Review: William Chris Rebecca Caroline Sparkling Wines and Mary Ruth, 2026 Releases

Today we’re diving into Texas winery William Chris‘s new sparkling wine division, Rebecca Caroline, along with coverage of a new white wine blend, Mary Ruth. Watch for a full report of our visit to the Rebecca Caroline tasting room soon.

2023 William Chris Rebecca Caroline Dell Valley Vineyards Cuvee Brut – 60% Chardonnay 40% Chenin Blanc. Gently sweet, with aggressive notes of green apple, lemon curd, and quince adding a significant tartness to the proceedings. The wine becomes increasingly toasty as it develops, building that familiar, buttery, vanilla-laced breadiness, though the wine never comes close to anything yeasty. Some saline notes on the back end perk things up further, finishing clean. B+ / $65

2023 William Chris Rebecca Caroline Boxing Rabbit Vineyards Cuvee Extra Brut – 61% Sauvignon Blanc 31% Chenin Blanc 8% Sémillon. Very effervescent, with bold notes of apple and melon fading into lemon curd and sesame cookies. Bready and very French in presentation, the sauvignon blanc in the blend really jumps out as the finish arrives — tart with lemon-lime notes that prick the back of the throat on the finish. A- / $65

2025 William Chris Mary Ruth – A blend of 30% Muscat Blanc, 26% Malvasia Bianca, 22% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Semillon, and 10% Blanc du Bois. There’s a lot going on here, but the muscat does all the heavy lifting, impregnating the wine with a heady mix of perfume and white flowers — until gently medicinal notes of camphor develop. While touches of apricot taunt the drinker that some fruit is forthcoming, the experience is surprisingly thin, landing as almost watery at times. Pungent spearmint melds fitfully with turned earth on a scattered finish. B- / $38

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