A good friend and I had the chance to drink through some very interesting Champagnes Saturday evening. We started with an intriguing 770ml bottle of '49 Roger Louis BdB. I’m still in the dark on the backstory behind this wine; perhaps Brad Baker can clue us in here. The bottle itself was beat to hell, yet the cork came out in one fine piece with virtually no effort on my part. As I post pictures, you will see I poured two separate glasses that came out two completely different colors. Much to my surprise, this BdB was throwing a cloudy sediment that corrected itself once we ran the wine through a filter. The nose on this guy was equal parts Madeira, Sherry, and old Champagne. I also got a decent gingerbread component on the nose that transferred over to the palate quite nicely. Beyond that focal point, the palate offers a deep honeyed richness and the slightest hint of lemon zest. For those who can look beyond the heavy oxidation, there are still fleeting moments of sheer exhilaration left in this wine. 90pts.
The second wine of the night was one I’d been dying to try for quite some time. As I let the cork go, I was glad to hear a faint popping sound. When we popped and poured straight from the bottle, we were pleased to find that slight pop meant some pretty good carbonation could be felt on the palate. The nose on this guy is a dead ringer for Burgundian rubber. It ended up being a little less fruit forward than what I was expecting, but still a lively and beautiful bottle. Aged Rosés I’ve had in the past have taken on some good coffee notes, but I wasn’t getting that here. The palate was a mellow blend of rubber, faded rose petal, a hint of orange rind, and something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I really liked this one. 93pts.
thanks for posting and I am looking forward to more exiting Tn’s