@alan_weinberg
As an orthopedic surgeon approaching retirement, I say congratulations (with a small amount of envy), and be careful with the lathe.
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Congratulations Alan!
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It’s an amazing wine.
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First time drinking this - picked up a bunch of their single vineyard champagnes to try. Neighbour to Cédric Bouchard so why not? Self described as more Burgundian in style.
2018 base + reserves back to 2011
5300 bottles
Really nice from first pop - Beautiful fine bubbles, very punchy acidity, a little creamy with well balanced minerality and yellow/tangy fruits.
Saved some for the second day - still good, but lost some pizzazz , would give an edge to the first day glass.
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Another congrats to Allen. May your urine have a frothy mousse.
I’m not an expert, but that doesn’t seem like a sign of good health.
Your positive note reminded me to search for some. In the past I really liked a couple of bottles of 2012 which were also great values. But $200??? Without delving into the absolute value proposition (ugh, champagne prices!), is it really competitive with others in its new price range? I never thought of it that way.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow for sure. We all make exceptions when and where it works for us and Ced Bouchard is one of those exceptions for me. I also think he’s doing something singular (that others are now going after) that doesn’t necessarily compare to other Champagnes in a similar price range
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Congratulations on a long and lucrative career, and on a fun path ahead. Cheers, and how was the wine?
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fabulous. Second time w it. Really great. Lemon in infinite ways.
Wow, congratulations alan! End of an era. My very best wishes for a long and enjoyable retirement.
I came on to say that last night I had 2 excellent bottles, a 2002 Taittinger Comtes and a 2013 Vilmart Emotion. Both benefited quite a bit from extended air time.
I was spitting so I didn’t get as detailed impression as I otherwise would (I’m not great at it yet) but still enjoyed both very much.
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2016 Adrien Renoir Champagne Grand Cru Les Montants - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (12/1/2022)
disgorged Feb 2020 without dosage. Pop and pour really crisp and fresh, very light mouthfeel. 20 minutes and the orchard fruit starts to slowly emerge. Not showing a ton, I’m hopeful due to youth as there is lovely stuff, just missing some vibrancy at the moment
Posted from CellarTracker
This is the first Renoir bottle that has left me wanting a bit. I have another that I’ll give some time to see if it’s just in a weird place.
I find spitting particularly unsatisfying with Champagne (sparkling wine).
-Al
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Anyone had Klepka Sausse? Just showed up at a semi local retialer and curious if anyone has had it
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@Jay_Miller and I opened these two beauts respectively the other night. Both singing.
2002 Taittinger Comtes
2013 Vilmart Emotion
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Just tried the Val Vilaine '20 base and my first one of these altogether. A big fat dollop of roundly-acidic red-fruit expands to fill a space in the middle of the tongue, which is then entirely encased in structure. Wish I had read this first about needing the extended air.
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@alan_weinberg, congratulations on starting your next chapter. Been a long time since I have sat down with you, so hopefully the group can get you into a chair at some point now and you can join us. I may do something with Champagne in February so perhaps I can shoot you a date and you can take the guest chair with us.
As for a new note, we had the unlikely reality of doing some blind wines last night and two guys each bringing the exact same wine. And of course, we didn’t know it until we unbagged. The cool thing? The wines tasted different and the unbiased comments that were inspired through the blind format bear out the cool reality that the exact same wine, untethered from scores, price and other factors, that wine can show different. Photo and note below. Was pretty cool to see this happen, and by the way, the 14 Coeur de Cuvee is bitchen, but a few of you already know that.
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2014 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (12/2/2022)
As ironic and unlikely as it may sound, this was served next to the exact same wine that I had brought bagged from my cellar. Simply, we had 2 bottles of the 2014 right next to each other in bags, served blind, with none of us knowing we were tasting the same wine. Of course, when we pulled the bags off, we all paused, laughed but recognized that even though the wines were the same (and with the exact same disgorge date of March 2021) both bottles showed differently. My bottle had a floral aroma, with candied tangerine, sweet citrus and yellow apple. The density was lovely. It came across as powerful and concentrated, and with more air, a distinct lime zest note appeared, giving the wine a zesty and tense impression. In contrast, my buddy's bottle was less grippy, more fleshy and seemingly gentler and richer. Yeah, the tangerine was there, but it did not have the intensity of my bottle. The group had a consensus agreement that the bottles tasted different, and while they were opened at the same time, they definitely showed differently. Fascinating.
Posted from CellarTracker
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I just received a shipment of Egly Rose. I was wondering if those of you with experience with the wine might comment on its longevity.
My bottles are from a July 2014 disgorgement, and while I’ve read here that it can benefit from some bottle age, I’m curious if anyone has experiences positive or negative with bottles 10+ years post disgorgement.
They’re best with age.
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We are currently drinking July 2014 disgorgement. They are delicious, showing no signs of decline.
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