Gaspard Brochet Tome V off the list at Cotogna, accompanying a nice pre Thanksgiving lunch. Elegant compared to the Tome IV I had some months back, which showed more power. Bursting with strawberries, great quality fruit, texture, and balance. I will keep snagging his wines when I can.
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After many positive reviews here of the Marie Courtin Résonance I picked up a few bottles, and I’m trying my first one tonight. I note previous reviews quoting base year and disgorgement, but I’m not finding any info on the labels. All I find is a “2014” and something like FCO (or PC0) or something like that on the cork.
What does that tell me?
Dinner at Yam’Tcha (1-star Michelin) in Paris last night. We weren’t planning to have Champagne and wine, but when I saw Selosse Initial for 320€, I couldn’t help myself. Despite owning several Selosse, this was our first time drinking it. Definitely memorable experience.
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There’s faint etching near the base of the bottle; you need to hold the bottle at the correct angle, in light, to see it. That will etching will indicate disgorgement date.
I would like to open a bottle of one of these Champagnes. Which would you choose? Thanks.
2008 Dom Perignon
2012 Dom Perignon
2008 Cristal
2013 Cristal
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NV Agrapart Champagne Les 7 Crus Extra-Brut - France, Champagne (8/24/2024)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over a couple hours –
– dosage: 6 g/L –
– disgorged: September 2023 –
– bottled: May 2021 –
NOSE: smells rich and heavy from a foot away, but straight from the glass it’s much lighter — floral and soapy.
BODY: very light; fine bead – starts aggressive, then calms-down to “persistent.”
TASTE: medium+ acidity; tangy/underbrushy – tastes Pinot Meunier heavy; tastes drier than 6 g/L; a bit green/underripe; not as much drive as I’d prefer. The 90% Chard / 10% Pinot Noir blend surprises me. Not a rebuy at $60.
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Happy Thanksgiving, Jim. I’d personally go with the '08 Cristal. I had both the '08s (DP and Cr.) fairly recently, and the Cristal seemed more within an optimal window. The others are young, unless you’re looking for those qualities.
Cheers,
Warren
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La Rogerie Champagne Grand Cru Le Bourg Sud - on the young side, lots of taught acidity but got better as the night went on. Lots of depth and weight from a supposedly weak base year but the multi-vintage nature sure does help it give more complexity and density. Lots of lemon, orchard fruit and minerality. A small hint of oxidization but barely noticeable, just gives it a nice touch of vinousness. Very good, with lots of upside.
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Thanks very much - very faint indeed, but I eventually found LR20 D1023ND from which I assume 2020 base vintage, disgorged October 2023, and (?) non-dosé.
So, cross-posted from FMIII’s charity thread (quick - 29/11 is the last day to contribute), this is what I found:
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2013 Cristal. The 2008 Cristal has been shut down the last few times I’ve had it.
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I vote for the 2008 Cristal. Even in its shut down state, and hopefully yours is not, it still has lots of goodness and IMHO, more than the others.
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My order:
2013 Cristal
2012 dom
2008 dom
2008 Cristal
08 Cristal to me isn’t anywhere near ready to drink without a 2 hour actual decant.
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Yesterday while Turkey prepping. Good wine, as this usually is. but I think the 244 has been a bit over-hyped. It’s good and solid at ~$50. Can def stand some age, so upside perhaps.
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Had 2015 Bollinger La Grande Annee twice over Thanksgiving break. The first was badly corked. The second was a nutty, apple driven return to classic oxidative Bolly GA, a style I’d hoped they’d departed from given the raciness of the 2012 and 2014, and the true dense and tense nature of 2008 RD. This is probably my least favorite GA since the early mid 200s. It’s almost a bit fat and sweet fruit driven, but undeniably oxidative. The pecan nuttiness is there, the apple is there. I just cannot believe this will be good in 20 years given my experience with those early 2000s Bolly GAs. I will trade anyone who is interested my 4 remaining 2015s for 2014s. This is in that 92-93 range because it is complex and has stuff going on, it’s just a style for Bollinger that leads–in my personal experience–to a young fade and a resulting profile that I find both boring and disappointing.
2004 Cristal, on the other hand, was a beautiful 20 year old champagne showing hints of apple and peach, citrus blossom, shortbread, and a lingering hint of butterscotch. Long and complex, refined and classy, with everything in its proper place. Rich, but with enough acid to keep things mouthwatering and bright. I’ve had more complex Cristal, and more exciting young Cristal, but this is a joyful bottle of wine with nothing out of place. A great way to start Thanksgiving. In that 95-96 range.
