I think the trick is to record the video separately first and then upload it to Facebook.
Back again with tonight’s wine, can’t let the sparkling VTC week go by without a couple of posts.
Clouet Un Jour de 1911. This was good but just that. Very enjoyable but not overly complex. This is wholesale $70 in Oregon and would retail around $100. I like it and it’s a very nice wine but I don’t think this bottle screams $100. The regular Brut has been dynamite, and every bit as good.
I do really like the peachy notes, and it does have some really nice aspects to texture and acidity. I like the wine and wish I could get the picture to load but will have to fiddle with my settings a bit.
2 Likes
What a shame it didn’t show better given the accolades it has received on this board. Regarding the prices, $100 seems high. Sec in Portland still has it listed at $80. B-21 has it on pre-arrival for $70. Then again, the Brut is something in the order of $40…
NV Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Cuvée Rubis
Blind: I had a big hint, friend said “you like this one” so it was narrowed down to about 10 rosé bubbles 
I like the red fruit, strawberry creme, medium acidity and the clean finish. Arguably top QPR rose sparkler
Good news, have 3 more sitting in Cellartracker pending
1 Like
One of the stranger aspects of buying wine in Oregon is that for Champagne, wholesale pricing in Oregon is often retail in Florida, New York, and sometimes California. I don’t really know why, other than that we are a small market compared to the other states.
In general, it seems B-21 has retail pricing that often mirrors what I see for Oregon wholesale.
Sec works on 10% margin, they and Vinopolis often have pricing that is considerably better than average retail. I usually think in average retail, hence the $100. But $80 is probably more accurate for the board, so thank you for the correction.
We liked this wine quite a bit, in terms of enjoyment. But given it’s prestigous status in the Clouet line up, I think I expected more nuance of a more complex nature. That expectation was set by the Clouet Brut, which I liked just as much as this wine (YMMV).
Perhaps the best way I could put it would be that we really liked the wine, but I don’t think it would bump any of the house favorites. I still have a bottle remaining though and am going to sit on that for a couple of years and see if I just need to be more patient with it.
2 Likes
NV Laurent-Perrier Rose 1812
Deep pink and not super effervescent, this is a beautiful balance of dried cranberry, rose petal, creamy peach, grape stem, acid, and a dry bread flour finish on the top of the palate. Tempting to drink it fast because it goes down so easily, but rewards letting it play out in the mouth.
3 Likes
I wonder if there isn’t a new disgorgement on the market. I have been seeing a lot of tepid notes on this board and other forums in the last few months. The four bottles I drank early this year were quite complex.
Consider trying the V6 experience. It’s pretty close in price to the Grande Reserve, spends six years on the lees and has a greater percentage of reserve wines. It’s similar in character to the 1911 at half the price.
“Let’s have a sparkling wine with our weekly Sunday bread & cheese plate!” I suggested to Jacqueline. “Better yet, let’s find one that is rose.”
JCB No. 69 Brut Rose Cremant de Bourgogne
Beautiful, vibrant, almost shimmering orange-pink color. Bubbles are energetic and too large and too aggressive in the first glass, but settle down to a fine soft boule in subsequent glasses. Crisp and refreshing acidity. The tasty fruit reveals itself after the wine breathes and warms a bit. Strawberry, raspberry, cranberry. A pleasant nutty (?) finale. Pleasant overall. A wine that I would drink again, but one that I would probably not buy again.
OK
Cheers, Paul
P.S. What was the name of that Greek god who loved his own reflection?
2 Likes
Narcissus
Cross posting from the champagne thread…
Vilmart grand Cellier tonight with dinner. Starts off with a robust mineral note, with wonderful citrus and red fruits on the back end. As it warms, I’m getting tons of flaky pastry on the nose, while still preserving the clean, chalky mineral streak. The wine has the kind of layering I expect to see in top end wines, so this is punching above its weight, which I love. Overall, it strikes an excellent balance between the lean/crsisp and full (but never oxidative), showing positive aspects of both styles. Really lovely.
4 Likes
2015 Doyard Clos de l’Abbaye BdB
When I ask for “wow” factor this is what I mean! What a regal Champagne that demands all your attention. After my first sip, I couldn’t bring myself to take another for at least two minutes as the aftertaste lingered on and on. Rich and full bodied, while also focused and precise. A clear example where paying up was fully worthy it. I’m in love.
Happy New Year everyone!
3 Likes
Tasting notes to follow including a Laherte rose.
Laval big boy and Vilmart 2012 Blanc de Blanc. FMIII in the house.
The “100 pointer” Rivers Marie Platt didn’t suck.
