Reviews

Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Blanc de Blancs Heurtebise

Astringent, bitter (especially on the finish), bent out of shape, angular, lacking any fruit, and generally angry as all getup for the first hour of consumption. I would have called this flawed if I…

Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Hors Serie

Well this is a pleasant little sipper. Unique with its array of flavors, leading with spicy pear, red apple flesh, orange rind, lime, river rocks (more limestone than chalk), citrus pith, melon rind,…

Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Chemin de Reims

I'm liking this a bit more than the 2018, which was rounder and more medium-bodied by comparison. This 2019 carries notable energy and lift, as well as an extra gear that is missing in the 2018. The…

Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Grand Cru Les Chemins d'Avize

Solid stuff. In a great window right now. Golden apple (without being too apple or cider-dominant, which can be hugely distracting), grilled lemon, quince, limestone, yellow poached pear, almond, and…

Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill

Consistent with previous notes/experiences. Stays pretty bristly and chiseled throughout consumption. Spritely now. Will deepen and become more complex over time. Hold for a number of years and be…

Bellavista Franciacorta Riserva Vittorio Moretti

Nectarine spray and mandarin orange pith notes push ahead of the lemon, lime, kumquat, travertine, and nougat flavors to form a unique and spritely profile. At first, the elements don't jive…

Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Chemin de Reims

Whoa.! A strong nose of Bananas Foster and vanilla signals an oak influence that is initially more than a bit worrisome. Is this going to be a sweet bourbon-tini of a Champagne?! Wildly (and…

Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Blanc de Blancs Heurtebise

Excellent precision and drive marks the front end of the attack here, with bright and fresh lemon juice, chalk, sea spray, limestone, yellow and green pear skin, and hints of lime zest making for a…

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

Now this is what I'm talking about. A beautiful BdB that delivers on all fronts. This maintains impeccable balance all the while delivering perfectly cadenced expansion with an array of energetic…

Savart Champagne Premier Cru Le Mont des Chrétiens

Medium bodied all the way around, with an oxidative vein that runs through the otherwise spritely lemon and yellow stone fruit flavors. It's a little straightforward at first and fires off at about…

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

Hey now, this is some pretty rock star stuff right here. For the most part, I've admittedly been dismissing the 2017 vintage as a whole in Champagne, but in the right hands, this and a few other…

Ca' del Bosco Franciacorta Cuvée Annamaria Clementi

Similar to my notes on the 2015, this 2014 has all the lemon, marzipan, white bread, and white stone fruit you'd want from a Franciacorta bubbly. There is a nice density here that pauses in the…

David Leclapart Champagne Premier Cru Cuvée L'Aphrodisiaque

On first pop, this is a powerful and almost brutish showing, with an angularity and pushy posture that makes that extra 1% of alcohol (listed at 13.5%) seem like a shot of Wild Turkey. Fear not…

Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Les Crayères

A 100% Chardonnay version of the historically Pinot Noir Crayeres from Marguet is a solid Blanc de Blanc that pushes lime juice and zest, lemon, wet limestone, and white flowers forward in a…

Raumland Chardonnay Reserve Brut

Unfortunately I can't necessarily echo the high praise here. It is a decent glass of bubbles, I suppose if you don't dissect it too much, but the finish falls fast and the overall execution is…

Ferrari Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore

Nowhere near ready for prime time. Coiled up and linear. Finishes bitter. The drive and structure are great, like a well built Cab, but the fruit is MIA. It's all stuffing and no expansion. The 2002,…

Ca' del Bosco Franciacorta Cuvée Annamaria Clementi

Marzipan, almond paste, crème fraiche, and hints of fresh dough provide a silky textural robe to the core lemon, travertine, white melon, quince, white peach, and sea salt notes. The attack is smooth…

Westborn Brut

Westborn inaugural launch party, Brasswood, St. Helena. Three wines featured:

Westborn Perpetual Reserve 01

Westborn inaugural launch party, Brasswood, St. Helena. Three wines featured:

Philippe Lancelot Champagne Grand Cru Cramant

Lemon, quince, and chalk drive the attack, with a medium-bodied delivery of balanced fruit-to-white rock. The finish lacks a little persistence, but it rounds-out nicely nonetheless. Pure, clean, and…

Philippe Lancelot Champagne Grand Cru Le Fond Du Bateau Chouilly

This presents as a beautiful and delineated Champagne, with baskets of white flowers and fresh herbs swirling around the brisk yellow citrus, lemon pith, sea spray, and salt flake notes. White rock…

Le Gallais Champagne Cuvée des Cèdres Brut Nature

Linear and simple, but a fresh and clean entry that is well balanced and delineated in its lemon, white fruit, apple pulp, and white stone flavors. Not so sterile that it's instantly forgettable, but…

Bérêche et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Mailly

Pours a beautiful golden hue, with the slightest salmon tinge around the edges. Bubbles are especially delicate and fine, almost fragile in their appearance.

Crété Chamberlin Champagne Grand Cru CDB Blanc de Blancs

There is a compelling key lime pie (crust and filling) note here that does everything right to make this more than just another BdB. It's a little funky in flavor but also distinctly dialed in and…

Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Brut Millésimé

Smells like the Pillsbury Doughboy got caught in a powdered sugar snow storm and was buried under a mound of maple confection. On the palate, the delivery is unsurprisingly sweet and slightly…