I am in love with this once it has some age.
Disclaimer: we sell this.
90% Chardonnay with 10% still Pinot Noir (Coteaux Champenois). This is a base of 2017 with 7g/l and disgorged in March 2022.
Don’t serve this too cold. Nose of strawberries and red cherries, light barley sugar and orange zest. Light mid-palate, somewhat short finish. Good but treat this as a rather dry and short champagne.
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We’re visiting SE Florida to celebrate my Aunt’s 95th trip around the sun. I threw a few bottles into the suitcase after bubble wrapping them. This was the first bottle we opened, travel shock be damned.
2009 Dom Perignon.
Expressive and rich, although not as exuberant as some 2009’s. Orange, grapefruit, cream and reductive smokiness. Great verve and cut. We loved this, and it seems poised to improve with time.
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2014 L Aubry, Nombre d’Or Campanae Veteres Vites Brut
We enjoyed this bottle tonight and found it to have a unique and compelling flavor profile. Notes of yellow apple, pear, Meyer lemon, pastry dough, and a subtle herbaceous quality (in a good way) were complemented by a pronounced mineral character. The acidity was vibrant yet balanced.
Aubry is known for preserving vines of historic and rare Champagne varieties. While descriptions of the assemblage vary across sources, they agree the wine incorporates forgotten grapes of the region. Determining the exact blend proved challenging due to conflicting information online. However, the producer describes it as “a seven-voice Champagne,” suggesting a blend of all the historic grapes: Chardonnay, Arbanne, Petit Meslier, and the four Pinots—Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris (Fromenteau). 100% malolactic fermentation softens the acidity of the Petit Meslier.
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From another thread:
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Back in the day, Terry Theise would list the blend percentages in his catalog. Alas for those days.
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Lafalise Froissart ‘045’ Champagne Grand Cru Extra Brut - 77-23 pinot - chard, with something like 22% of the pinot reserve wines. Grand Cru from Verzenay. Grower family. This is sort of pinot-driven champagney champagne with a classic profile of citrus, sweet asian pear, a hint of white cherry, honeysuckle, and a faint whiff of toast. Nice acidity keeps things mouthwatering without the wine being bracing. Good balance here. Not mind bending complexity, but at the same time it disappears from your glass quite quickly. Perhaps not particularly memorable, but pretty enjoyable to drink. Tasty, easy. Probably in that 91-92 range.
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A few from the past week. I also had a 2007 Comtes last night but didn’t write a note. Seemed very toasty to me.
- 2004 Pascal Doquet Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil-sur-Oger - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (12/16/2024)
July 2013 disgorgement, can't read the scraped back label for dosage. I've hung onto this for quite a few years, given to me as a gift from some work colleagues. Opened last night, and my recall was green banana and caramel. Retasting 24 hrs later to see if I can focus better on what's here. Some gold is starting to creep into the color. Age is definitely in the wine now. Kind of a mashup of passion fruit, banana, caramel and yet the chalk in the wine is still very much living in the finish. The acidity here reminds me of a lemongrass and oxidizing yellow apple squeeze. I'm struggling here to decide whether I opened the wine too late or too soon! Either way, a bottle that makes me think, and a thank you to those work friends from long ago that gifted me this. - 2013 Perrier-Jouët Champagne Belle Epoque - France, Champagne (12/16/2024)
Trying to recall from the weekend without any notes. Light peach hue, with a creamy strawberry, citrusy and medium weight. Easy to drink. - 2016 Bérêche et Fils Champagne Premier Cru Le Cran Ludes - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (12/16/2024)
Disgorged July 2023. 50/50 Pinot Noir and Chard. 3 grams of dosage. A buddy bought this over yesterday and I capped it to retry today. Got this served at an ideal temp for this note. I've been a fan of Le Cran for a while now, the plot in 2008 produced some fantastic sh#t and I wish I would have saved one of those bottles to try now. I recall how good that bottle was so it often biases how I have looked at subsequent vintages of the wine (which has become expensive, too). This is a powerful, mainly in the concentration it expresses. Green apple skin, fresh cherry, orange, and a delicious apple tinged finish with a little lift of oxidation. I had thought this wine was a bit taut/lean yesterday but the finish is rounded nicely today, almost with an apple pie with crust that comes subtly through it. This is good, maybe a little on the oxidized style but I like it. - 2013 Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Grand Cru Les Chemins d'Avize - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (12/15/2024)
January 2021 disgorgement of the old vine Avize fruit. 100% Chard, of course. Opened yesterday with dinner, we finished most of it. The impression it left on me yesterday was a wine that seemed more lean and chiseled than I remember. Stoppered it up and took the final glass home, retasting today. Ligthly golden in color (hell, it's 11 years old). Lemon oil and golden apple, then a good push of fresh pear. Finishes with a good kick of chalk. With some additional warming of the wine, then some of the creamy oak comes through, too. My bet is that too cold and the wine is shutting down, but allowed to breathe and with the right temp, this is more approachable. Notably it's fresh and clean. This is my last one but for those who still have these, the runway ahead of this wine seems very positive.
Posted from CellarTracker
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Great night and great wine. I’m liking Deutz more with each bottle I open. Fresh, elegant and balanced. Drinking quite young from a magnum. We’re visiting family in SE Florida
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Agrapart 2018 Mineral
Disgorged May 2024, 3 G/L dosage
Very nice vintage of this wine. Crisp and precise, but still really nice clean fruit and a balanced finish.
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At the Delta Lounge in Fort Lauderdale. Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle 26
Wow. Elegance, balance and a long finish. I don’t typically love this cuvée when young, but this is an outstanding rendition.
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I’ve really enjoyed LP GS No. 26 recently too. It’s one that I’ll stock up on.
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Agree…I’d love more No. 26. But if they are blowing it out at the airport lounge, why can’t I get it for less that $250? Other champagnes have come down, other GSs are at $189 and less. Frustrating indeed.
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WSPro leads me to $220 at The Wine Stop in Burlingame (and just under $200 at a couple of places in the north-east) but your point holds in general. (It’s around US$180-190 in Europe and here in Hong Kong.)
aka guanabana. I saw it often at the Jamaican places in NY, typically served as a juice. Good stuff. Related to cherimoya (king of all fruits).
My experience has been that Wine Stop doesn’t always have those wines in stock, although my experience is out of date (partly because they didn’t always . . . .).
-Al
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Hmmmm, ok. Cool. I’ve seen cherimoya at a local market, but have never tried it. Sounds like I need to change that!
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I bought a large number of cases and got the price down if anyone is interested happy to help.
