I literally today had a bottle of this coming into the cellar! Exited to try it.
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I find this to be very true. I have TNs in CT from 100 different champagne producers, of which at most 10 are “big houses”. And the average quality of these wines has been high - I’ve rated 80% as at least “Very Good” and 40% as “Excellent”. (I’m not afraid to mark wines below 80 in CT, but I’ve never given a champagne lower than that.)
It seems to me that a lot of the difference in perception of champagnes is simply personal preference in taste rather than any objective (or even widely-held subjective) measure of “quality”.
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Tonight though, one that I rate only as good, and then not really to my taste: a 2012 Pierre Mignon Année de Madame.
Click for my TN
- 2012 Pierre Mignon Champagne Année de Madame - France, Champagne (31/08/2023)
60/30/10 C/PM/PN 10 years on lees (no disgorgement date, but it must be within the last year); 6g/l dosage.
On first opening this is rather tart and with an aggressive mousse, the combination of which make it rather unapproachable. It needs quite a bit of air and to come up to ~12 degrees. Then we have a fresh and strongly citrus nose, with a slight herbal edge.
The palate still has an attack at the tart end of crisp and the mid-palate is quite cleansing, citrus, perhaps a touch of wild honey, but none of the weight or yeastiness that I had expected from 10 years on lees. The finish is quite long and citrus. And still the adjective coming to mind is tart. You need to like your fizz with quite an acidic edge to appreciate this one.
Overall, whilst there's nothing wrong with the wine, I find it rather one-dimensional (and aggressively so when first opened), which makes it not a repeat buy for me. (84 points)
I will be opening the Pierre Peters L’Etonnant Monsieur Victor MK.09 in a few hours… Holy moly am I excited for this wine!!!
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It should be fantastic, with the richness and ripeness of the '09 Chetillon fruit playing off the old solera. While I like to drink most champagne closer to cellar temperature (leading to friendly discord with my wife who likes it very cold), I’d start this one on the cold side.
Cheers,
Warren
Thanks Warren! Planning on serving it close to fridge cold for the first glass and let it sit out at room temp for the remaining of the 2-3 hours it will take to consume! Always fun to see how it develops over the hours with more warmth and air.
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Had a bottle of '08 Pierre Moncuit Brut the other night and it was toasty with biscuits, brioche and orchard fruits. A tad on the sweet side for me but open for business unlike a lot of other '08’s.
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Jon, I think he bottled a Brut and Extra-Brut that vintage, although that may have been the same wine with different labels. I like this wine, especially considering what it cost for the late released 2008.
Cheers,
Warren
Warren - this was the brut. CT is showing an average cost of $71 which is pretty cheap for a GC Champagne.
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That I think is going to be crying out for age and drinking very young. Curious after you’ve had it what you think. Cheers.
they are indeed different. Did a side by side. Prefer EB.
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Chicago Wine Co still has it at 75/btl
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It’s crying out for age and drinking very young. 
It’s disjointed, but the components are there. Creamy, good structure, just not put together yet. I’m not convinced of this producer yet so I wanted to try it.
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Damn this stuff is tasty! 80/20 PN/Chardonnay. My first time with this producer. Crisp and clean, yet with richness, depth, and refinement. I love it. Wish I had bought a case instead of two bottles.
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Big fan of this producer for value.
I highly recommend the Rosè!!
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Frederic Savart’s 1er Cru L’Ouverture is a 100% Pinot Noir champagne with a balanced, powerful profile. Degorged in April 2023 with a 3.5g/l dosage, it has seductive creamy creamymouthfeel. Although this is a 100% PN it has Chardonnay-like aromatics of lime and subtle florals. The minerality resembles oyster water, and the finish is persistent. 94 points
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I haven’t had a l’Ouverture in a while but I’ve found that as per most of Fred’s wines they need a little more time after release. L’Ouverture used to be super tight on release and you only started to get the fruit and spices to come out 4+ years after disgorgement. But I haven’t bought any since 2018.
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