Reviews

Champagne J.Vignier Champagne Grand Cru QVFMR "Les Jardins d'Elise" Cramant

Pros: Pure, clean, focused, crystalline lemon. Cons: Angular, sterile, superficial, lacks mid-palate.

Jacques Lassaigne Champagne Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs La Colline Inspirée

I initially couldn't find a disgorgement date or any info on the bottle to save my life, with no clue what vintage(s) base this is. However, thanks to CT'r Ghoulardi, who told me it was the barely…

Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Les Crayères

Stupid. The fruit was there this time and there was no wet Pomeranian smell, but the effervescence came and went faster than a Tik-Toker's attention span. To call it a still wine after a few minutes…

Nicolas Maillart Champagne Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Les Chaillots Gillis

Strikingly better on Day 2. More depth and a broader flavor expansion. So, either hold for a few more years or give it plenty of air so it can fan out and deepen.

Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières

Holy potent panther of ripe and ready profundity! All you Aubert and Kongsgaard cronies take note, as the 2019 Henri Boillot Folatieres is a double-barreled doozy of such volume and intensity that it…

Savart Champagne Grand Cru Haute Couture Le Mesnil

It's been two years since my last tasting note on this wine and there has been some notable development over that time, specifically a bit more depth and flavor expansion. However, it requires air to…

Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Les Bermonts

This bottle was slightly off, which is just icing on a flattened cake of tears and sadness since a huge percentage of Marguets I went fairly deep on turned out to be flawed. I love this producer when…

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles

Love this wine. My previous tasting note covers most everything, but I figured I'd put a note in here to accentuate my absolute appeal for the 2019 vintage with this producer. It is perhaps the best…

Jerome Blin Champagne Cuvée Octave Zero Dosage

Not flawed, so that's an automatic bonus. Medium intensity, with lemon, travertine, and yellow pear (pulp and skin). It's relatively simple, but fresh and clean all the way around. With air, its…

Olivier Leflaive Montagny 1er Cru Blanc

S'ok. Lemony lemon with some crema and. lemons. Expect the expected.

Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune En Creuzilly

I thought this was "ok," but basically a pass-around-the-table kind of experience; nothing that I wanted to clutch in my paws and hide from the rest of the group. It's solid and all, but presents as…

Domaine Roulot Meursault

Green apple skin, lemon-lime juice, and limestone are bundled up in a somewhat superficial and slender shot of linear and primary flavors. The cut here is worthy of mention, but the mid-palate drop…

Jacques Lassaigne Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature Clos Sainte Sophie

A singular and ultra-unique Champagne that I've been lucky enough to hold in the cellar and have opened a couple over the years, the 2013 Sainte Sophie really is a standout. It carries both oxidative…

Aubert Chardonnay CIX Estate Vineyard

Petrol and reduction on the nose, with a slightly sherried profile. Notes of apricot and walnut. This is almost like a d'Yquem. I wouldn't have pegged this as Chardonnay. A odd, oxidized sample that…

Aubert Chardonnay Park Avenue Estate

Fuller than a 2022 UV-SL served next to it, but carrying a really nice acidity as well, this Park Avenue is a lovely combination of spritely fresh lemon juice with riper yellow citrus and stone…

Aubert Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard

Noble cut and acidity keeps the lemon curd, citrus spray and juice, sea salt, creme fraiche, and vanilla notes well within their lanes; a somewhat racy performance as Auberts go, but with a signature…

Maxem Chardonnay UV Vineyard

California Chardonnay richness catches you first on the front end, but then the acidity rushes to the party and envelops the inside of the cheeks. Amazingly buttery without being buttery or popcorny;…

Domaine des Malandes Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

In the spirit of previous vintages, with quality seemingly ticking up from this Domaine with each iteration of their Les Clos offerings, the 2022 is clean and pure, with an initial blast of reduction…

Leclerc Briant Champagne Grand Cru Château d'Avize, Blanc de Blancs, Brut Zéro

Even better than when I had it at the Domaine in Epernay recently, this latest bottle crushed the at-home test with its beautiful Avize lemony fruit in full display. Perfect balance and cut to match…

Ulysse Collin Champagne Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut (2015) Les Enfers

Frothy and a little bit convoluted in flavor delineation at first pass, this version of Les Enfers shows off an initial blast of oxidative, sour, and somewhat simple monochromatic fruit. Hints of…

Ultramarine Blanc de Blancs Heintz Vineyard Sonoma Coast

Hey now, for as much as Ultramarine can be a hit/miss experience for me, this thing did every right tonight. Offerings from Heintz have produced the most consistent and best lineages from this house.…

Diebolt-Vallois Champagne Cuvée Prestige Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut

At Diebolt-Vallois, Cramant.

Ferrari Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore

At Lanthia Resort, Sardinia.

Ferrari Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore

At Lanthia Resort, Sardinia.

Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru l'Esprit

At Pierre Peters, Mesnil-sur-Oger.