $70. click to buy.

NV Pascal Doquet “Arpege Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs” Chardonnay, Champagne, France
Pale gold in the glass with very fine bubbles, this wine smells of bright wet chalkboard, pink grapefruit, and white flowers. In the mouth, gorgeous bright lemony and pink grapefruit juice mix with wet chalkboard and wonderful crushed stones. A blend of 2011 and 2010 base wines. 23% is aged in wood. 4 g/l dosage. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost $60. click to buy.