You had me at “ a long weekend in Paris” … 
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I was a little let down by this bottle. I don’t want to overstate it, it is definitely a nice Champagne, balanced, harmonious and possessing some depth. It was just a little too delicate for my liking, though it had acceptable concentration. I wanted a little more power, texture and length, though it wasn’t exactly deficient in that regard, It was simply missing that little extra which would have pushed it to a higher level. I may be a victim of my high expectations here.
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I haven’t had that one, but loved the '04 Champ d’Alouette Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, and really liked a couple of vintages of the Coeur de Terroir Vertus. I wouldn’t give up on Pascal Doquet.
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I liked this bottle. It certainly doesn’t temper my enthusiasm for trying more Doquet. it just fell short of the hype.
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We spring skied Beaver Creek or Vail 2013-16 and 2018-19, and dinner at Vin48 was always a must. (In 2017 we went to Keystone in case curious.)
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I thought the ‘14 GA was stunning in November. And kept getting better with air.
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Extracted from a thread just posted: Five fabulous wines drank at dinner with our blind wine group: 2007 and 2009 Cristal, 2020 Lorenzon Piece 15, 2004 Rochioli River Block Pinot Noir, 2000 Pontet-Canet
2007 LOUIS ROEDERER CRISTAL BRUT- blind; the color was light yellow and the glorious nose suggested something extra special forthcoming with fresh and ripe citrus fruit accented with a coat of ginger; the taste profile contained more of the same plus a touch of brown sugar and defined the citrus as primarily lemon and lime; the texture had a bit of weight that complimented the richness, power and complexity; it finished on an upbeat with everything coming together; I sipped this for 1 1/2 hours and it just seemed to hold its course and offer pure pleasure throughout. It was simply amazing and wonderful. I guessed it to be 2008 Cristal and was pleasantly shocked and surprised to find it was 2007 not expecting it to be that full on and ready.
2009 LOUIS ROEDER CRISTAL BRUT- my bring and poured blind for the others; I chose this for a couple of reasons, one being I’ve had quite a few different vintages of late and wanted to check in on the 2009 as well as bring something I knew the group would appreciate and that happened in spades; following its clear, light yellow color came aromas of fresh cut white flowers, yellow apple and lemon zest that continued on with a coat of honey; it had a smooth frothy mouthfeel, bright acidity and exuded elegance and charm; in contrast to the 2007, this did not have the power and complexity, but did display similar class and royalty.
Cheers,
Blake
@Jon_Lawrence @Warren_Taranow @Steve_Nordhoff @Chris_Seiber @Frank_Murray_III @Nick_Christie @Mikael_OB @
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Which vintage was this bottle?
I had the '07 a little over a year ago. I too expected more than I got but that’s not exactly the best vintage to judge the wine on. I found the nose more interesting than the palate. I have another bottle I’m going to keep another year or so to see if there is further development.
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‘09. This bottle was disgorged two years ago.
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@Brian_Tuite …Rat, did you bring this with you for yesterday? If so, thank you! Really liking this a lot. I still think it’s a step down from Fosse-Grely and yet what’s here, for 100% Pinot Noir, is great.
- 2020 Ruppert-Leroy Pinot Noir Champagne Brut Nature Papillon - France, Champagne (3/16/2025)
October 2022 disgorgement, 100% Pinot Noir, no dose, farmed bio. This is the treatment for all the wines from the domaine, with just variances on the plot sources or varietal composition. I have had a lot of bottles from R-L, so to see this sitting on my BBQ island as we cleaned up from the party, I thought, well, that's good fortune so let's seal up the remainder and try tomorrow. I left this on the counter for today, serving without chill at 66f room temp. Pairing with cheese, crackers and blueberries. Rose gold color, as mentioned by another person in their notes. This is pretty true to the R-L style--crisp, baked apple, gentle mineral and subtle crushed red fruits. This vintage of Papillon has a cool chisel to it, along with something I would describe as both juicy and lightly plump, too. As to the acid, it's here yet well-placed in the wine, it's an orangey citrus. Nicely composed finish, very neat and balanced. I like this iteration of Papillon but I'm more convinced that the addition of equal parts Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Fosse-Grely plot that goes into the cuvee of the same name is the better cuvee from the domaine. I just got my 2020s of Fosse-Grely so will have that one teed top over the next few weeks (of note, the 2019 of that cuvee is dy-no-might!--a must try if you are an R-L fan).
