Reviews

Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Noirs Cote de Bechalin

As before, I really find this wine to be a beguiling example of Pinot Noir Champagne. Focused and deliberate while also complex and just a tad funky (as is Cedric's signature), with saline meets…

Laherte Frères Champagne Extra Brut Les Vignes d'Autrefois

Though it hasn't been able to catch up to the phenomenal 2012 version, this 2013 offers a nice drive of yellow citrus and black cherry flavors, along with the typical rustic PM tinge of bark and…

Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut Vintage

Quince, chalk, lemon pith, steel, panko, and some pumice. Fairly linear and straightforward on the attack. Never fully dropped on the mid-palate, riding superficial through the finish. Medium weight…

Ulysse Collin Champagne Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut Les Maillons

2013 base. February 15, 2017 disgorgement.

Ulysse Collin Champagne Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Les Pierrières

Certainly showing even more of its BdB yellow citrus profile than a year ago, this bottle displayed upper register lemon zest, lemon oil, yellow pear, white quartz, chalk, and acacia. Refreshing…

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

In reference to my previous note from a year ago on this wine, I can certainly tell ya'll that decanting this Champagne does absolute wonders in enabling it to fan-out its full flavor profile and…

Emmanuel Brochet Champagne Premier Cru Extra Brut Le Mont Benoit

Same notes as 1/17/19. Best served in large BDX stemware. A wine with some heft, but also bright lift. Finishes seriously focused. Chiseled without ever being sharp. Amazingly complex. 94-95+ points.…

Laherte Frères Champagne Extra Brut Les Vignes d'Autrefois

Previous notes apply. A great combo of seriousness and fun flavor. A nicely structured body and a sophisticated, chiseled delivery. I LOVE the uniqueness and complexities associated with the Pinot…

Gosset Champagne Célebris

Previous notes apply. Bright lemon and yellow citrus, white peach, stone fruit, and some pear. Add flecks of flinty minerality and some brioche to the profile, and you have yourself a fun and…

Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 165eme

Bruised lemon, yeast, butterscotch, plantain, and graphite. Oxidative and a bit dry on the finish. An enjoyable sipper no doubt, but lacking some of the complexities I'd ultimately be looking for in…

Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Special Club

I still continue to enjoy this Champagne. A nice balance between saline and brioche, with yellow citrus and pear flavors carrying the weight of the core. Medium bodied, but with a cut that keeps…

Pierre Morlet Champagne Premier Cru Grand Reserve

Bruised lemon, lamp oil, marzipan, brioche crust, red apple pulp, white stone, and some faint plantain. A riper (darker bronze color/flavors) and rounder style, with an agreeable delivery and…

Ultramarine Blanc de Noirs Heintz Vineyard Sonoma Coast

It has been over a year since I last had this wine. Much less funky and yeasty than I remember (thankfully), with the sea foam and saline notes orchestrating much more seamlessly with the rock and…

Laherte Frères Champagne Extra Brut Les Vignes d'Autrefois

I continue to love the keen delivery on this wine. The apple skin and quince notes interplay well with the limestone minerality and saline components. A bit linear on the front end of the attack, but…

Emmanuel Brochet Champagne Premier Cru Extra Brut Le Mont Benoit

20% 2011. 80% 2012. 11 months sur lies. Bottled unfined and unsulfured.

Gardet Champagne Tradition Brut Chigny-lès-Roses

PnP was akin to my previous notes a few months ago. Pithy and biting at first. The effervescence was a bit aggressive and steely/alkaline tasting. Some white stone and yellow fruit emerged, but in a…

Diebolt-Vallois Champagne Skipstone Rose de Constance

Nicely balanced, with slightly oxidative notes of grilled lemon, almond, fresh ginger, bruised apple, and pumice. Medium in its delivery, with a nice ratio of froth-to-flavor on the front attack.…

J Vineyards & Winery Cuvée XB

Crisp and dry, with quince and lemon juice dominating. Displaying a bit of a reductive quality on the tail end, but not heavily oxidative the way a Krug or aged Champagne can be. Overall light and…

Domaine Chandon Brut

Flat on flavor and complexity. Bubbles and alkaline laced yellow-ish citrus core. No real identifiable flavors beyond "white wine with effervescence." Lame.

Jacques Selosse Initial

Disgorged 7/23/15. Light-to-medium oxidation, with some fried plantain and butterscotch notes darting through the ripe yellow citrus and pear skin core. Bruised lemon peel, toasted almond, and faint…

Salmon Champagne Special Club

Previous notes apply. Still in that 92-93 point range. Holding for a few years makes the most sense, but I can never keep anything for that long... so impatient I am...!

Domaine Huet Vouvray Brut Réserve

Good verve, with a dry and acidic frame that provides a zippy attack of apple skin and yellow citrus. Some saline here, heightened by the seafood dishes served with it. This has an agreeable…

Jean Aubry & Fils Champagne Premier Cru Brut

Dry and a little pithy, with a somewhat tart finish. Some nice yellow and white fruit flavors, but operating on a more superficial plane. An ok sparkler with an average delivery overall. Much…

Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Noirs Cote de Bechalin

A very intriguing effort, with invigorating notes of chalk and mineral inflected yellow citrus, raspberry water, and melon (grapefruit, honeydew rind), bruised lemon peel, sea foam/saline, and…

Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Réserve

A very nice, easy-going Champagne, with lemon and quince notes dominating. Some decent mousse/crema, with a bit of brioche and vanilla on the tail end. Softer edges, which makes for really easy…