Mine are resting @ 53° and 85%. So who’s going to take one for the team?
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I nominate Marcus.
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I went for it. It was my son’s 14th birthday, so figured why not. We went with the Durant given Marcus’ recommendation. Gave it two hours in the refrigerator, before pnp. First impression, tiny bubbles and a golden cream color. Marcus’ comment about funk was spot on. First sip flavors are a little bit muted, about 30 minutes in they are roaring. Prominent flavor profile was of almond, but what struck me is that this is a wine of place. Dense, earthy, organic type of tones. I don’t have a lot of familiarity with Durant, but if this is the flavor profile, sign me up. I know Marcus recommends giving all of these until July 4, for me, I’m thinking more towards Labor Day or Columbus Day. Not to give it extra time, but that’s the type of sparkling it is. More fall weather, trees starting to turn and a crisp in the air. It’s a bit denser, thicker, and flavorful than some other sparklings we like to drink. This screams thought-provoking, sip and ponder vs. guzzle and celebrate. This is a serious sparkling. Well done @Marcus_Goodfellow and @Megan_Joy
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We’re taking the WV for HRH’s family beach week at the Redneck Riviera in late June (not sharing this info with her family of course).
@Marcus_Goodfellow and @Megan_Joy, what do you think about Foccacia with smoked salmon and caramelized red onion?
Plus, HRH loves Caviar…
You’ve already answered your own questions
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Caviar is always good 
And the wine should shine with smoked salmon, red onion, and focaccia.
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Marcus gifted me a bottle of the Durant three weeks ago, and i cracked it last night. I’m now giving it the @Frank_Murray_III treatment.
At the initial opening, the funk was evident, but blew off quickly. The almonds were definitely there, along with lemon pith and a little chalkiness. Balance was very good, as was rhe mouthfeel and the finish. On day 2, I got a quick hit of the funk again, but that quickly transformed into almonds, lemons, followed by toast and more lemons, this time an intense, hard candy-type lemon, surrounded by lesser lemons and pith and maybe some granny smith apple. After that, it evolved into Durant Chardonnay, with all the depth that usually has.
Overall, i thought it was a great effort now, but i suspect it will be better with another six to twelve months. This is the best US sparkler I’ve had, partly because of the complexity and partly because it’s not too sweet.
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Already did! In champagne thread!
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I’ll save the hassle of read 8K posts on bubbles. 
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You’re a Saint my brother.
Is it the champagne thread or sparkling wine thread?
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Look two posts up
Sparklers are allowed, if serious!
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Méthode Champenoise only?
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is it time to break out the pet nats?
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I would gladly take all of that Iberico off your hands.
Based on . . . nothing, I went with a bottle of the Whistling Ridge Blanc de Blancs a week ago. I didn’t write down notes, but from memory, a lot of reduction in the early going and it improves as that worked out, especially by the second day (we had less than half the first day). Don’t open this in a hurry to serve, at least not at this age.
Definately a lemony and savory overall vibe, lots of mineral, some earthiness. If you’re looking for Big House mainstream Champagne style, this isn’t it, but it’s not one of those “for pretentious hipster NYC somms only” deals either, and I think the wine should get more generous if you give it some proper cellar time.
The best news is that the quality is excellent. The bubbles, mouthfeel and overall presentation are competitive with good $50-80 type grower Champagne.
I’ll look forward to following these in the coming years.
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Much appreciated Chris. I couldn’t have described it better myself. The reduction works itself out with time to show a really beautiful lemon and herb nature.
In these first cuvees, I stayed a little more conservative with a lot of the process. I’m happy, really happy, with the wines but I think it will take them a bit to fully unwind. I also think that as this wine is in bottle the reduction should lessen and integrate into the wine, helping to keep it complex.
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Heads up. This is happening!!
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we opened a WV Extra Brut last night and just wanted to add a data point for people-
it was pretty tightly wound- the nose was fantastic, but a bit linear on the palate for now. just from the nose you can tell its gonna be really nice but it needs a bit more time. nose is yellow fruits and reduction, a bit nutty. on the palate, you can tell its low dosage in the fruit characteristics, more on the green apple and mineral side and not a whole lot of brioche-yeastiness.
I’m definitely gonna hold on to the rest of these for a couple months before opening but this did give a good sense that it’s on the way to a good place. if opening soon, the racy acidity of this really screams for food- we had it with tomatoes, ventresca, and aioli tapa- the fat in the dish was a nice balance to the minerality in the sparkler.
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