2008 Henriot Cuvee Hemera - This is 50-50 pinot and chard with a 5g/l dosage. A top cuvee from Henriot, and my favorite of their wines which I think, like Clouet, can be a bit clunky and “almost there” at other spots in the lineup. This is “there.” To be quite honest it opened up like a Dom Perignon, with cool pear, lemon, a hint of smoky reduction, then vanilla cream and pear frangipane tart. Nice crisp acidity and verve, and quite complex with an underlying note of lees adding richness to a taut but giving frame. This is not only delicious now, but seems built well to last. Just a hair below the Cristal, but showing young and very bright. 94ish range. Good stuff.
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Two bottles of Gosset Celebris 2008 with some definite bottle variation! The first was more advanced, a bit darker in color, with a pronounced nose of wheat bread, rich apricot, and somewhat oxidative. The flavor started out like this, but with air it settled down and more citrus came forward. Nice acidity and a medium long finish. The second bottle seemed much younger, sharper and more precise out of the bottle, nice citrus flavors and a bit of nice brioche/toastiness. Very pleasing! 12 years on the lees and. 4.8 g/l dosage.
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Taittinger Comtes 2008. A very nice wine, everything about it is pleasing . A beautiful nose, fine BdB flavor, great texture, precise bubbles, great length and a memorable finish. Great with some caviar, blinis, and crème fraiche.
But I couldn’t help but thinking there was no soul to this wine. Nothing to say this is a “Taittinger Comtes” and it is unique. No real identity, like some others, like Krug, Egly, Bollinger have. I’m not saying this is not as good, just not as satisfying?
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Between a charity dinner, a “Friendsgiving” dinner, and Thanksgiving, I’ve opened a bit of champagne over the past week.
Commemorative version of the Brut Reserve. Same impressions as my last bottle. Deep gold. Fine, energetic bead. Yeasty brioche with citrus, cherries, vanilla. Creamy texture. One of the top Grand Marques base cuvées. A little bottle age and a deep stock of reserve wines and a deep stock of reserve wines helps make this special.
A blend of 60 different crus. 2017 base, with 50% reserves going back more than 20 years.
40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, and 20% Pinot Meunier. Steel aged + 5-10% oak barrels. 9 gm/l dosage.
My favorite cuvée from Egly-Ouriet, aside from Les Crayères (which I can no longer justify at its current price). The VP is richly expressive, with notes of blood orange, lemon, and chamomile. The of oak aging helps provide texture, while the extended lees aging adds impressive depth and complexity.
The match stick reduction that showed in this bottle didn't bother me. Creamy citrus, rich brioche. Voluptuous and mineraled. I've recently back-filled. These should age a long time, although mine won't.
Almost orange in color. Flavors and scents of apricot, other pit fruit, pear, red berries, faint almond. Honeyed and dense but energetic.
Great complexity here. On the mature slightly oxidative side. Really dense, but the lower dosage (3gm) and acidity keep it fresh. Clearly a BdB, with pear, quince jelly, pastry notes.
Fun magnum for Friendsgiving. Red cherries, currants, strawberries, and floral notes. Lots to like here.
These need some time after disgorgement, and I believe this was an older bottle (there's no way to tell from the label or cork) based off the 2008 vintage.
There's always a beautiful interplay between the youthful and aged components in this wine. Some bottles show one side of that more than others This had biscuit, pear, apples, ginger with tart lemon flavors, coffee beans. Great finesse, complexity and chalky minerality.
Not champagne, but these wines continue to show very well. The last one I opened was two years ago, and it has changed very little. Quite vinous. While it's not made as a rosé, the color is a beautiful copper/coral. A fruity, steely nose, with sour cherry, pear and red raspberries. Succulent on the palate, especially compared to their crystalline BdB (which I also love). The bead is fine and gentle.
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Good. Its not just me. 
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Ha! I was trying to remember who else it was that dissented a bit. Thanks for the reminder.
Nothing’s immortal, but these old Krug Grand Cuvées are pretty durable. This half bottle was gorgeous, although I admittedly have an affinity for mature champagne. This was as much an aged complex white wine as an old champagne with faint effervescence. It’s likely from the 1980s. I reached out to Krug for more information about these bottles and initially received a response requesting additional photos. However, after sending the images, I haven’t heard back from them.
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