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Happy December, everyone! This is the time of year when I consider my editorial calendar and plans for the upcoming year, and ponder some “…of the Year” awards. I’ll have more on the awards later this week.

I was ready to completely change my editorial plans and how wine submissions work in the new year. I was thinking that I might do away with open submissions for 2026—instead focusing on a series of invite-only panel tastings and more in-depth profiles of people, places, or producers. I still may do those things, but it would likely mean that I miss out on wines like today’s “Wine of the Day”: Slater Run Vineyards 2021 Blanc de Blanc Brut ($58*) — a stunner of a sparkling wine and one of the best sparkling wines I’ve tasted this year.

It’s a wine that I never would have tasted without open submissions. Not only had I never tasted a Slater Run wine before this one, but I’m also not sure I’d even heard of them.

Made from 100% estate-grown chardonnay grapes, this méthode champenoise sparkling wine has aromas of lemon peel, green apples, and wet stone, with a delicate undercurrent of yeasty autolytic character.

Pure, dry, and focused, the medium-bodied palate features lemon-lime citrus flavors alongside bright green apple ones that are framed and driven by bright acidity and beautiful carbonation. As it warms just a bit, a spine of minerality peeks through from start to finish and shows most on the end of a long, slate-and-citrus finish.

Slater Run Vineyard 2021 Blanc de Blanc Brut
Region: Virginia
ABV: 12%
Grapes: 100% chardonnay
Winemaking: Method Champenoise, 24 months on lees
Rating: 92 pts
Price: $58* (Available here)

*Sample Provided by Winery