Good pickup on your part Warren. In both cases, the blind wines were big and bold and super rich with what I seemingly detected as oak influence.
Also in both cases, I was with folks who are in a blind tasting group where we share our perceptions and guesses as to what we think the wine is. Otherwise, I’d just be keeping that in the back of my mind.
2008 JEAN MICHEL CUVEE SPECIALE EXTRA BRUT- a blend of 50% Pinot Meunier and 50% Chardonnay; bottled 4/2010; disgorged 11/2019, dosed at 1 gpl; from 7 different crus in Moussy and neighboring communes; this undergoes at least 8-10 years on the lees after the harvest; the nose showcased its serious citrus notes with lemon zest most prominent; the taste profile was more of honeyed grapefruit with lesser compliments of yellow apple, pear and lemon; it was full bodied, very rich and creamy and its hallmark may have been its bright acidity that bordered on being bracing; it certainly had the power and thrust of the 2008 vintage and as such, is another excellent bubbly that comes out of that vintage providing immense pleasure.
Cheers,
Blake
Jeeper 2008 Grand Cuvee:
I saw this at Costco yesterday and picked up a couple bottles, not knowing what to expect. It got off to a rough start, coming across as a bit screechy, not unlike an AM car radio that can’t lock on a station and oscillates between a news cast and old time country music. As it warmed and took on air, it broadened, had FM stereo clarity, and then continued to rapidly gain complexity, body and interest, until it was broadcasting a Beethoven symphony in 4-D, psychedelic space. This was not a manic, anxiogenic psychedelic space, with the feeling of having your soul ripped apart, but was more akin to being in a colorful meadow, and with every step you take, you leave a dramatic kaleidoscope of color in your wake,. It would, however, flirt with the edge of that abyss, and then gracefully settle back down.
Full bodied and creamy, constructed on a core of Lemon Curd, with literally all the nuances in the flavor wheel posted above sprinkled across the palate like some kind of fairy dust, and finishing with an authoritative smoky bacon note. Not what I was expecting for $49.99.
Apologies for the tortured metaphors. Now if you will excuse me, I am going back to Costco to buy as many as I can fit in my car.
Love the metaphors. Just like a fine wine, they offer keen visual, auditory and tactile sensorial experiences.
Blend of 2014/2018 Disgorged 12/21/21 100% Pinot Meunier 0g/L dosage
Limestone and citrus nose, bright, oyster shell, flint, lemon, persistent mousse, rich with a hint of green apple and honey, minerally finish, fresh acidity, lovely wine.
I wasn’t sure what the Special Club designation entailed. Definition here:
Yesterday I had a good sized group over to the house, with a # of us being a part of the Board here. We had about 20-25 Champagnes, and I haven’t got to do my notes yet but I did make an effort this morning while I had the opportunity to taste the Mousse Mon Village perpetual side by side, using the leftover bottles from yesterday. You will note how I coded these for Cellartracker. Maybe this is too much detail, a little too nerdy, but if we’re to compare wines that are similar, and especially this one which is a perpetual build beginning back in 2014, then we gotta have some definitive way to know which base wine we are talking about. So, hence the wine names I created.
For what it’s worth, both base versions are (well, they were a few weeks back) available at Woodland Hills Wine for $55. If you are moved or interested by my notes, and it you decide to order from them, make sure you tell them which base you want, which is identifiable on the bottle’s back label. Of note too @Brian_Tuite has posted just a little bit above mine here with his experience with the 2018.
@Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m …this is probably what we should have done yesterday to compare these wines, a side by side like I did this morning. Funny enough, I never tasted the 2018 yesterday, which was in the “5*” bag. It’s the only bottle I missed!
Posted from CellarTracker
2008 Jeeper Grand Cuvee:
The problem with using psychedelics two days in a row is tachyphalaxis. And sure enough, the experience with a second bottle of this proved to be significantly muted, at least until the last third of the bottle, when I did finally break through. The last third of this bottle was pure magic, however.
Information about this estate and this bottle is hard to come by, but the one piece of information I did find, stated this bottle spends 12 years on the lees.
@brigcampbell Thanks for posting the bottle photos. This is helpful.
The Mousse bottles are in the very first photo, related to my TNs above.
I read this and instinctively said “Gross!” out loud. That is too warm for red wine. Champagne? Were you wearing a hairshirt too?
No idea what a hairshirt is but it if it brings you comfort, I was clothed when I tasted them both.
Besides, these are Pinot Meunier notes. Why are you reading PM notes? Are you Ok this afternoon?
Frank,
After the reveals we did pull them off to the side and tried them side-by-side. We had pretty similar impressions. The 19 showed brighter, and perhaps more Chardonnay-like, whereas the 18 is a bit more in the lower register, and spoke more clearly of Pinot Meunier. I preferred the 19.
Thanks for hosting —- it was a fun get together!
@brigcampbell, looking forward to seeing your notes and @Frank_Murray_III 's notes, as well as anyone else who joined you.
Warren, there were note takers all over the place at this one. @Cris_Whetstone @Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m @AstridKG @Brent_S
I’ll get them posted here in the next day.
