Agree, this is an excellent champagne, a personal favorite. Had this twice at Bistro de l’Hotel in Beaune in their courtyard, great memories.
Dan,
This was my favorite post of the year. When you get around to writing it, I’ll look forward to reading your book of stories, travels, wine, and the people along the way.
Warren
2 Likes
2002 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas François
This bottle showed the familiar mix of pear, sweet lemon, red berries, and sour apple that I’ve loved in past tastings. That said, it didn’t quite have the same energy as previous bottles. It’s possible this reflects differences in disgorgement or provenance, as I’ve sourced from multiple places over the years. Still, it was a pleasure to drink, and this cuvée continues to impress across bottles.
Posted from CellarTracker
I drank this with my son, who doesn’t usually enjoy wine—except Champagne. He recently completed his STEM degree in fermentation science at CSU in Fort Collins. We opened the bottle at a fantastic local bar/restaurant known for its small, flavorful tapas-style dishes with an Asian twist. We were on our way to the premiere of the new Mission Impossible movie. A fun adventure, as long as you check your brain at the door and ignore the ridiculous implausibility of it all.
6 Likes
what’s the deal with the glass?
Depending upon what you’re referring to:
- Restaurant wine glass, or
- Just messing around with photo edits, sharpening image on a dark background, or
- I have no idea why the photo made the top of the glass look so angular
1 Like
yeah I was getting to #3 which looks all kinds of wrong, and not just with the lip.
1 Like
The following are notes from the same tasting that @Frank_Murray_III organized and wrote about above. In a strange hit of fate, each one of us brought a delicious bottle and an off/dud bottle. My WOTN was the Laherte Frères pinot meunier. My dud of the night was my Horiot rosé… a dud that even my “drink just about everything” husband thought was unpleasant.
Blind. 100% PM, 2-4 g dosage, disg Dec 2023.
Rich apple on the nose with some fresh yeast that is bubbling up. On the palate, rich, round apple supreme. My wine of the night.
100% PN from single parcel "en barmont". Semi-carbonic maceration for 4 days. 1320 bottles. Disg Jan 2023, dosage 0.
Ever so slightly cloudy rose red color. On the nose, I initially got a sherried note, something like raw cranberries soaked in sherry. Unripe strawberries, chopped unsweetened cranberries, something stemmy in the mid palate, and that odd sherry note on the finish. During dinner, I said something along the lines that this was a wine that made me think but wasn't what I would call pleasurable.
I took the bottle home seeing as no one else wanted it. My husband asked to taste something and when I poured this for him, he said "what *is* this?" in a tone that dripped with disdain (and he likes almost everything). I was surprised at his reaction, so I tasted it again, and it was worse than at the tasting. At room temp, this comes across as raw chopped cranberry relish that is just starting to turn sour. My husband tried a few more sips, concluded that it was "unpleasant" and poured his glass out.
Two days later, I decided to revisit (bottle was still over 1/2 full), and it had declined further. I have other bottles of this vintage and other vintages, so hopefully this was just a bad bottle, but I am not terribly optimistic.
Blind: 90% Chard, 10% PM. Dosage XB
I struggled with this mightily. Smelled like green stems and diluted pine needles. Lemon, lemon pith, mid palate of chewing on a stem. I revisited after dinner and my impression was the same. Disappointing because I want to like Chartogne-Taillet.
Blind.Disg 2022, 100% chard, malo, 1.5g dosage.
Comes across as a clean BdB. Lemon, lime zest, pomelo zest, green apple. A bit tight, but by far the winner over the Chartogne Taillet served in the same flight.
Blind. 100% chard. Smells slightly ox. On the palate, orange, yellow apple that is starting to brown, broiled lemon. Long finish. Against all odds (being a BdB), I liked it a lot more than the rest of the table and took it home. While it has aged very prematurely, I still enjoyed it. It's kind of like your wild friend from high school that spent the last 30 years partying and is worse for the wear... but you still enjoy hanging out with them.
No helpful info whatsoever on the back label.
Not blind. 70% chard, 30% PN. Dosage 5-6g/L.
I brought this and the special club bottle is clearly identifiable. Pale salmon color. Fluffy mousse. Fresh strawberry, yellow peach, candied strawberry, some blood orange in the mid palate. More elegant than the regular PB rose. This should make anyone happy as long as they don't have to store the extra chubby bottle. During dinner, I debated whether this special club was worth the price, but maybe that's an unfair assessment: I have had way worse bottles for more.
