Wine Berserkers - international wine social media, online community, and discussion

Merrill Lindquist wrote: ↑January 14th, 2021, 5:15 pm Blake - I have this in the fridge for tonight!

Perfect timing- enjoy.

NV BOLLINGER SPECIAL CUVEE BRUT- made of 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, 15% Meunier sourced from more than 300 crus, including 85% grands and premiers crus; 15% fermented in old oak barrels; this was had so much elegance and yet was rich and complex with nice acidity and fresh citrus notes all the ...

I'm not drinking it yet, but just won a bottle of 1996 de Venoge Champagne Louis d'Or at auction. There aren't any notes on CT so I was wondering if anyone's had this or is familiar with the wine. Since it was just disgorged in 2016, I'm wondering if I should hold on to it for awhile. Jordan, altho...

Throwing in my previous post on this especially since it also deals with revisiting later on: 2008 TAITTINGER COMTES de CHAMPAGNE BLANC de BLANC- the first amazing thing about this champagne is that I’ve had it in my cellar for over a week and not opened one up until now; the advanced hype has been ...

Last Saturday - Etienne Calsac l'Echappee Belle, I love the style of this Champagne Last bottle I had, I enjoyed day 1 but really loved day 2. Etienne is a rockstar! Give it a few more years and his wines will be impossible to find. Here's a full virtual masterclass with him during COVID lockdowns:...

LucyREdwards wrote: ↑January 10th, 2021, 11:42 pm The Sous Bois is a very elegant wine, so perhaps the bottle was not quite right.
I spoke to Antoine Roland-Billecart about it a couple of months ago. You can hear his thoughts on it here:

Love it- thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the note on an older bottling, Blake. I have a few bottles of a newer one and tried one, and although I really liked it, I thought it needed 3-5 years to calm down a bit. But I like my Champagnes to be nicely integrated and complex and a bit mellow. Thanks Marshall. Patience is a great v...

Blake, I have some of the '07 rosé. It's great, but never blows me away like a good vintage of the BdB. In fact, I've yet to been blown away by most tête de cuvée rose's, including those from Krug, Taittinger, Laurent Perrier, and others. I'm typically very happy with entry- or mid-level rosés as c...

2007 Taittinger Comtes BdB I like this much more than some of my WB friends. It's a great BdB, despite the vintage. Creamy lemon and apple, great cut. It was even better on the third night, so it should continue to evolve and improve. I think it's also drinking very well for the near term, and I'm ...

2007 Taittinger Comtes BdB I like this much more than some of my WB friends. It's a great BdB, despite the vintage. Creamy lemon and apple, great cut. It was even better on the third night, so it should continue to evolve and improve. I think it's also drinking very well for the near term, and I'm ...

NV LARMANDIER- BERNIER ROSE de SAIGNEE 1ER CRU- some research indicates this is 100% Pinot Noir from the 2014 vintage sourced from what is arguably the oldest Pinot Noir vineyard in Vertus; it is made from an extended maceration, naturally fermented, raised in Mombot concrete egg and partly in stain...

NV LARMANDIER- BERNIER ROSE de SAIGNEE 1ER CRU- some research indicates this is 100% Pinot Noir from the 2014 vintage sourced from what is arguably the oldest Pinot Noir vineyard in Vertus; it is made from an extended maceration, naturally fermented, raised in Mombot concrete egg and partly in stain...

I follow your thinking on this Michael and it seems to make sense although I have completely gone away from using flutes with a stash of probably 40 or more which I only save for that special occasion where tradition might rule out better choices for champagne {I've yet to have that occasion, but th...

Nice post for fond memories and yes, I still have 3, the Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne stems and never use them. The Burgundy stem may be the most beautiful glass of all. Thanks for the mention- I'll remember to break one out soon.

Love the post and happy you had such a great bottle as I've also enjoyed some really good stuff from them. Most recently, I had the: 1968 INGLENOOK CASK H-12 CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA- I purchased this earlier in the year from a friend who had acquired it soon after release so I knew the provenance wa...

Here's my strong rec: https://www.theperfect.glass/collection ... he-trinity

It's 3 glasses, one for red, white and champagne. They're fantastic, better than the Zalto`s IMHO.

