These were part of a bigger retailer tasting, but I specifically wanted to highlight them as these were poured from the Cage Champagne portfolio that Garth Hogdon brings in. If you aren’t familiar with him, for years he was the national rep for Krug but left it a few years back and started up his own import company focusing solely on very small champagne producers. I’ve had a bunch of other wines from this portfolio and he’s bringing in some absolute bangers that people should seek out!
[list][*]NV J.M. Gandon Champagne Les Pièces Brut Nature V20 - France, Champagne (12/11/2024)
I dream of Champagne (Cru and Domaine, Portland OR): Well this is a fun surprise. Barely any of this is made and not much makes it to the US. So, for it to emerge from under the table brings a good bit of happiness for me. The nose is layered and robust, but with a good bit of poise to the tones of flint, warm dough, freshly baked bread, stone fruits, red apples, quince, pears, meyer lemons, yellow flowers, and a touch of baking spices to round it all out. The Medium bodied feel is well rounded and balanced with a lot of length to the finish as well as tart, high acidity that holds everything together. It will be difficult to come across a bottle of this again, though I badly hope I do! (93 pts.)
[*]NV Caillez-Lemaire Champagne Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (12/11/2024)
I dream of Champagne (Cru and Domaine, Portland OR): This is pretty and fresh as it really draws you in immediately with tones of strawberries, red berries, crushed rocks, green apples, citrus notes, pears, rose petals, biscuits, cinnamon spices, and a fairly big hit of saline. There is excellent depth and poise to go with the attractive qualities. The Medium bodied feel carries through the freshness and elegance of the nose along with tart, high acidity that makes your mouth water. This is showing beautifully and with a lot of freshness that is irresistible. It’s hard not to take your nose away from the glass and should be completely enjoyed in its current form. (92 pts.)
[*]NV Daniel Moreau Champagne Ligne de Mire - France, Champagne (12/11/2024)
I dream of Champagne (Cru and Domaine, Portland OR): The nose is fresh and lifted with a distinct flinty base and background to the tones of red apples, stone fruits, crushed rocks, a touch of smoke, yellow flowers, pears, biscuits, baking spices, and some saline. There is excellent depth and salinity here that is almost Chablis-like. The Medium bodied feel is deft and fresh with tart, high acidity that has a nice bit of cut. This is excellent and my first introduction to this tiny producer. There is a pristine quality to the tones that adds some tension and intrigue that makes you pay closer attention to the wine. (92 pts.)
[*]NV Daniel Moreau Champagne Pièce Maîtresse - France, Champagne (12/11/2024)
I dream of Champagne (Cru and Domaine, Portland OR): The nose shows off some lovely autolytics that are noticeable right away. Surrounding those autolytics lie balanced tones of toast, red apples, nectarines, pears, chamomile, biscuits, meyer lemons, hazelnuts, and yellow flowers. There is a seamless style that works really well with the autolytics and tree fruits playing well together. The Medium bodied feel shows off excellent balance and poise with tart, high acidity that integrates well while still retaining some zip. This works really well with what it does. It’s honest and balanced as it leans more into the leesy notes than citrus tones. (90 pts.)
[*]NV Famille Delouvin Champagne La Tuilerie - France, Champagne (12/11/2024)
I dream of Champagne (Cru and Domaine, Portland OR): The nose shows off a toastier side with roasted nuts being the first thing that I notice before giving way into tones of red apples, quince, bosc pears, nectarines, yellow flowers, brioche, toast, and warm dough. There is good depth, but with a slight bit of brutishness behind it. The Medium bodied feel shows off that more robust and toasty quality along with crisp, high acidity that provides a good spine. This likely could use 24ish months to fully come together and smooth out some of the rough edges. It will always be on the brawny side as that’s just how it comes off. (90 pts.)[/list]
