Reviews

Leclerc Briant Champagne Grand Cru Grand Blanc Brut Zéro Blanc de Blancs

Starts out a little sour and Hefeweizen-esque at first pass. With air, it balances out and shows deeper lemon, honeyed pear, lemon curd, orange zest, quince, yeast, and hints of funky apricot. Like…

Dom Pérignon Champagne P2

Green pear and apple notes dominate, with a high pitched margarita/prickly pear, unripe kiwi, and limestone thing going on that is super electric. A thin veil of yeast on the back end is swiftly…

Dom Pérignon Champagne

Doughy, yeasty, bready, dosage-y, and confection.-y.

Dhondt-Grellet Champagne Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Les Nogers

At Single Thread*** Restaurant, Healdsburg, CA

Pertois-Lebrun Champagne Grand Cru L'extravertie

Fine and all, but not especially memorable. A lot of white fruit and fizz. Some higher toned yellow citrus and while melon come to the party, but it stays pretty foursquare throughout consumption.…

Bérêche et Fils Champagne Premier Cru Les Beaux Regards

Just as fresh and balanced as the bottle I had at the domaine last year, with perhaps a touch more depth and expansion here, the 2020 is a solid performer and one of my go-to wines in the Bereche…

Jacques Selosse Initial

Oxidative but exceptionally lively with notable lift, these fresher versions of Selosse with more recent disgorgement dates are certainly compelling. Any seeming divide between the Initial and the…

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

The sherry and oxidative elements are even stronger with this bottle. Yet, despite carrying a heavier and more aged profile, it holds up nicely with a frame that keeps it from collapsing. Like an…

Leclerc Briant Champagne Premier Cru Brut Zéro Les Monts Ferrés

A beautiful showing again, with iron, chalk, sea salt, and mineral elements jumpy-housing it out with olive oil, grilled lemon, white lemon rind, ginger, and white pear notes. I'm loving that iron…

Krug Champagne Vintage Brut

This begins to hit a stride after a couple hours of air. After a vigorous start out the gate, there is a nice mid-palate pause on the final sips that peacock beautiful green and yellow pear,…

Leclerc Briant Champagne Abyss

I've reviewed the 2018 Abyss a couple of times now and though I'm not convinced the underwater thing is really a thing, I am fortunately able (I think) to separate myself from whatever mechanisms…

Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Les Beurys

These Marguet wines are a trip, bouncing around in their flavor profiles on initial opening and taking a decent amount of time to settle into themselves. I'm torn, because the final sips of this…

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

Lemony lemonness with a side order of lemons. Succulent and even a bit chewy, but with a beautiful bead of acidity and white elements (melon rind, chalk, white pear) to keep it honest. Previous notes…

Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Le Parc

This bottle was sharper and more angular than the one I had back in December. Man I really hope we aren't gonna go through the same inconsistent nonsense we went through with the 2018s. Come on…

Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Hors Serie

One thing I can say with a high degree of certainty is that these Hors Serie wines from Chartogne-Taillet are built for the long haul and are generally spun up, locked up, balled up, torqued up, and…

Bérêche et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Mailly

This bottle was solid and sound. Poached pear, grilled lemon, limestone, Mirabelle plum, orange rind, red apple flesh, and olive oil notes work in unison with more lifted elements of chalk, white…

Pertois-Lebrun Champagne Grand Cru L'ambitieuse

Fresh and straightforward in execution, with the perpetual reserve rescuing it from becoming too foursquare. Deeper lemon, red apple flesh, honeyed pear, almond, and melon notes accompany the…

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

Poached pear, grilled lemon, sherry, brown butter, limestone, river rocks, almond skin, salt rock, prickly yellow and green pear, and baking spices (cardamom and coriander). The front end pushes a…

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…

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…

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…