Reviews

Julien Prélat Les Reines Brut Nature

A step up from Prelat's other offerings, Les Reines carries more interest due largely in part to the more statuesque Chardonnay varietal and the judicious wood treatment utilized here. It's a bit…

Leclerc Briant Champagne Premier Cru Le Clos des Trois Clochers Brut Zero

There are instantly captivating notes of lime pith, yuzu kosho, unripe honeydew melon, and lemon verbena that enliven the white melon rind, white travertine, and freshly squeezed lemon juice notes.…

Julien Prélat Champagne Extra Brut La Lemblee

Unripe pineapple rind, lemon, limestone, apricot, yellow pear skin, salt rock, and cardamom. The flavor-push is medium in intensity and complexity, with a bit of plainness infecting the overall…

Agrapart Champagne Grand Cru Vénus Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs

There is an instant richness here that is immediately appealing, though such accessibility is countered by its medium intensity and dialed-back acidic tension. The flavor profile signals a more…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

Ready to go as soon as the cork is popped. A very ripe showing, gushing with black and red raspberry, cassis, dark purple plum, chocolate, and some charcuterie. A richer and heavier version of MG,…

Adrien Dhondt Champagne Grand Cru Pisseraines Avize

Bosc and green pear, honeydew melon, white melon rind, lemon juice, green apple, wet white travertine and chalk, lime juice and zest, white marzipan, white pepper, and limestone. An array of flavors…

Julien Prélat Champagne Blanc de Gris Extra Brut Les Côtes

Crisp and clean, but also simple and sterile. With air it gains some depth, with yuzu and lemon flavors adding interest. Finishes a little coppery and hollow. Nice speed overall, but struggles to…

Julien Prélat Champagne Rosé Chantemerle Gourmandise Rosé

Fruity and simple. Red raspberry and watermelon executed in a relatively flat delivery. There is some tension, but the depth of flavor is not only superficial, but too sterile, struggling to find…

Pertois-Lebrun Champagne Grand Cru L'Egoiste

Yeasty, doughy, and frothy, the 2014 L'Egoiste is mostly bread and white fruit that ride high and apéritif-y for most of consumption. Some lemon juice, sea spray, and fondant show up with air, as…

Sine Qua Non Deux Grenouilles

This has aged nicely. My last go with this wine was back in 2018. Today, there are more pronounced toffee and hazelnut notes to compliment the grilled lemon, burnt orange, olive oil, lamp oil, and…

Pertois-Lebrun Champagne Grand Cru Le Fond Du Bateau N°15

Balled up and a little reductive at first, the N°15 presents its white melon rind, lemon meringue, white travertine, and yellow/white pear notes with an initial sternness and higher riding authority.…

Michel Fallon Champagne Brigitte Fallon Avysia Avize

2014 Millesime. Disgorged "02/11/2023" (which is likely November 2nd, but could be February 11th, depending on [among other things] if the sticker on the bottle was from France or in/for direct…

Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes

This bottle exhibited aged traits that signal a wine that ultimately seems to be past its prime. Air helped stretch its legs a bit, but it was fairly short-lived. Over the course of a few hours, it…

Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

Deep lemon and honey flavors, with touches of toffee and lamp oil. Fairly sherried in profile, with the oxidized notes becoming more pronounced on the finish, this still retains a decent amount of…

Michel Fallon Champagne Brigitte Fallon Avysia Avize

The below note is also posted in the NV section for this wine, but since this was a 2020 base and there is some confusion about determining these bottlings' base vintages, I thought I'd re-post the…

Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Cannubi

As others have mentioned, I recognize the rusticity here and also find the overall profile to be a little grainy, but I found the core fruit to be more than satisfying. There is some layering of…

Etienne Sauzet Bâtard-Montrachet

Linear and focused, and in typical Sauzet fashion, initially quasi-sanitized in its chiseled and clean delivery overall. The purity of fruit and acidity are off the charts awesome, which is where it…

Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select

Gently decanted for an hour in a small vessel. Plum, deep and dark red and black muddled cherry, leather, old cigar, torched orange rind, soil, and black currant.

Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut

Honeyed lemon and ginger, poached pear, marzipan, almond skin, and light toffee notes sound like a recipe for a buttery and battery delivery, but the flavors stay remarkably fresh and on-point…

Jacques Selosse Champagne Brut Rosé

Watermelon, orange spray, sea foam, lemon zest, funky unripe white/yellow raspberry, white travertine, melon rind, and chalk. This particular bottle presents as rather embryonic, with a linear front…

Michel Fallon Champagne Brigitte Fallon Avysia Avize

Though this is really just a baby, it is utterly seamless from stem to stern. Soft and round, and at once beautifully energetic and alive, this Fallon presents a perfect exhibition of breadth, poise,…

Adrien Dhondt Champagne Grand Cru Les Potées Le Mesnil-sur-Oger

Bunches of water-sprayed herbs lead the attack, with fresh tarragon, oregano, and mint, encasing the lemon, flint, chalk, yuzu, white melon rind, white/yellow pear, and limestone notes. The striking…

001 Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon Ecotone Vineyard

A quick Coravin pull of this wine on a whim doesn't disappoint. There is a sense of polish and refinement here that really brings it to the next level. It is medium bodied, which I usually hate…

Leclerc Briant Champagne Premier Cru Brut Zéro Les Monts Ferrés

Iodine, saline, perfectly ripe lemon and yellow pear, grilled citrus, limestone, and hints of honey, yuzu, and iron provide the foundation for an exquisitely balanced and complex array of flavors.…

Dhondt-Grellet Champagne Roc Solare

A great showing, and one that I might be underscoring a bit just because this has been pegged as a more entry level Champagne in Adrien's range. Stigmas aside, this is an extremely well crafted wine,…