Reviews

Bérêche et Fils Champagne Premier Cru Les Beaux Regards

I still think this is a solid Champagne. I'm liking Bereche's BdBs more than their BdNs these days (though Cran is usually very compelling). In fact, I have often favored their 1er Cru over their GC…

J-M Seleque Champagne Premier Cru Soliste Chardonnay Pierry Les Tartières et Les Porgeons

Chardonnay with bubbles. It works with caviar and chips. Not sure it works by itself enough to hold attention for more than a minute or so. Lemon and effervescence. If your conversation in good…

Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne VV/R22

Rich and ripe, with even a bit of sweetness on the back end. Flavors of mirabelle plum, kirsch, white cherry, fig, red apple flesh, smoke, and ginger present as full and enveloping. A gastronomic…

Dhondt-Grellet Champagne Grand Cru Extra Brut Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Cramant

This bottle was a lemon hound tonight. Riper and more succulent than expected. Lemon curd and. lemon. Lacked some of the electricity of previous bottles. Stemware was pretty weak, so that may have…

David Leclapart Champagne Premier Cru L'Artiste Blanc de Blancs Pas Dosé Trépail

Honeydew, yellow pear, quince, citron zest, lemon and lime pith, white melon rind, lemon curd, creme fraiche, and white stone flavors. More inviting with increasing depth as time goes on. Extremely…

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

At Tiya, SF

Pertois-Lebrun Champagne Grand Cru Les Chétillons N°15

Oxidative and a bit superficial, lacking a sense of depth and layering. Golden raisin, grilled lemon, limestone, and poached pear. Finishes a bit brassy. A far cry from the more compelling Bateau and…

Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Les Crayères

This bottle was strict and bitter upon opening. With air, it opened up and offered some funky pear and gravel notes. Finished a little wooly.

Dhondt-Grellet Champagne Grand Cru Extra Brut Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Cramant

Blind.

Jérôme Prévost Champagne La Closerie Extra Brut Les Beguines

Blind.

Leclerc Briant Champagne Premier Cru Brut Zéro Les Monts Ferrés

Blind.

Ultramarine Blanc de Blancs Heintz Vineyard Sonoma Coast

Blind.

Leclerc Briant Champagne Abyss

Blind.

Champagne Suenen Champagne Grand Cru "Les Robarts" Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Millésime

Well, this bottle was all sorts of awesome. Yellow pear, olive oil, limestone, yuzu, grilled lemon and orange, almond skin, and ripe yellow apple. In a solid drinking window with just a little bit of…

Adrien Dhondt Champagne Grand Cru Blaise Oger

Another success from Adrien Dhondt's namesake label, the Blaise Oger sports a beautiful core of yellow, green, and white fruit and mineral elements that make for an excitingly fresh and full profile.…

Bérêche et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Mailly

Somewhat surprisingly, this is my least favorite vintage of Mailly. I thought the 2013 and 2016 were especially good, with the 2017 trailing a distant third. The 2017 actually tops this 2018, at…

Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Grand Cru Les Chemins d'Avize

As before, golden apple, poached pear, a drip of olive oil, limestone, and some spice roll on to the palate; this becomes richer with air and temperature, but holds a delicate mousse that keeps…

Philippe Lancelot Champagne Grand Cru Le Fond Du Bateau Chouilly

Less of a stellar showing from this bottle. It needed an hour or so before it stopped being a one-note white fruit catawampus sourpuss. Even with air and time, it was fairly disjointed and never…

Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Les Beurys

Another funky bottle with a bitter finish. Annoying.

Dom Pérignon Champagne

Dough, yeast, lemon juice, and white fruit. The dosage is evident but not distracting (compared to 2012 for example). Some decent tension, but not as electric as 2013. 2015 is essentially a hybrid of…

Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut

Green and yellow pear, green and yellow apple, lemon and lemon pith, honeydew, margarita, wet white rock, and quince. Subtle yeast, just enough to create body and nuance. With air, the fruit balances…

Rémi Leroy Champagne Blanc de Quatre Cépages Mer sur Mont

One word: ANG-U-LAR.

Déhu Père & Fils Champagne Cuvée De L'Orme

This has quite the bite to it, with a prickly entry that starts and finishes with a bitter barb. The tip of the needle dulls with air and time in the glass, but it never fully backs off from being a…

Dhondt-Grellet Champagne Grand Cru Extra Brut Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Cramant

Wonderfully balanced, with Meyer lemon, lemon curd, honeydew, yellow pear, and wet white travertine notes hitting the palate with an instantly appealing sense of equilibrium. With air, its deepens,…

David Leclapart Champagne Premier Cru L'Apôtre Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut

Brought to the Caviar Co., Tiburon. This was the freshest of the three bottles I've had, with all the hallmarks of a more aged grower wine (sherry, oxidized notes, grilled orange, poached pear,…