John Morris wrote: ↑January 8th, 2021, 8:28 am Wes, as always, thanks for all the insights.

+1

CT makes it easy to check cellar consumption, but I do not record consumption outside of the cellar which is immense. According to CT, my cellar consumption was the highest in the last 6 years by 2 bottles. Overall personal consumption had to be much less with 2 tasting groups shut down for 10 month...

Not so concerned about labels. Corks, color and capsules yes. Any combo of both and it's a no go. As to pricing a bottle with a damaged label, I'm buying to drink and not looking for a discount.

Nice notes on wines of interest. Appreciate it.

Congrats. Here's another sneaky recommendation based upon your comments: 2006 Hourglass Cabernet Sauvignon- it so delicious, smooth and approachable now although it has the structure to go another 15-20 years before reaching its apogee. ~$150 on Wine Searcher.

Enjoy the celebration.

Took me 2 days and that's with a resolution to not buy so much in 2021.

I've experienced numerous "bottle variations" in young and old wines, still and sparkling. The obvious question is why? And the possible reasons are numerous including the wine itself, effects of winemaking and other producer related influences, to shipping exposures, to storage and to foo...

Email doesn't say. Last year they charged $150 for the GTS, so probably at least that much this year. They are also offering the NLS which I believe costs less. Hopefully, they do not throw us any curves. Can't hit a curve ball, Blake? [wow.gif] Me either!!! [cheers.gif] Actually saw him pitch a fe...

P_WythesJr wrote: ↑January 6th, 2021, 10:37 am
K Kl@dder wrote: ↑January 6th, 2021, 10:32 am Curious, how much per bottle?
Email doesn't say. Last year they charged $150 for the GTS, so probably at least that much this year. They are also offering the NLS which I believe costs less.

Hopefully, they do not throw us any curves.

Dennis Kanagie wrote: ↑May 4th, 2016, 12:45 pm I've seen the same thing at local stores, although not so rampant it's an epidemic deserving of a class action suit.

BevMo needs a vaccination for telling the truth clearly.

I think the significant difference in the Billecart Sous Bois bottling is that the wine is entirely vinified in oak. And thus, the wood veneer on the label. I was really excited to try that, but the one bottle I had was really disappointing. Not in an oaky way, but big bubbles, not precise, kind of...

Great sounding wine, Blake. One of the handful of Washington wineries that have been making consistently age-able wines. Glad yours showed so well. Thanks Brandon. As I just remarked to George, we had a really good bottle and if the others I have are anywhere as good, we're in for more grand experi...

NV BILLECART-SALMON BRUT SOUS BOIS- this bottle has a dark brown label as opposed to the burnt orange label of a bottle I had last year; there is no back label info, so I contacted the house to find out what the difference is and was informed they are very similar using the same blend of 1/3 Chardon...

Extracted from a thread just posted: NV BILLECART-SALMON BRUT SOUS BOIS- this bottle has a dark brown label as opposed to the burnt orange label of a bottle I had last year; there is no back label info, so I contacted the house to find out what the difference is and was informed they are very simila...

We recently attended a small dinner party and thoroughly enjoyed the fine company of our hosts and their other 2 guests as well as the exquisite cuisine prepared by our hosts. We also had some nice wines: NV BILLECART-SALMON BRUT SOUS BOIS- this bottle has a dark brown label as opposed to the burnt ...

Great sounding wine, Blake. One of the handful of Washington wineries that have been making consistently age-able wines. Glad yours showed so well. Thanks Brandon. As I just remarked to George, we had a really good bottle and if the others I have are anywhere as good, we're in for more grand experi...

Good to hear Blake. I drank a lot of Leonetti from the 1990's (and 1989) young, then my palate changed away from obvious oak; I have a couple and will see if the oak has eased up with age. George, I was really pleased to see the oak fully integrated and not dominate which made for a grand experienc...

It's good to have a proper champagne glass that allows for the aromas and flavors to rise and evolve. I long ago moved away from the flutes which are too confining and limit the maximum expression and experience IMHO. Can you recommend any glasses? Chris gave some good info in his reply to you. Obv...

