Did the oak seem out of whack? The first bottle of '14 No.1 was at an awkward, oaky stage.
It didn’t strike me like that, but I do think I’m more tolerant of oak in Champagne than many others are.
7 rocks, 1 rules 
Love Fins Lieux. We sell these.
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Disclaimer: we sell Péhu in Europe. I never got oak on this…
I did, '14 Fins Lieux No.1. I found it to be very oaky. And I like oaked Champagne.
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Demi-muids, old oak. I’ll try it again soon and ask David about his thoughts 
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@Patrick_Taylor Péhu Fins Lieux #1, did you get any oak sticking out?
G.H. Martel Cuvée Victoire
Not bad! Good balance, rich and yeasty but a burst of freshness on the finish. Good.
Disclaimer: we sell this
Mademoiselle Marg’O Osmose Rosé
I’m serving this on June 21st for an event in Geneva. I really like this: strawberry water, watermelon and florals. Fresh, elegant and balanced.
Disclaimer: we also sell this.
Françoise Bedel Origin’Elle
Serious. Contemplative. Damp earth, oxidative, ripe fruit. This is a parti pris. Enjoy.
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2020 Georges Remy Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé Les Vaudayants
Really needs air - quite closed and reticent upon opening and took more than an hour to really get going and round out, with the last glass being the best. If you like the “modern”, more austere, slightly oxidative/nutty grower style, this is in your wheelhouse. There’s cooked strawberry fruits, oak spice, sherry, and a bit of salty minerality. It’s not my preferred style, so I’ll give it 90pts; add a point if it’s your bag, take one away if it’s not.
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Per the US importer, he uses a range of aging vessels including stainless steel and barrique. Here is the one in question. It had to have been in old barrels. Contrary to Mark Kaplan, I got no oak off this at all and I will readily pour a Champagne that shows oak down the drain.
I didn’t get any oak off of the #3 either.
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I like oak in Champagne (or Champagne in oak). I don’t pay too much attention to importer notes; many are not very accurate. The back label states that the wine is vinified in barrique.
I’ll taste another bottle soon. Hopefully, I’ll have a better experience; I still own a handful of bottles.
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Yes. Which is why I guessed that they must have been old ones. It is a mystery here since you like oak but didn’t like this one and I hate oak but didn’t detect any. And the label Brian posted says aged in stainless steel. So at least in this case, the importer’s information looks accurate.
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Brian’s was a different wine.
Yes. Different wine. He uses a variety of vessels for different bottlings, including barrique and stainless steel as shown on the labels and as explained on the Skurnik page.
Yes, I understand. The wine that Brian likes is not vinified in oak.
I’ll try another bottle. If I don’t like it, I’ll sell or donate the others.
Everyone likes something different.
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Nope. I thought it was great!
This evening (well actually I took the first glass yesterday) in the cheap seats the last of 5 different champagnes from a producer that was new to CT when I entered them: Faÿ-Berjot. This bottle was their 2012 Brut, and it’s the best of the 5 by some distance and a very quaffable US$37 bottle for those who prefer a little richness to the fruit rather than the more austere extra-brut/zero dosage styles that are more in fashion in some circles.
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The first Champagne house I imported. I don’t remember them making a Brut Nature at that time. Nice wines and nice people.
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From another thread:
2009 Vilmart Coeur de Cuvée. Laurent Champs crafts some of my favorite champagnes. This Chardonnay-dominated blend has evolve, showcasing the generosity of the vintage. Bold, dense flavors; complex and balanced.
Atypically for the vintage, some of my earlier bottles were shut down. To my palate, the CdC always needs time in the cellar to show its best. The 2009 has blossomed into a gem.
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That’s a real beauty. We share that same fondness for the 2009. The bottle I poured blind earlier this year, which was alongside the 2013, it was gorgeous. The 2009 is simply at the top of my heap for Champagne and one of the best wines I have had the past few years. I do think the 2013 may outclass even the 2009 but it will be 3 to 4 more years before I see if that’s true.
- 2009 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (2/4/2024)
Vilmart--Emotion and Coeur de Cuvee (select vintages), the meal anchored by Astrid (My House In The South OC): It's been 4 years since I had the 2009? Man, I deprived myself as this bottle is showing beautifully. May 2016 disgorgement. 80% Chard / 20% Pinot Noir. Fortunately there was some of this leftover, which I am going to revisit later today with tonight's dinner but for now, let me capture last night's impression. This, along with both the 2013 Emotion and 2013 Coeur de Cuvee were my wines of the night yesterday evening, and a credit here to the 2009, as this has 4 additional years of time in the bottle, which it represents beautifully. The usual tangerine and lime is here, both bright and concentrated in tone, with a persistent, balanced push of flavor, finishing with a light imprint of graham cracker....retasted again on Day 2 from what was leftover, with a good pop of CO2 hangin' in there. This kinda reminds me of the 2012 Emotion, with that same seductive quality. There is a tropical green note in the wine today, maybe pineapple but also mint, so if we mash those up, perhaps I get the descriptor I want to use. Even some ginger is flowing into this, plus some white chocolate and a pure tangerine. The kind of wine that lights up my senses, with a long imprint of fruit that lays joyfully on my palate and into a long finish. Limey acidity, pure fruit and a gentle but persistent slate. Just a beautiful bottle of Champagne, a gift of joy for my evening and one of the best Champagnes I have had in some time.
Posted from CellarTracker
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