Reviews

Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier d'Or

More vanilla and dough-driven, which pushed the yellow citrus and white stone fruit to the rear. The 7g/L dosage came off a touch more than I'd personally prefer, especially rounding off the finish.…

Nicolas Maillart Champagne Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Les Chaillots Gillis

Disgorged 02/2020. 100% Chardonnay. 0g/L dosage. From two old vine parcels planted in 1963.

Nicolas Maillart Champagne Premier Cru Franc de Pied Les Coupés

Disgorged 04/2018. 100% Pinot Noir. 0g/L dosage. From 1er Cru vines planted in 1973.

Famille Moussé Champagne Terre d'Illite

95% Meunier / 5% Pinot Noir. Disgorged July 31, 2019. 2g/L. 12%ABV.

Nicolas Maillart Champagne Premier Cru Platine

A medium-full and fairly fruity front end gives way to a round and inviting mid-palate; tails-off in a somewhat nutty-meets-earthy profile that encompasses the core fruit flavors. Yellow plum, red…

Jerome Blin Champagne La Pouillote Extra Brut

2015 base; disgorged 2019 with 40 months on the lees. 80/20 Pinot Meunier/Chardonnay.

Famille Moussé Champagne L'Extra Or Perpetuelle Blanc de Noirs Dégorgment Tardif

Mirabelle plum, dried apricot, black cherry/kirschwasser, red apple, echinacea, bruised lemon rind, brioche crust, and roasted hazelnut flavors stylishly surrender themselves on the front end of the…

André Heucq Champagne Hommage Parcellaire les Roches

So this Champagne is SERIOUS business. If ever there was a wine crafted for the uber-geek of wine geeks, this one gets the magna cum laude distinction in oenophile nerddum arithmetic. Hyper-vigilant…

Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Noirs Côte de Val Vilaine

Same as previous notes. Drinking fantastic now. V2015/disgorged2017. My favorite vintage of Val Vilaine thus far. Beautifully balanced delivery of tension and flavorful fruit. No decant this time.

Jerome Blin Champagne Les Caillasses Brut Millésime

Lemony citrus, brûlée, and brioche notes interplay with some more serious wet rock and kirsch flavors, with the brighter and richer yellow fruits predominantly prevailing on the palate (nice…

Laherte Frères Champagne Extra Brut Les Vignes d'Autrefois

This continues to develop nicely since last year. More body and depth, with a good delivery of flavor and expansion on the palate. Starting into a good window now. Previous notes apply otherwise.

Marc Hébrart Champagne Premier Cru Special Club

Better depth than a couple of years ago, but still a little aggressive on the effervescence. Needed some time in a BDX glass to open up a bit and fan off the bubbles. The fruit is solid and shows…

Pierre Gerbais Champagne L'Originale

I suppose I'll continue to be in somewhat of the minority here in my appreciation for this wine. A giving and texturally beautiful core of yellow citrus and subtle tropical fruit is surrounded by…

Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Les Barres

Bruised lemon rind, ginger, red apple flesh, dough/yeast, olive oil, yellow pear skin, almond paste, oyster shell, dried apricot, over-ripe grapefruit, and some white travertine/chalk rock.…

Pierre Paillard Champagne Grand Cru Extra Brut Les Parcelles

Red apple flesh, golden raisin, quince, brassy yellow citrus, pluot, bark, and almond. Gorgeously weighted, with a cadence of delivery that allows for a mouthwatering flavor expansion. Finishes with…

Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Grand Cru Vieille Vigne du Levant Extra Brut

Dried apricot, grilled lemon, red apple skin, brioche crust, wet travertine, copper, and olive oil. A more academic and direct execution of flavor, with a slightly angular finish that still manages…

Ployez-Jacquemart Champagne Extra Brut Passion

Super angular and biting. Nails on the chalkboard kind of delivery. No real detectable fruit that's able to show its head without getting lopped off by the steely sword swipe across the palate. Rough…

Laurent-Perrier Champagne Brut Millésimé

Sharp and linear. White lemon rind, green apple skin, chalk, and gravel dominate. Overly lithe mid-palate, with effervescence and mineral elements competing with the white, pithy "fruit." Jagged on…

Larmandier-Bernier Longitude

Similar to last year's notes. Agreeable and all, if but a bit simple and predictable in its execution. I much prefer the VV du Levant for its slightly broader shoulders and more energetic complexity.

Paul Dethune Champagne Grand Cru Brut

Yellow and red apple skin, travertine, ginger, Wonder Bread crust, grapefruit, and subtle copper notes.

Jerome Blin Champagne Cuvée Apogée Extra Brut

More fleshy and enveloping than many other Pur Meunier in its class. Perfectly balanced, with a rolling push of grilled lemon rind, quince, white cherry water, limestone, and slight bark. Finishes…

Christophe Mignon Champagne Extra Brut

A straightforward display of brassy lemon and black cherry water flavors. Satisfying in some respects, but a little more on the serious side... almost to the point of being too much of a…

Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier Brut

Disgorged 10-2017. 70% Chard, 30% PN. Balanced and agreeable, with yellow citrus, white melon, yellow pear, ripe yellow apple, and some white stone notes. Medium all the way around, with a…

Laherte Frères Champagne Extra Brut Les Vignes d'Autrefois

Less prickly than when I had it last summer. Brassy yellow citrus, red apple flesh and skin, black cherry water, marzipan, limestone, and bark flavors deliver a focused attack that relaxes over time…

Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Noirs Côte de Val Vilaine

Red apple flesh, grilled lemon rind, quince, marzipan, almond skin, and olive oil. Chiseled and focused, with a little less savory elements in its current state than its younger 2015 sibling. Hold…