Another wine that merits note sharing: 1995 LEONETTI CELLAR CABERNET SAUVIGNON COLUMBIA VALLEY- 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot; stood up 24 hours in advance of decanting for 1 hour prior to serving; the cork was fully in tact and only that part in contact with the wine was satu...

We also had the 2009 Dom on New Year's Eve and found it very enjoyable. The brioche was front and center, rather than a supporting character as you indicated. A very enjoyable bottle - had to force myself to leve my other bottles in the cellar. We also had the Ruinart Rose from half bottle. Huge re...

Extracted from a separate thread just posted: 2013 ROEDERER ESTATE L`ERIMITAGE BRUT- made from the estates best fruit, this is comprised of 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir with 4% barrel-aged reserve wine from the 2011 vintage; disgorged 6/19 at 8 gpl; ginger and toasty nuts provide nice accents t...

A small group of us enjoyed a joyous NYE celebration which actually took place in the early afternoon. The local traditional annual sunset celebration on Butterfly Beach was considered to be too crowded for COVID spacing so we created our own little tribute on another beach on a blue bird day with t...

Jeremy Holmes wrote: ↑January 2nd, 2021, 3:05 pm I've been lucky enough to have had the '96 Salon many times. I did experience some bottle variation early on but I reckon the last 6-8 bottles have all been stellar. This is one of the greatest young Champagnes I have had.

I like stellar. Happy that's been your experience Jeremy.

Here some stuff about the Plenitudes: Moet & Chandon rebranded their former Oenotheque in 2014 by calling each of the 3 stages of release Plenitude as in P1, P2 and P3. P1 refers to the first release about 8 years after harvest, P2 is about 15 years and P3 20-30 years. The P2 will spend 15 years...

I'm a complete novice with champagne and plan on opening this New Years day. Any suggestions on how long to open prior? Anything I should get for pairing? Any thoughts or tips, even what should be obvious is appreciated. I prefer a good chill which for me is in the mid to high 40s and occurs shortl...

Chilling a mag of 09` Cristal for later today. Happy New Year to you all. We enjoyed 8 champagnes/ sparkling wines in all with a thread forthcoming. As for the 09` Cristal, here's some notes: 2009 LOUIS ROEDERER CRISTAL BRUT in magnum- I’ve had many, probably too many, 750 ml bottles of this pubesc...

That's exactly my point. Classification should not be about what any one taster likes. There's no universe in which someone who is trying to judge quality puts Egly near the bottom, only someone who doesn't happen to like it. Of course we won't get a consensus, but I think when trying to do a class...

Just under 50% of all is new and old world Pinot Noir and about 25% is champagne. I'm extremely passionate about red Burgundy {and white Burgundy} and fine champagne from many of the top producers who perform well over the long haul in each.

Happy to hear this Alan as I have 2 bottles remaining and have been curious as to when I need to be thinking bout opening at least one. My experiences with the 96` Krug has been horrible and I do not trust the 3 remaining bottles I have are even viable as the last 4 have been oxidized beyond my appr...

I have a question for Blake and the other "Bubbleheads" in this thread. I'm making fried chicken tonight for NYE and would appreciate any advice on which of these 2 champagnes will pair better? NV Egly-Ouriet Champagne Grand Cru Brut Tradition 2007 Thienot Champagne Black Ball, Cuvee Stan...

Chilling a mag of 09` Cristal for later today. Happy New Year to you all.

I have a question for Blake and the other "Bubbleheads" in this thread. I'm making fried chicken tonight for NYE and would appreciate any advice on which of these 2 champagnes will pair better? NV Egly-Ouriet Champagne Grand Cru Brut Tradition 2007 Thienot Champagne Black Ball, Cuvee Stan...

We had a bottle of 2002 Krug for on Christmas Day which was tremendous. Not sure what bottle would follow it well though I was eyeing my 08 Bollinger GA. Love the 02` Krug, especially lately as it is showing beautifully. Actually, I think the 08` Bollie GA is a perfect follow up although if I had b...

Blake, At the rate you are going, there are not going to be any of these wines around for you or any of us to enjoy in a few years. [wow.gif] [cheers.gif] Brad, I've got a secret stash that I'm holding onto just for the occasion, assuming of course, I can just keep my hands off. [headbang.gif]

Search found 5963 matches