My first Bastian Pointillart last night in Reims with Brad, a nice wine.
3 Likes
Not Kris but when they’re really oxidized, you’ll most probably know it. It has all the markers (for me: overly nutty, no depth, sometimes slightly metallic, no fruit, etc.). Besides, if it has only slightly been affected and you’re enjoying the bottle, nothing wrong with that! My tolerance for oxidation is higher than most and allows me to drink “faulty” Champagne that others would throw away.
I’ll investigate the release dates, you piqued my curiosity. Thanks!
1 Like
I popped one of these in Easter as we sat out in the wonderful sunshine and it drained quickly. Always satisfying.
1 Like
It sounds wonderful.
When I win the lottery, I’m going to buy you racking to replace your metal ones so I will never again look at your tortured labels 
Now someday I’ll have to buy a lottery ticket, despite knowing the lottery is a voluntary tax on the hopeful fool.
1 Like
Great descriptions, Meunier forward champagnes are my favorite wine to drink and I’ll need to try these.
We had a NV Solemme Champagne Premier Cru Ambre de Solemme Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature last night. Around the same price point ($60 at KL Wine)
Strong recommend if you can find it. Brut nature can be austere, but I tend to find the 100% Meunier adds savory notes to make this well balanced and taste more complex than a sharp, lemony Chardonnay forward blanc de blanc.
2 Likes
All of this is absolutely awesome. Congrats!
1 Like
Here you go. Had with some movie popcorn, because why not.
Disgorged 3-3-2022
Complex, there are so many layers to this. On the nose it seems relatively standard, brioche, baked golden pear, candied apricot.
Then the palate really impressed me. It struck the perfect balance of oxidative winemaking, while keeping the integrity of the fruit. Juicy mango (seriously, it felt like I bit into one), baked pear again, brioche, lemon and some chalkiness. There was good weight to this on the palate too. Evolving throughout, but this bottle disappeared pretty quick. Will benefit from more bottle age, but I had two bottles that disappeared in 4 months or so. Tough to keep my hands off of.
4 Likes
I’ve had the unit for more than 15 years now and it’s cranking along, but the racking was built for a much different glass mold era. Think 1980/1990s zinfandel and cab bottles. Gee, I got lots of those around… 
I’ve taken my inventory way down so when this unit stops working, I’ll get a couple 200 bottle units and store all of my wine that way. Eventually…
Hey, while it’s fresh on my mind, my wife and I worked this some CdC this week, finishing it last night. For 2011, this drinks well but the replacement cost, while not zany, is still up there at $120 ++ so at least I was able to check it out. Pretty delicious at this stage and probably as good as it will get. Do you have any of the 2011, Warren?
-
2011 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (4/12/2023)
My final bottle. Decided to open it because there is a backfill option locally so what the heck. Disgorged May 2018, with the usual 80/20 Chard/PN split, made from the Blanches Voies plot just north of the village. Opened yesterday, when I had a few glasses of it. Over the course of about 2 hrs, this wine seemed to shift up and down, between rich to more zesty, and it kinda stumped me given the swings it took. Stoppered up, retrying today as we finish what is left. Just a light chill on it. I still feel this wine is good, not great. It seems angular to me, what I called zesty yesterday. Its got some rough edges to it, kinda chalky with some citrus pith. When it's less chilled, then the richness shows. Pineapple, tangerine, at times quite lemony, and even creamy with a deep citrus quality that is almost unctuous. I like this wine, but do I want to backfill this at $120 US, plus tax and shipping? Hard to say No but just seems to be more flashy and less complex for this vintage.
Posted from CellarTracker
3 Likes
Thanks for posting about this one. Not far from Vilmart either. I’ll keep this on my ‘look for’ list. How did you discover this producer, Rodrigo?
Thank you! I am sitting on three bottles and wasn’t sure if It would be a waste to open one now.
If I had the space, I probably would’ve liked to hold on to at least one bottle for a bit. But I don’t have any space and I definitely don’t regret opening them.
1 Like
Got introduced when looking at organic, brut nature producers at KL Wines (usually shop there, Flatiron, or Courtier in the Bay Area). The Solemme story stands out as truly ‘biodynamic’ going beyond no soil intervention and into the lunar cycles, more mystical adherences. I don’t personally put much stock beyond healthy soil but it speaks to their care of craft and differentiated style.
No oak, no malo either. Really delicious fruit and terroir forward, no dosage wines.
This is very similar to Dominque Moreau’s work at Marie Courtin, although she uses some older wood on a few cuvees. Same truth I would say for Benoit Marguet at Marguet.
You have me interested, Rodrigo. I will do a look at the range this weekend and maybe bring a few bottles down through the shipping pipe to try them. Thank you for posting about them.
1 Like
2002 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (11/04/2023)
Pale gold colour with pinprick bubbles. Very dry and fresh on the palate, indeed to the point of being pretty austere. A discussion ensued re the dosage with a couple of guessing it was likely around 3-4. A quick google revealed the cuvee is usually 3.5-4.5. I think this bottle would have benefitted a lot from a bit more dosage and it confirmed that Peters’ chetillons isn’t really my thing.
3 Likes
'06 Taittinger CDC last night - it’s still a SUPER DUPER champagne!
4 Likes
NV Vilmart & Cie Grand Cellier Brut 1er cru
70% chard, 30%PN. 10 mo aging in oak. No malo. Disgorged Dec 2021.
Effervescent, persistent small bead. Lemon curd, yellow apple, something lightly almond-y. Everything was in balance with this champagne and the pricing ($50) was on point.
Two others tried last month, but my notes were messy and trying to figure them out weeks later… 
:
-
Jacques Copin Brut Cuvée tradition 2008
50% Chard, 50% PN. dosage 5g/L. Aged min of 11y 4mo. Forgot disgorgement date.
Sweet brioche bun on the nose and candied lemon. No decipherable notes beyond that (sigh), but it was complex and came across as richer than the dosage indicated. Attractive price point at $55, esp. for a 2008. -
Vincent Renoir 72 Mois Extra Brut Grand Cru
50% Chard, 50% PN. Dosage 2g/L Grand Cru Verzy.
No formal notes. It was fine, but a bit simple. I expected the aging to lend more complexity.
2 Likes
I have always loved that bottle. We had it Wednesday night and it bested an '08 Comtes, '08 DP, '12 DP and '02 Ruinart. Only better bubbles that night was '08 Bollinger GA.
1 Like
Warren - I think this is just a timing issue. On paper it looks really good, '02/'04/'06 should be great someday, just not now, especially in this format.
1 Like
This was drinking really well, but its best days are still to come. Very floral on the nose, red apple, lime and chalk on the palate.
1 Like
These have taken a big leap in price all of a sudden, sadly. Used to be largely overlooked.