Dan Berger, noted California wine expert and author of Dan Berger's Vintage Experiences, said of our 2008 Arturos Dry Riesling,

Exciting aroma of lime, citrus, and blossoms with just the
barest hint of residual sugar (.9%)balanced by great acidity.

This wine was the winner of the Judge's Award of Merit and Double Gold at the Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition where Berger was a judge.

He also felt strongly about our 2007 Be Dazzled:

I was a judge at the Michigan state wine competition in Lansing
on Tuesday, and one sweepstakes vote created a headache.

Only one sparkling wine was a nominee for the sweepstakes award as best sparkling. To validate that this wine was deserving of the award, the 26 judges were asked to vote on whether it should get the honor.

If the wine got 13 votes, it wouldget the award. It got only 11.
I voted for the wine (2007 BlackStar Farms Be Dazzled, $12.50) and asked those who did not vote for it why they declined.

Two judges said they did not find the wine very complex.  This is, frankly, balderdash. The wine is a brilliant example of precise wine making and perfect use of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

The balance is perfect, the use of 1.2% residual sugar perfectly pairs with the acid, and the wine tastes great, and is young, so it will age.

To not vote for this wine to get a sweepstakes award is a cowardly act that fails to send two messages to an
emerging Michigan wine industry.  First, it fails to tell the wine
maker Lee Lutz (sic) that he did a brilliant job. The wine is clean and fresh and will become more complex in time.  But more importantly, honoring that wine would send a message to
others who seek to make complex sparkling wines and are failing to do so by inexact means.

The “complexity” we found in a few other Michigan sparklers was related to what I call “artificial yeastiness” that is a common trait in some wines that are occasionally praised, but which can turn strange with any bottle age.