Reviews

Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill

Well heck, this is an absolutely great young Champagne. The Pinot Noir is evident, but the entire execution is both inviting and electric with red and yellow fruit flavors. The front end dominates…

Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier Brut

70/30 Chardonnay/Pinot Noir. Disgorged January 2020. LGC01-20-BT. 12.5%ABV. Brut. Bright and airy, with beautiful lemon and chalk notes caressing and invigorating the palate. The acid and…

Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Édition 168ème

A nice glass of 168 to start out before sampling a couple of Harlans at the estate. Who could complain?! I do prefer the 169 (base 2013) to this more rounded 168 (2012 base). Hey, look who's…

Dom Pérignon Champagne

Who doesn't love a glass of Dom right before you head off to the Promontory library to enjoy some of the best Cabernet in the Valley? Typically I gravitate toward Cristal and Krug when I'm reaching…

Egly-Ouriet Champagne Grand Cru VP

At Restaurant Alpine Gourmet Prato Borni, Zermatt, Switzerland.

Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon Rosé

With just the right amount of curvature-to-frame-to speed ratio on the scaffolding to best cradle the delicate strawberry and orange spray notes, this Dom settles into a perfectly seamless glide…

Ultramarine Sparkling Rosé Heintz Vineyard

Hibiscus, rhubarb, blood orange, and Aperol notes create a unique framework for the supplementary flavors of freshly rinsed raspberries, watermelon, lemon pith, and wet limestone. At first glance, it…

Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut

I've written quite a bit on this, as have others. So, I'll rely on my previous notes for the heavy lifting (I know, SUPER lazy of me). Suffice [it] to say this is a great bottle of Champagne; it's my…

Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas François

This is a yeast-beast that leads with a raw dough note on the initial hit, but what might appear to start out as an autolytic invariant, finds a fast flow into more preserved lemon, Rainier cherry,…

Emmanuel Brochet Champagne Premier Cru Extra Brut (2015) Le Mont Benoit

Probably the best it has performed over the last couple of years, with a really nice balance of richness and tension. It's got a small nip on the tail that makes for a slightly edgy finish, but is…

Jerome Blin Champagne La Pluchotte Extra Brut Rosé

This continues to be a go-to-all-day-long Rosé for me. Crisp strawberry, lemon juice, and orange rind/spray play tetherball with saline and travertine notes to make for an airy and spritely Rosé.…

Marie-Courtin Champagne Présence

There is truly a unique succulence that comes from the bowels of this wine when initially you don't think it is going to be anything more than stark and shrill. The first sip is always a little bit…

Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 166eme

Slightly yeastier, richer, and more oxidative than, for example, the 169 (which has recently renewed my faith in the Krug eme series - or at least given the 2013 base used in the 169), this 166…

Dom Pérignon Champagne

2013 Cristal, 169 Krug (2013 base), and 2010 Dom Perignon side-by-side.

Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 169eme

2013 Cristal, 169 Krug (2013 base), and 2010 Dom Perignon side-by-side.

Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut

2013 Cristal, 169 Krug (2013 base), and 2010 Dom Perignon side-by-side.

Marie-Courtin Champagne Présence

70% Chardonnay. 30% Pinot Blanc. 2018 vintage. Zero dosage. Bottle stamped "LP18D0121ND". No other markings on the label or the bottle. I'm going to guess that 18 is the vintage reference (though I'm…

Jerome Blin Champagne La Pluchotte Extra Brut Rosé

Strawberries, orange rind and juice spray, lemon spritz, grapefruit, raspberry water, and wet stone notes culminate into a beautifully refreshing Rosé with ample cut and acid to cunningly steer it…

Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 169eme

This bottle showed a bit more richness than previous bottles, but not still without the requisite punchiness that I've grown especially fond of with the 169. Just when I think I might want to age…

Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 169eme

Jazzy and brisk, with a front end that hurriedly sprints to the attack with crunchy and crisp green apple and yellow pear skin flavors that surge energy. The initial electricity is complimented by…

Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas François

Deeply pitched apricot, lemon curd, ripe yellow citrus, marmalade, and honey make for a fairly advanced showing here, though it's not without the requisite frame to hold it all in place. Finishes on…

Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon

This bottle is a bit more spun-up than the one I had back in July. The lemon pith is more prominent, blocking some of the strawberry and sweet orange peel notes trying to jockey position. This is a…

Marie-Courtin Champagne Présence

I've been following a few of these Champagne from Marie Courtin particularly over the course of this year; specifically with the Presence, this is now my third bottle (March, June, and now October).…

Jerome Blin Champagne Les Caillasses Brut Millésime

Good, friendly, fun, tasty, and all that. It's a little more bready than I typically prefer, but thankfully it is far from a doughball yeast bomb. Medium all the way around here. Serve to your…

Famille Moussé Champagne Terre d'Illite

My previous note from a technical and primary content standpoint still applies. Additionally, what especially catches my eye (or rather, palate) this go-around is the brilliance by which this wine is…