@Marcus_Goodfellow Pinot Gris stole the show with the broiled Sea Bass pairing
1 Like
I believe you may be correct on the disgorgement. We picked these up in late October/early November and they were recent arrivals.
That said, it was a very good wine. I hope my review was somewhere between tepid and superlative. It’s well better than tepid, if not quite superlative. But given the reviews of this wine on the board, I’m interested to see what some time in bottle will do.
1 Like
Love that wine!
Processing: E9A4A77F-7010-4618-93D8-5732B79CD066.jpeg…
Processing: B9C5B259-CD73-4972-B25B-2B888DDAB1C9.jpeg…
Some Holidays are just magic. Megan and I went to Elk Creek in the coast range this afternoon, and it couldn’t have been better. Then we headed back to town and decided to get a bite at Humble Spirit. (Pro tip: from the small plates order the carrot dish and the albacore dish). In walked Ken and Karen Wright, Ken in a tuxedo and Karen dressed for dancing (we were in some no longer sweaty hiking gear…). After hellos it turned out that the only two open seats were at the bar next to us.
I can’t express correctly how much fun it is to sit with someone who has been making wine since 1978, and making wine in Oregon since 1986 (in 1978, I was 8 and giving my fourth grade teacher fits) and who is such a gem of a person. We’re so lucky to have so many people that formed the industry around to bump into for an impromptu NYE dinner or any other event. It’s a great night to mark both our own achievements as well as our community’s and to say thank you for the work that was done before, that allows us to achieve what we do.
It’s also just an absolute treat to listen to any of the old guard sit and tell stories from when they began. Karen also coaches youth soccer and donates an astronomical amount of time for youth soccer in Carlton and also in McMinnville.
Rick deFerrari from Oregon barrel works also came in with his SO, and we picked up the bottle of Corollary Rosé as a great local option (also a glass of the Hundred Suns “Old Eight Cut” Chardonnay to go with a Dungeoness crab risotto).
The Corollary is a really lovely effort, great balance, excellent finesse in the mousse, and good energy and brightness.
Happy New Year everyone!
2 Likes
Okay, you win
1 Like
2019 Cruse Sparkling Valdiguie
As a standalone still wine I’ve had several Valdiguies from Rancho Chimiles Vineyard that were very enjoyable. As a sparkler it misses the mark for me. Kinda soda poppy. My Wife said it had an aftertaste like a dirty mop. I have plenty of other sparklers on deck. Next man up.
2018 Under The Wire Bedrock Vineyard Sparkling Zinfandel
This one has a little more going in with pomegranate and some spiciness
2016 Cabot Blanc de Blancs Brut Zero
This has a lot more grapefruit to it than the lemon lime it showed last time, great mineral streak. Lean and mean. Sorry about the image, my phone was confused.
2015 La Rogerie Avize Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Héroǐne
6/2023 Disgorgement 2gpl Dosage
This one has to wait as we switched to reds with dinner. Tomorrow maybe.
2 Likes
This charity week theme was a perfect excuse to open a 2002 Billecart- Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon Rosé Champagne. What a treat! From my CT note:
I remember having this several years ago and at the time it was not really in a good mood: bracing and angular, shrill even. Although this still tastes like a young champagne (even at 22 years old) it is much more open and generous now. Rose, mint, light frozen strawberry, a little lemon are the main flavor components. Got better and deeper ( more distinct flavors, more intense bouquet) with a little air. Don’t over- chill this: a light chill seems to bring out the best. I have the feeling this will be even better in a few years, but it is already a wow. Every so often I open a Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon to remind myself why this is my favorite rose champagne.
Score: 95+. Relative to expectations: +++
Glad to support such an excellent cause.
3 Likes
Sorry, been very busy, but December 30 we shared a bottle of 2006 Pol Roger Churchill with friends at X2O, Peter Kelly’s excellent restaurant in Yonkers. It is still young, but the sweet fruit is beginning to emerge. Excellent balance. I am a big fan of yeasty brioche and that was not present, but otherwise it was a truly wonderful wine. Our friend who was with us said it was the best Champagne she ever had. Photo to follow as soon as I figure out how to move it from my iPhone, which I cannot do the normal way since I have been locked out of my email account due to leaving my law firm.
1 Like
Cross posted from champagne thread:
This is the best bottle I have tried from this estate yet. Its mostly Chardonnay with just enough Pinot to give it a little density, at least relative to the NV Blancs. It hits you immediately with some cherry and strawberry fruit, but the fruitiness is ephemeral - murdered by the downright operatic salinity and uninhibited chalk notes. Finishes long with mouthwatering acidity. This is Kramer dropping a junior mint in a surgical cavity refreshing. I want to drink this everyday!
2 Likes