Posted from CellarTracker
@AstridKG not sure if you tried this last night outside during the afterparty. I bet you this wine would get lost in the stuff that was out there. Anyway, if you tried it and managed a recall of the wine, or Brian you as well, would enjoy hearing that you thought of it.
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Blake, happy to see you enjoying things, especially your love of Cristal. Can’t say I have had the 2007, but I have had the 2009 a # of times and while I was very enthralled with it early on, as my palate has shifted (perhaps in this case into the dark side!), I have found the 2009 to be more on the sweetish side. It was a mag and my last one back in 2021, and the wine just seemed disappointing to me. For me, I guess as a comparison (and a wine I know you have fondness for, well, moreso the producer), I’d enjoy more the 2009 Vilmart Coeur de Cuvee. In 2009, I just find that Vilmart better for my palate.
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Opened a Closerie LC20 this weekend. It drank OK not great.
Ha ha. Brian took a whiff. He said it smelled like natural gas. He passed around his glass a bit so we could experience it. I dunno if Astrid or Todd went in for a glass. I passed. 
Too bad. The wine tastes great to me. Like finding cash on the street…yeah man, I’ll put that in my wallet with a smile, or in this case, put in a stopper and have tomorrow. R-L is getting bad pub…it doesn’t deserve it.
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I went a few rounds with them. There is clearly some good fruit being put in their bottles. I’ll buy again when they move on from the trendy skipping SO2 thing.
I get that its supposed to show care of the fruit to skip that but they should also care that the fruit survives the travels of both time and distance. The use of SO2 is to stabilize wines so that they can be enjoyed beyond the winery. Claiming its an adulteration is not only thumbing their nose at winemaking achievements hundreds of years old but is also selling the world biology experiments at Champagne prices. There are plenty of producers selling shelf stable wines that deserve our dollars where my biggest concerns are things like is the dosage appropriate and is the vintage balanced or not.
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Cris, my perception here is that you are conflating trend with belief. Can you accept that a producer is dedicated to a style, a process and way of making wine that is not involved with a trend–a belief about how they want to make wines? You and I spend where we want to and that’s the way it should work. I support them, in part, because they are passionate about biodynamics, farming with a purpose that is deeply grounded beyond a trend. I admire them because it’s how I treat my own soil in my own backyard, which is something that is beyond a trend, instead deeply important to me and what goes into my mouth and system. I also happen to like the wines, especially their Fosse-Grely.
Well, seems like a lot of producers suddenly came up with that ‘belief’ around the same time. That’s what I would call a trend. If RL was the only producer or maybe one of a handful, it would be different.
Many producers in other regions are pulling back. I think in Champagne too. That is going from no SO2 to minimum necessary to stabilize the wines.
Experimenting is fantastic. I just don’t like producers selling us experiments as though they are the same finished products we are used to. Its not transparent and I think the trend back away from the lack of SO2 is proof that the bottled wines have often been showing up as less than the producers want their work to represent.
Cris, please go research R-L and see what they stand for. Look at how they farm, the agronomy of their property, how they do things. And how they mentor and teach others who want to learn about the ways of how they do things. This isn’t trendy for them, it is who they are. This is belief and a way of being, not a trend.
Sorry @Frank_Murray_III the nose turned me off last night. Yeah. I brought it and opened it. Not sure if that blew off overnight, hopefully it did, but last night it was a hard stop for me. Triggering PTSD 
2015 Deutz Champagne Rosé Brut Millésimé Amour de Deutz
One of the few 2015’s I’ve opened. Deutz never seems to fail me, especially the Amour and Wm. Deutz cuvées. This rosé is often amongst my favorites, alongside Elisabeth Billecart, Vilmart Emotion, Egly-Ouriet…
From a half bottle. Starts with fresh strawberries and raspberries, like summer in a glass, with a little citrusy tangerine peel. There’s a light, floral vibe running through it, with nice minerality. Some 2015s may have that slightly green, underripe thing going on, but not this one. It’s smooth, balanced, and just a touch herbal in a way that adds interest, not distraction.
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