A near-infrared (NIR) spectral sensor consisting of a 25-channel dielectric multi-patterned filter array (MFA) and CCD is proposed and fabricated. The MFA consists of a wavy dielectric multilayer with a gradient layer profile on a silica substrate with surface grating. The incoming NIR spectrum is predicted by Wiener estimation utilizing the MFA's spectral responses and a set of training spectral data. Estimation performance is evaluated under various optical shot-noise conditions.