Reviews

Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Grand Cru Vieille Vigne du Levant Extra Brut

Apple pie filling, bruised lemon rind, quince, copper, and olive oil notes make for a subtly oxidative style that still maintains balanced freshness. This has a fuller and lusher side while also…

Nicolas Maillart Champagne Grand Cru Jolivettes

After an initial blast of bubbles that swarmed around the core fruit and almost completely disabling flavor expansion, this Jolivettes finally calmed down in the glass once it was allowed to get some…

Pierre Paillard Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Les Mottelettes

Lemon, chalk, almond slivers, white melon, and white flowers cascade openly in an accessible and full delivery of flavor and succulence. Less of a steely or chiseled stature, and instead more of an…

Nicolas Maillart Champagne Grand Cru Jolivettes

Pouring a translucent light salmon color (akin to a light colored Rosé), Maillart's 2016 Jolivettes quickly goes from spritely and radiant on the initial attack to a deeper-pitched down shift at the…

Paul Dethune Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Millésimé

For those who want for a more bready and yeasty mouthfeel, the Dethune is stylistically geared for immediate pleasure with its fuller push of luscious yellow fruit and dosage-driven richness. Never…

Pierre Paillard Champagne Grand Cru Extra Brut Les Parcelles

Red apple flesh, golden raisin, quince, brassy yellow citrus, pluot, bark, and almond. Gorgeously weighted, with a cadence of delivery that allows for a mouthwatering flavor expansion. Finishes with…

Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Grand Cru Vieille Vigne du Levant Extra Brut

Dried apricot, grilled lemon, red apple skin, brioche crust, wet travertine, copper, and olive oil. A more academic and direct execution of flavor, with a slightly angular finish that still manages…

Paul Dethune Champagne Grand Cru Brut

Yellow and red apple skin, travertine, ginger, Wonder Bread crust, grapefruit, and subtle copper notes.

Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Grand Cru Vieille Vigne du Levant Extra Brut

Sherry and brassy, burnt citrus notes dominate on the ultra-dry and and near-astringent execution. Some dried apricot, red apple skin, and cheap olive oil notes also emerged. Mid-palate stayed biting…

Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Grand Cru Vieille Vigne du Levant Extra Brut

Meyer lemon preserve, apple pie filling, copper, chalk, brioche crust, and quince roll over the palate in both a mature advancement of flavor as well as a perfectly balanced tension that keeps the…

R. & L. Legras Champagne Grand Cru Saint-Vincent

Still sticking with my previous note. For me, this is a Champagne to pop now and over the short-term. In a decent window now. Still has some refreshing qualities along with some reductive elements.

R. & L. Legras Champagne Grand Cru Saint-Vincent

Grilled lemon, almond skin, lamp oil, plantain, marzipan, and hints of pulverized wet granite. Carries a decent amount of speed, but exhibits a more mature and oxidized profile. Finishes medium and…

Champagne Le Mesnil Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut

A decent yeasty style on the front-end attack, with bread dough, white melon, pie crust, and lemon seed. Skirts the mid-palate a little high and linear, finishing nearly opposite of how it started,…

Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Special Club

I still continue to enjoy this Champagne. A nice balance between saline and brioche, with yellow citrus and pear flavors carrying the weight of the core. Medium bodied, but with a cut that keeps…

Jacques Selosse Initial

Disgorged 7/23/15. Light-to-medium oxidation, with some fried plantain and butterscotch notes darting through the ripe yellow citrus and pear skin core. Bruised lemon peel, toasted almond, and faint…

Launois Pere et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Veuve Clemence Brut Blanc de Blancs

Bubbles faded fast in coupe stemware. A blasted-out white winey effect occurred almost immediately. More air equated to a quick decline in tension and effervescence. Not a fan this time around. Some…

Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Special Club

A really enjoyable Special Club. Clean yellow citrus with the perfect amount of yeast and saline to provide a beautifully enticing body and cut. Nice oyster shell and salted lemon curd additions made…

Launois Pere et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Veuve Clemence Brut Blanc de Blancs

All previous notes apply. Improved with air over the course of two+ hours.

Launois Pere et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Veuve Clemence Brut Blanc de Blancs

Same as all previous notes. An ok starter to the evening meal. Served in a flute (usually I prefer a BDX stem). A bit chalky and linear on the attack. A decent amount of bubbles drawing away from the…

Launois Pere et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Veuve Clemence Brut Blanc de Blancs

Same as my previous notes. This displays a nice steely-driven push of white stone fruit and some upper register light yellow citrus notes. Effervescence was strong but not distracting. Compared to…

René-Henri Coutier Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé

Slightly better than my last attempt with this Champagne, but not enough to compel me to ever come back to it once I finish with my small stash. This is super dry without having any noteworthy fruit…

René-Henri Coutier Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé

A beautiful hue of golden orange-pink, like a sunset in Morea...aaannd that's about as good as it gets....

Launois Pere et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Severine

Notes of stone fruit, olive oil, quinine, bruised apple, yeast, banana peel, kerosene, lacquer, and dry white wood. A somewhat clumsy attack, with the back end stifled by the wonky flavors stammering…

Launois Pere et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Veuve Clemence Brut Blanc de Blancs

Same as previous notes. Nice cut and bright acidity; a higher toned, whiter stone fruit profile. The bubbles persisted for hours. A fun and easy sipper for sure.

Launois Pere et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Brut Millésimé

Ripe green apple, buttery brioche, banana peel, bruised lemon, roasted cashew, mesquite honey, and some oyster shell. On the riper side of the spectrum; missing some of the vivaciousness of the…