Reviews

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

Leclerc Briant Champagne Abyss

This is my second go with this wine since having it at the domaine back in July. Once the bubbles subsided (careful, they are pretty aggressive at first and ripped off the cork due to the cage…

Claude Cazals Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Clos Cazals

At home, this bottle performs much better than the silly service from the domaine back in July. This is currently best served cold, as it quickly flattens out as temperature rises in the glass. The…

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

Similar sentiments on this as back in July. Definitely a "grand" entrance type of showing, with broad flavors and a gushing mouthfeel, the warm vintage shows here, but is deftly controlled. Ripe…

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

A ripe red apple flesh flavor dominates the front end of the attack for the first half of consumption. The speed, weight, cadence, and texture are all in point, but that singular apple juice note…

Diebolt-Vallois Champagne Cuvée Prestige Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut

Similar to my previous experience at the Domaine in July. This is a fuller and rounder experience, with the 4 g/L dosage often presenting at the front of the yellow pear, lemon, and nougat flavors. A…

Dom Pérignon Champagne

Dude. This bottle killed it! I don't wanna love Dom, but the 2013 is a an exceptional next-level version of this Champagne. Ya, it's mass produced, whatever that means exactly in terms of actual…

Leclerc Briant Champagne Premier Cru Blanc de Meuniers Brut Zéro

A somewhat strict and mineral-driven showing at the onset, especially when compared to the more-gushing bottle I had back in July at Maison Leclerc Briant, which had indeed been open for a bit of…

Egly-Ouriet Champagne Grand Cru VP

This was supposed to be 2013 base (ordered as such) but it looks like this is 2014 base given the disgorgement is 07/2022.

Pertois-Lebrun Champagne Grand Cru Derrière le Mont Aigu N°13

Brought to Madcap restaurant in San Anselmo.

Domaine Nowack Champagne La Tuilerie Extra Brut

Though it initially presents as a little brassy, the Tuilerie starts out with a nice push of red apple flesh, grilled lemon, pineapple rind, wet granite, and bruised yellow pear notes on the front…

Bérêche et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Cramant

This initially sachets in with a veil of funk that dances over the fruit expression for the first 10-15 minutes, but then it comes into form rather quickly, offering succulent lemon and mandarin…

Le Brun-Servenay Champagne Exhilarante Vieilles Vignes

Lemon and dough intermingle with an affable but fairly predictable execution of flavor, one that is a bit cheapened by the round and yeasty finish carrying a percolation of confection on the tail.…

Vouette et Sorbée Champagne Blanc d'Argile Brut Nature

So, I started off calling this an off bottle. Stern and clipped. Offered very little/no fruit. No mid-palate expansion or density. Finish was sharp and angular, with a sterile, almost anesthetic…

Doyard Champagne Premier Cru Extra Brut Clos de l'Abbaye

Linear, sterile, barely giving way to any fruit expansion, and slightly vegetal. Air did very little to offer relief from the strait-laced profile. Clipped finish. Drinkable, but not enjoyable. This…

Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Le Parc

Once this gets air and has a chance to stretch it legs for a bit (30-45 minutes), it shows beautiful yellow and green pear, lime pith, lemon bars (not sweet), wet travertine, honeydew rind, and hints…

Leclerc Briant Champagne Grand Cru Chateau D'Avize Blanc De Blancs Extra Brut

This tasting note below was also posted on the Brut Zero wine in Cellar Tracker, though this was a 5g/L dosage and disgorged in 2019 (as opposed to the Brut Zero's 2g/L and disgorged in 2022). I just…

Diebolt-Vallois Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Millésimé

This really is a nice Champagne. The QPR makes it extremely appealing. Similar to my experience six months ago at the domaine. Lemon and chalk dominate, with a nice medium density that lingers on the…