Our monthly tasting group, circa 1988, held its 15th annual Valentine celebration event in the perfect ambience of the Santa Barbara Winery candle lit barrel room.
Bruce McGuire, the head winemaker for many decades, so graciously and adeptly staged the venue in advance and about 50 fortunate people enjoyed fine champagne, appetizers and good conversation throughout.
Our tasting group deviates from the normal blind tasting format for this night with wives, SOs, friends and friends of friends welcomed to share the love.
We enjoyed over 30 bottles of bubbly and my notes reflect 20 of those I tasted while schmoozing with many wonderful friends and their guests:
2002 LAUNOIS BLANC de BLANC SPECIAL CLUB- oxidized notes of caramel, butterscotch and nutty light sherry.
2005 LAUNOIS BLANC de BLANC SPECIAL CLUB- this house style lends itself to being mistaken for a wine that is maderized early on, but in this case and unlike the 02, its more of the ripe and concentrated fruit that prevails which includes notes of stone fruit and honeysuckle served up in a heavier texture; it makes a pretty bold statement and lingers on for a long satisfying finish.
2008 LAUNOIS BLANC de BLANC SPECIAL CLUB- as we move to the younger expression of this bubbly, it becomes more of what I expected from the past 2 vintages with better balance, nice acidity, more citrus and less stone fruit notes, lots of depth and complexity all being delivered in a creamy texture and with much more finesse.
1993 VEUVE CLICQUOT LA GRANDE DAME BRUT- this drank really well for a vintage that is often maligned; in fact, it showed beautifully with splendid acidity and nice lemon lime flavors; it`s crisp, clean and so refreshing; this is a surprisingly good LGD; 2 weeks ago, the last bottle I had was oxidized, so this one was even more of a treat and definitely made up for the flawed version.
1996 VEUVE CLICQUOT LA GRANDE DAME BRUT- this is a fabulous bubbly and really in a good place now with more longevity promised; its finally reached a perfect state of balance and evolution; theres a plethora of citrus and floral notes, some saline and lots of bubbles to satisfy the revisit for the aromatics before each sip; Ive had many 96 LGDs and even though Ive liked the 95 version much more from its release forward, this bottle hits the upside of the potential I had hoped for in past samplings.
NV PERRIER JOUET BLASON BRUT ROSE- this would have benefitted from having more of a chill, but it was still evident that the fruit profile was pleasing with nice strawberry and raspberry flavors to compliment the lightly salted toasted brioche.
2008 LOUIS ROEDERER BRUT ROSE- this bottle offered some mild spicy red fruit flavors in a light to medium body; I kept wanting more, but had to settle for what it gave which just does make it to a point of pleasure; perhaps more time is requited for this to shed its gifts.
2002 JEAN MILAN CUVEE TERRES de NOEL BLANC de BLANC- this comes from a source Ive had little experience with in the past; its got the requisite high acidity factor along with some complexity; its very rich and filling and has a seriousness to it; theres some saline that prevails by about mid palate; this is a different animal all unto itself and requires a change of pace attitude for one entering into its essence.
2002 PIERRE GIMONNET SPECIAL CLUB BRUT- this had a mousse that was so expressive; there`s some brioche, stone fruit laden flavors and bracing acidity that make this so fulfilling; it comes on as already mature and evolved and hits all of the senses full on; this is on the serious side.
2006 J. LASSALLE BLANC de BLANC BRUT- this showed very well offering lots of good floral and fruity notes with complexity and length to please throughout.
NV MOUTARD BURT ROSE- although the label did not state it, I`m inclined to think this was made in the saignee method; the color was an atypical dark red and the fruit was more on the red cherry/ berry side with a sweetness that just stopped short of dominating; it is seriously complex and falls in the category of a more masculine type wine.
1996 A.R. LENOBLE BLANC de BLANC BRUT- another great bring and one that I`ve enjoyed a few times previously; this has moved into a good place and if it stays put, it should be just fine for another 10+ years; it has an abundance of citrus with lemon zest dominating in a good way; this is medium to full bodied, has good length and is on the bigger side of things bubbly.
2000 HENRI GOUTORBE BRUT SPECIAL CLUB- Ive been a big fan of this house and the owners since staying in their hotel in AY [Hotel Castel Jeanson]; the winery is located a few doors away and we frequented it throughout a 10 day stay highlighted by a lunch with German wine and food writers for which the charming French only speaking Henri pulled out some stellar library selections including a few bottles of Pinot Noir he made in the 80s and 90s which were delightful; this particular bubbly shines on with a large dose of concentrated fruit, a medium to full body and a multitude of flavors tantalizing the palate from the nose to the tail; its big, complex and structured for the long run.
NV R.H. COUTIER BRUT- this is the antithesis of the Goutorbe; it is mild and pleasant and elegant and reserved, but not to a fault; it offers an overall pleasing experience and stimulates the senses in a soft and easy positive way.
NV PIERRE PETERS CUVEE de RESERVE BLANC de BLANC- in a 1.5L bottle, this was a real treat and was opened and served at the perfect time when many palates were getting saturated with a multitude of sparklers and this sort of renewed and prepared our palates for more to come; I love what this producer [Rudolphe Peters] has done across the board and this bubbly is one of the stars; with lovely acidity, it has full on lemon lime notes accentuated by a touch of spice; it`s righteously balanced and holds on for a long, refreshing finish.
2008 VEUVE FOURNY VERTUS BLANC de BLANC- this was sharp, crisp and very refreshing; it has a lot of nice acidity and is highlighted by the nice fresh saline infused fruit; it`s got a lot of sassiness and gets right on with the treasures it has to give in the beginning.
2006 MOET CHANDON GRAND VINTAGE BRUT- I liked this a lot; its balanced, layered, long and satisfying in all ways; theres bright acidity, primarily apple and citrus notes along with a touch of spice; it all comes together by mid palate and finishes strong.
2004 PERTOIS MORISET BLANC de BLANC BRUT- the strawberry fruitiness is only fleeting as it comes on weakly and dissipates rather quickly; it seemed to be pretty tight and closed down and never did open up in the short time I gave it.
1996 HENRIOT BRUT MILLESIME- this is a great bring and one that Ive enjoyed in the past especially for its bright acidity and serious lemon and lime zest notes; theres a lot of depth and finesse going on at the same time and it`s fun to observe how it dances along and reaches different stages throughout the sampling.
2005 ROEDERER CRISTAL- this hits the WOW factor head on; its beautifully balanced and has such a pleasing aromatic and taste satisfaction; theres layers and layers of essences that keep unfolding and it comes off as a royal treat as well it should; I`ve enjoyed many of this youngster and trust it will be so much more in decades down the road if I can just stay away and let it mature.
2002 TAITTINGER COMTES de CHAMPAGNE- this was simply outstanding; it had all of the trademarks of this super bubbly with its requisite mild toasty dough, spicy citrus served up in a creamy texture with layers of depth and such a refreshing crispness; this bottle was as good as any Ive had from 02 CDCs and all have been excellent; the bright acidity insures longevity in providing pleasure for a long life span; for me, this house style and their consistency in crafting such a top notch winner every time out of the gate is equaled by only a few who head up the Champagne aficionado. Salon, Dom and Krug are in this class as well.
All in all, this event on this night was as good as any we`ve had which is a tribute to the people who attended, the food and champagne they brought and the energy of the group mass. A lot of love and passion for all things good in life were shared and many were seen with larger smiles on their faces when departing. Mine was still present when I woke up the next morning.
Cheers,
Blake