5 Likes
Not champagne but will go head to head with many grower rosé. Haliotide Rosé Topotero Vineyard SLO 2021. Extra Brut 5g/l, disgorged 10/2024, en tirage for 30 months.
Revisiting this 7 months post disgorgement. This was the superstar at Xmas dinner despite being an infant. Served in Josephine No.1 glass. Bottle pressure was crazy; the cork almost popped out when I barely finished untwisting the cage. Very aggressive bubbles when opened and the wine sprayed everywhere despite I tried holding the cork shut.
Beautiful salmon-copper color with very fine beads.
Nose of creamy strawberry, blood orange, ocean breeze, some nectarine and hint of underbaked croissant. Nice concentration of juicy red berries, ripen red citrus, honeycrisp apple, oyster shell. Racy, medium long finish. Bf’s first experience with CA rosé sparkler, he emptied the bottle behind my back so I guess that’s his approval. 
IMO one of the top CA sparkling producers.
5 Likes
2019 Ruppert-Leroy Fosse Grely brut nature, 80% pinot noir, 20% chardonnay, dg 10/2021.
I’ve been a fan of R-L having enjoyed about a dozen bottles of most of their cuvees over various vintages and never had one that was unclean or brett affected until this one. There’s been some lively conversation about this producer and their minimal intervention or natural wine-maker-ish approach. This one was most noticeably brett affected which manifested as cheesy to my nose and palate. I could actually tolerate that somewhat and put down two small glasses but the worst part was that the brett flattened out and muddled the crystalline and crunchy delicious fruit that makes the R-L wines so delicious. And I learned I don’t like cheesy Champagne! While this one tainted bottle won’t keep me from trying R-L in the future, particularly the Papillon my favorite, I get why some have been critical.
2 Likes
Jean Vesselle Oeil de Perdrix Brut Blanc de Noirs Champagne - $50 in Chicago
Not labeled as a Rose, but a BdN where the producer didn’t filter out the color - I don’t know how this differs from the Saignée method, and will leave that for any producers/experts. Needless to say, big surprise while pouring.
Med+ / full bodied champagne, with moderate acidity and oxidative profile. Moderate brioche with a hint of raspberry fruit. If I had another bottle, I’d taste blindfolded as the color is likely influencing the amount of red fruit I taste.
While not the most ageworthy, it suits my taste perfectly. Great price point as well.
4 Likes
Damn. When I had my final bottle of this last year, it was one of the very best bottles of Champagne for 2024. One of those wow moments, and of all the R-L I have had to date, this cuvee and vintage together was the very best one, for sure.
Too bad about this one, Steve.
I got my 2020s…you got any? If so, I’d open one alongside you virtually if you like.
1 Like
Finished the LF Autrefois last night. Drinking really well, we both seemed to have liked it equally too–pretty cool.
As to that Horiot, oy vey. Even Jeff poo-poo’d it… 
1 Like
Thanks for the note Blake, been holding on to a couple for a few years. Look forward to opening one!
1 Like
Frank-Sounds like fun but I just checked my inventory and don’t have the 2020 version of that wine. I’ll have to track some down and order if I can find it! Cheers.
Cross-posted:
4 Likes
Ugh. I hope Dehours hasn’t fallen prey to the cult of the ‘no dose’. I’ve started really enjoying the value of their NV bottles.
2 Likes
Here are my notes from the Wed dinner with Astrid and Frank. I think we largely agreed on everything which is a minor surprise. That is likely largely due to what Astrid points out; one dud and one winner each. They came out in the flights that way too forcing the contrasts.
I hadn’t been in this thread in some time but its good to see others enjoying Dhondt-Grellet. I was happy to have the opportunity to introduce them to Frank and Astrid. But guys, please use the NV in CT. Using the vintage listings when bottles are MV is a pet peeve. 
Flight #1
- 2020 Laherte Frères Champagne Extra Brut Les Vignes d’Autrefois - France, Champagne (5/21/2025)
Served blind. Light salmon tinge revealing a red graped source. Fresh nose showing saline and soil. Clean and tight yet. Nice fruit in here and a decent grip. Probably couple years rest will help this reach greater heights. Nice potential.
