Extracted from a thread just posted re a visit with friends in NW Arkansas:
NV TALBOTT SPARKLING BRUT- a few months ago, this showed up in my blind wine tasting group and was thought to be a fine, elegant champagne that most of us guessed was vintage including my guess that it was a 2008 Laurent-Perrier Brut; we were aghast at how good it was and loved it to the extent, one of our members stopped by the winery while traveling near their area and bought some for all of us; this was my first pull for the wines to take on the trip and it was as good as it had been previously, possessing charm, elegance, a light and cheery persona and exceptionally refreshing while delivered in a frothy, almost cotton candy like mousse; it had mild citrus fruit notes throughout that included lemon and lime and a subtle hint of saline which came in late; it sported fine acidity and once again, impressed the 3 of us who shared it.
NV VEUVE-CLIQUOT BRUT ROSE- I was happy to see this being chilled as it used to be one of my favorite NV roses in the 1990s and early 2000s and it had been many years since tasting the last one; this was deliciously fruity, but not overly so with fresh and bright red cherry and strawberry on the nose and palate with noticeable sweetness, but not cloyingly so; it had a nice creamy mousse and held on to its flavorful red fruit profile over the course of drinking the bottle.
NV TZARINA No 1 BRUT in magnum- 50% Chardonnay and Pinot Noir; this was a first for me from the producer, Chanoine Freres, which happens to be the 2nd oldest house in the region, founded in 1730; it was a terrific bubbly presented in a classy magnum clear glass bottle; it offered aromas of fresh citrus fruit which once tasted translated into initially grapefruit, then lemon and lime followed with a coat of honey and a touch of minerality; it had a nice balance, medium body and a soft, pleasanter mousse.
2006 LOUIS ROEDERER CRISTAL- I took this to share with folks I knew would enjoy it and also to check in on the vintage as it was my last bottle and I’m preparing to reload; glad I did as it was stupendous; following its still very youthful light yellow color came aromas of bright citrus fruit with lemon and lime most prominent plus honeyed yellow apple which became more dominant on the palate; it had a wondrous creamy, oily mouthfeel with some weight, bright acidity, full body and an extended finish that resulted in holding off for the next taste for a while to allow for the complete experience to be treasured. I’m looking for more as I type these notes.
The Tzarina retails for $150. I have been interested in trying it; I have enjoyed many bottles of the mid-tier Cuvee Orium. Do you think it’s worth the tarriff?
Scott, I’m not sure it is worth the tariff you quote. I certainly found it to be a nice presentation and pleasant drink. It was referred to the ones who bought it by a supposedly knowledgable local NW Arkansas wine shop owner who is schooling them on “hidden treasures”.
I would suggest buying one bottle and see if it fits your preferences.
I’m not in this thread as often as many of you, but I know what I like, and I like Vilmart. This is on again. Disg. 2017. Complex and broad. Pear, lemon, brioche yadda yadda. Is good!
I believe the formula for Grand Cellier is typically subtract 3 years from disgorgement to establish the base year, then reserves from the two vintages preceding the base. Someone should correct my 58 year old memory if I be wrong.
Enjoy the wine FWIW a recent bottle of 2017 Grand Cellier d’Or was terrific. Yeah not the same wine but the base year the same with a fairly equal proportion of Chard/Pinot Noir. The sites for both wines are not far apart either.
From a magnum, the 2009 vintage plays into Philipponnat’s style of power, elegance, and purity. The Pinot Noir dominates but harmonizes with Chardonnay. Red berries, apples, and bright lemon, with the rich, yeasty brioche. We loved this.
Extracted from a thread just posted re a local winemakers birthday wines:
2012 A. MARGAINE BLANC de BLANC VILLERS-MERMERY 1er Cru in magnum- tirage 5/13, disgorged 6/20 @ 8 gpl; as usual, I arrive early especially when bringing champagne in order to get it ready to pour for the others and on this night, Roelanda and I sat for 20 minutes with this bottle in front of us as we were ready to start the celebration and poured a taste for the sake of quality control- Ha!; the nose offered fresh citrus fruit notes with some ginger and straw; the taste profile confirmed it with first orange zest, then lemon, lime and yellow apple; it was the orange flavor that prevailed throughout and I kept preferring the lemon to take over; it had a nice creamy mousse and some richness and seemed to need more time to evolve and it did over the next hour.
2012 TAITTINGER COMTES de CHAMPAGNE BLANC de BLANC- this was brought by another and was opened at the end when it was announced by the one who brought it who asked if anyone wanted it opened; I responded with my usual “Does a cat have an ass?” and 8 others agreed- cats do have an ass and let’s open it; my last bottle was in February and it was the best one of many already tasted and now this one was another fine 2012 that was drinking great now with promises for even more greatness in the future; it’s gaining more richness and weight while maintaining the wondrous taste profile of honeyed lemon, lime and yellow apple, the latter becoming more prevalent as it matures; this bottler was super refreshing, bright and elegant while sporting an aura of class and royalty.
The person at the Vilmart table at La Fete 3 years ago told me the formula was subtracting 2 years. So for a 2019 disgorgement the vintages were 2015, 2016, 2017.
It can be two or three years as Vilmart tends to disgorge the Grand Cellier across years. The first disgorgements tend to be towards the end of one year and then continue on through the beginning of the next year. For example disgorgements at the start of 2023 were 2020 base while disgorgements at the end of 2023 were 2021 base.
For my bachelor party a few weeks back, we broke the emergency glass on these…the Krug 03 was in outstanding shape, maybe the 8th time I have had it and am shocked it is still so fresh. The RD08 was equally outstanding, though too young so I gave the edge to the Krug. The DP P3s were great, but a little sluggish and “thick” compared to the others, maybe they need another 10 years to integrate better. Meanwhile, the Selosse Initial disgorge from 2016 slayed them all. The LeBrun Servenay 09 was a killer little bottle to get things started for the weekend, an outstanding value for a wine that is released with a LOT of age!
I opened a Krug 03 a few weeks ago and was also surprised how fresh and young the wine showed. It had a reductive white burgundy like nose, but the palette was very much Krug through and through. Showed very differently than other vintage Krug bottles I’ve had, but I loved it nonetheless.
