A good friend celebrated a recent milestone birthday at his home with about 40 other friends joining in to pay tribute.
It figured to be a wonderful wine experience with him being ITB as are many of those who attended.
There were numerous wines to choose from and I started tasting the champagnes including a bottle I brought especially for the celebrant. Although I tasted other wines, this report is limited to the champagnes. Here’s some notes:
2104 BOLLINGER LA GRANDE ANNEE BRUT in magnum- 2 bottles with similar notes; comprised of 61% Pinot Noir and 39% Chardonnay {typically 70/30} sourced from both Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards and vinified in oak barrels, disgorged 11/22 at 8 gpl; the nose contained the trademark toasty oak accent that continued all the way through; nice citrus, especially lemon and grapefruit, yellow apple and tangerine was most prominent; the oak was nicely integrate and supportive; it had a creamy, feel good texture, sublime richness, nice body and length to provide the complete experience.
1999 PHILIPPONNAT GRAND BLANC “LV” EXTRA BRUT- 100% Chardonnay, disgorged 2005 at 4.5 gpl; the “LV” stands for Long Vieilllisement or long aging, but I never could find what that exactly translated to; no doubt, I expected some advanced notes and when poured, the gold color confirmed the district possibility; the nose was replete with nutty, butterscotch and caramel notes that was followed by some welcomed yellow peach, nectarine and orange marmalade that lingered on and beyond the oxidative notes making this a special treat; one would expect the texture to be creamy thick, but it was really just medium weighted and mildly oily; this was my bring and it came in its owc; I removed the bottle to chill it and then replaced it in the box to present it to our birthday boy.
From the house: “L.V. is the authentic mark of optimal ageing. These wines have never been moved since they were placed in the cellar. They have been preserved for twenty to twenty-five years in optimum conditions deep in the House’s cellars. Having been disgorged only at the end of this long ageing process following prolonged contact with the lees from the second in-bottle fermentation, the wines have evolved under what are known as reductive conditions, protected from any oxidation.
The low, extra-brut dosage reveals the particular personality achieved by each vintage as it matures.”
NV PIERRE PETERS CUVEE DE RESERVE GRAND CRU BLANC des BLANC BRUT in magnum- the fruit for this is sourced from grand cru villages of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Avize & Cramant; approximately 45% is current vintage, with 55% perpetual reserve going back to 1988, with 6-7 gpl dosage; no indication of the current vintage was found; following its light medium yellow color came aromas and tastes of fresh citrus fruit with lemon and lime most evident; enhanced by a streak of minerality, brioche and chalk, it was quite refreshing, elegant and sophisticated and served as a good palate cleanser with its bright acidity.
NV AGRAPART & FILS TERROIRS EXTRA BRUT BLANC de BLANC in 3 liter bottle- this is a blend of 2 vintages from specifically selected vineyard blocks in Avize, Cramant, Oiry and Oger, all planted with Chardonnay; it was bottled in May 2017 and disgorged 2 months before the release date, May 2020; dosed at 5 gpl; this was a mouthful plus as it had loads of body and content with yellow apple, lemon, grapefruit, yellow peach and honeysuckle most prominent; it seemed to expand in the glass over time and just get bigger and bigger, but always within a pleasing range of sensory treats and savory tastes.
A special occasion deserves good bubbly and we were graced with 5 wonderful bottles, 4 in large formats with a 3 liter bottle leaving enough an end of the evening refresher.
Cheers,
Blake
Double posted