- 2016 Olivier Horiot Champagne Sève Rosé de Saignée En Barmont Les Riceys - France, Champagne (5/21/2025)
Served blind. Clearly a rose but the appearance lacked clarity with a dark maroon shade. The nose is like that of a well aged red wine. Juicy and frothy. Lets out a tinge of a Rhone like character. Guessing a non-Champagne would have a been a fair guess from someone who didn't know any better. As a non-dose skeptic its just another data point for avoiding aging such wines. Even with that, this is off in the wilderness.
Flight #2
- 2016 Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Saint-Thierry Extra Brut - France, Champagne (5/21/2025)
Served blind. I thought this was a go-to bottle for the night. As in, this is gonna hit big. But we all struggled with it mostly. Which is starting to become a theme for me and CT. I think they have leaned too heavily into the so-called "natural" for me. This is a decent wine but you really expect a lot more. It just never really gels. And a night open didn't help. Very consistent. Initially shows reduction behind a clean Blanc de Blancs character. Medium bodied and the acid doesn't quite carry it to the finish. More pleasant as it sits open but never really takes off or comes together. It's still dancing around a night later.
- NV Dhondt-Grellet Champagne Premier Cru Les Terres Fines Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (5/21/2025)
Served blind. A bit more reserved than the wine next to it, giving an earthy expression with subtle notes. Stoney earth made this stand out before even sipping. Complex and engaging on the palate, too. This was a late addition as a sort of back-up but I think we all liked it much more than the wine I brought as a trump. I continue to be impressed with this bottling.
Flight #3
- 2012 Jacques Lassaigne Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature Clos Sainte Sophie - France, Champagne (5/21/2025)
Served blind. Golden color. Another wine showing as well aged. Which given the participants and the hints at what was to be brought, was really perplexing in both instances. Aside from the oxidation notes there is some pleasing golden apple, lemon oil and butterscotch aromas. The aged qualities block most of the palate expression. My other experience with this producer caused me to request this bottle. Maybe another victim of no dosage?
- 2016 Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Spécial Club Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (5/21/2025)
Served blind. They held back on the dosage some. I wonder if that is a reflection of the vintage as this is quite light for a rose. And its interesting they even went for a Sp Club rose in 2016. But it all works. Very friendly and easy to love. Hits all the right notes. Fruity and bready but also very fresh. Never big and well balanced. A wine you could serve to nearly anyone. Lovely. Overnight its still fresh but maybe loses a step in terms of expression. That nectarine and Jolly Rancher fruit has receded to a subdued state though the wine is still engaging overall. Good stuff.
Posted from CellarTracker
7 Likes
Happy holiday weekend to those here in the US. Lots of beach clouds floating around this afternoon, a cool day here. I received a bunch of Mousse a few months back so working through a bit more of it. this time, from the green clay, Terre d’illite. Drinking great, with lots of pleasure. For what it’s worth, if anyone is planning a trip to Champagne, a visit to see Cedric Mousse should be on your list. I’ve been fortunate to visit him 2X and he is full of energy, knowledge and generosity. If I can get back there soon, a stop for sure I will make again.
PS…of note, the capsule for these (and I think on the other new cuvees too) are made of paper. No more synthetic plastic/foil…just a clean, white paper with a cool inscription on the back side. Gotta give Cedric credit for pushing the limits on how his environmental impact.
- 2019 Famille Moussé Champagne Terre d'illite Blanc de Noirs - France, Champagne (5/25/2025)
Disgorged December 2022. 2.5 grams of dosage (which is about 1/2 what it used to be just 5 years ago), composed of 80% Meunier and 20% Pinot Noir. Cedric seems to have changed the composition on the wine, increasing the Pinot Noir from the 5% that it was built on for so many vintages. First of two bottles, and actually the first bottle of Terre d'illite since I last finished my 2014s. Not sure why I lost track of the cuvee as it's been one I have liked for some time (I tend to prefer and gravitate to the no dose Les Vignes de Mon Village). Opened yesterday, revisiting today without food prior to dinner. Like yesterday, this is built on a juicy frame. Tangy, juicy peach is how the fruit comes, mixing with berry (kind of a strawberry/cherry), and what I just want to call a liquified red apple, which probably sounds strange yet that is how it resonates to me. What enamors me about this wine is the texture--it has a plush, juicy expression that just keeps pulling me back. There is acid here, but it's more of a support to the fruit, coming through in an orangey and apple skin way. My sense is that this is a better near-term drinker, yet delicious in how it shows now.
Posted from CellarTracker
6 Likes