I’m so happy and relieved to see this!
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This makes me very happy, if not impatient, since I have a mag of this.
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Dom Ruinart is always an interesting wine to me because I don’t think it’s flavor profile is super consistent. 2004 reminds me a bit of 2009, but 2007 is different, and 2002 a whole different beast entirely. The one constant is that it’s delicious. Mine was a regular 750, but it was in a sweet spot for drinking for my palate. I might wait a bit longer on the magnum. I think you’ll be very happy.
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I know this might not be the thread for it, but I opened my first bottle of the ‘14 Cabot sparkler the other night, and damn…you all were right. This is a great wine. Had it been served blind, I’d undoubtedly call it cote de blanc grower champagne. It has a clear site signature, incredible acidity, yeasty/bready notes, and what feels like chalky minerality (which is really what was fooling me). Perhaps the only knock I can come with is the length is more medium than long. All around an absolute winner.
This is exactly the place for it.
But, but, but…if it is from California and you would have guessed it was a Cote de Blanc Champagne, how could it have clear site signature? 
That said, I really like it too. 
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What does “clear site signature” mean? Not doubting really just curious.
I usually read that as vineyard / location (site) which in this case is Anderson valley? But then if it’s clearly Anderson valley why would it be called grower champagne blind?
Just curious on the usage of site signature. Otherwise a lovely sounding btl!
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I hear you, and that’s worth dissecting a bit more. For me, when I say site signature, it’s about the wine having qualities that go well beyond the classic varietal characteristics of the grape. Mineral notes are certainly one, but I think of herbal notes, many floral notes, and others all contribute to site signature. My palette isn’t so developed that I can blindly call something Anderson Valley vs, say, Carneros (I wish!), but I can pretty reliably call out a single vineyard designate vs a regional blend and it’s those non-fruit complexities that are often a telltale sign (for me, anyway).
I should also add that simply being a single vineyard isn’t enough to have a clear site signature, in my view. I strongly believe that restrained winemaking practices (avoiding extended hang time and high brix, soft touch in the cellar with less extractive practices, showing restraint in the use of new oak, etc.) are also key to preserving site signature in single vineyard designates. Plenty of exceptions there, of course, but that’s wine 
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I think I follow you. It tasted like it came from somewhere instead of a bunch of different places and was make by a good winemaker. 
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Much more succinct 
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2012 Charles Heidsieck - absolutely love this vintage and this bottle delivered. Rich, balanced, powerful, excellent yellow fruits and plenty of freshness. Glad I loaded up on these, just keeps getting better.
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For this past Christmas I gifted my daughter some magnums of Champagne from Robert and Peter Panzer’s Liquid Culture/ Down to Earth Wines and for her birthday dinner celebration yesterday we shucked and consumed a bunch of oysters and accompanied them with a magnum of what I believe was this wine:
I don’t often drink Champagne but I’ve had enough over the years to recognize that this is some really interesting and (to me) unique wine. It was smoking good with the oysters and had none of what I think of as a “sweetness” I’ve typically encountered with the mostly-inexpensive Champagnes I’ve had over the years.
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Terry… I just loaded some more 750s of that wine into my cellar yesterday. That’s a lovely bottle of Champagne, one of my very favorites in its price range.
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This was a stunner last night. Rich and concentrated, but perfectly balanced with high acidity. This wine practically redefined “long” for me; it just coats the palette and stays there seemingly for minutes. The last two Laherte Freres wines (Ultradition extra brut and rose de Meunier extra brut) I had were just good, not great, but this bottle performed at such a high level that I’m happy to overlook those other two. Need to go seek out more of this.
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Brought wine to Whistler for the last turns of the year on Blackcomb. The first night at Wild Blue, a wonderful, relatively new restaurant with fresh seafood and steaks, and an amazing wine list (which I only read as I always byo).
Generous and densely styled, and delicious. Orchard fruit including pear and apricot, crème brûlée, almond and caramel apple. A mineral and metallic note. Billecart-Salmon excelled in 2002.
The second night at the Red Door. A must visit every time we’re here. Awful stemware, but the food makes up for the shortfall.
Another excellent bottle of 2002 Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Rare. Most of the bottles I’ve opened have been later disgorgements. This bottle had a red neck ring, signifying an earlier disgorgement. While I haven’t had them side by side, my feeling is the earlier disgorgements are showing a more oxidative nutty profile, while the later show more dense brioche.
Citrus and honey on the attack, giving way to tropical notes, pear, coffee and hazelnut. Really dense and creamy. Historically, 10 gm/l dosage is not high, but compared to contemporary extra-brut and non-dosed wines, the sweetness is quite prominent here. This shows better when kept in an ice bucket.
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Benjamin, what vintage was your LLV?
Quick verdict: Hellllll yyyeeeeah!!
Both Ashley and Ioved it. Take that, 2011!!! 
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Nice. Now for the 2002 Comtes- Ha
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I tossed the bottle, but I believe it was a late 2022 disgorgement. So, maybe 19 base?