Took advantage of a family gathering to open a magnum of 2016 Christophe Baron Le Dessus du Bois Marie Crouttes-sur-Marne (100% pinot meunier) partially because I wanted more data to help decide whether or not to order the 2020 offerings opened up this week. This was a really powerful, rich and serious wine. Loads of pear, plum, citrus, spiciness up front and scents of floral arrangements in the background. One of the richest wines that I’ve had this year. While I’ll admit the price is a challenge, drinking it is not. Excellent, 4 (out of 5)
Edit: I noticed that it needed to be not much cooler than room temperature to show its best. It really was less impressive when colder but really blossomed as it warmed. Maybe that’s a pinot meunier thing.
Amaury Beaufort Les Jardins de la Porte de Troyes Brut Nature
BW: 2018 DG: 3/24
A tough bottle for me to wrap my senses around. I am not sure if this was off a bit or part of the style but overall it wasn’t something I was excited to revisit the next day. Too many turns in the wine to find my way.
Aromas lean into a sherry top note with apple and apricot the fruit note. On the palate, the wine takes a bit of effort. Not airy but not vinous either just a bit disorganized. I like the flavor profile more than the aromatics which offer up cranberry and coffee.
This producer seems to be buzzing around, and I’d be keen to try another bottling. Any favorites out there from this producer?
My mountain biking buddies took me out to dinner last night to mark my retirement. They wanted to know what mixed drinks I wanted, and I said “none, I’ll bring champagne”.
2012 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année Rosé
Bollinger did a great job with both versions of LGA in 2012. This rosé leans Pinot, like the Philipponnat 1522 Rosé the other night. Red berries, strawberries, and a bit of orange come through clearly. It’s got a great mix of structure, weight, and energy. A seriously impressive wine.
2006 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut
From a magnum, and my last bottle of this vintage. 2006 Cristal is dinstinctive. It shows the density you’d expect from the vintage, but with enough tension to keep it lively. Sweeter on the palate than recent vintages I’ve opened, probably reflecting the higher dosage at the time. The house was in the early stages of transitioning to biodynamic farming. Always in a class by itself, this drank beautifully for hours, each glass more stunning than the previous.
Congratulations on your retirement, Warren.
Second bottle…it’s wonderful! Creamy, yeasty, bright with citrus, rich yet energized…Cedric Bouchard on the cheap???
Been hearing good things. Need to get my hands on some before it goes 
and I can’t afford it.
Doyard is so underrated it hurts. Their 2008 Lumieres held its own in a lineup against Cedric and Selosse at an event I went to 2 years ago. Absolutely worth seeking out. Clos de l’Abbaye is great too
Can always count on 
to be enablers!
Sorry 
you’ll hate me even more when I say the Vendemiaire is only $42.50 / bottle on winebid
Sold out as I went to check out. Some Berserker sniped me! 
Not anymore!
I posted about the WB bottles weeks ago, that’s where I got mine as you can see, and I was shocked that they weren’t wiped out? Just silly a wine for $42 with no commission to boot!
From this evening. I handed off the final glass to the GM in the restaurant so nothing to retry tomorrow. PS… @Steve_Costigan, this 2020 is not as powerful as the 2019 but drinks with a nice balance and weight.
- 2020 Ruppert-Leroy Champagne Brut Nature Fosse-Grely - France, Champagne (5/29/2025)
October 2022 disgorgement. 50/50 Pinot Noir and Chard. No dose. First of two. This for me showed well. I sense more of the Chard impacting the wine, with sliced green apple and dried pear, and a grated orange and lemon zest. Where the Pinot Noir emerges is through a tangy blueberry note. There is a light stoniness to the finish, a more gentler minerality. This is a good iteration of Fosse-Grely.
Posted from CellarTracker
Sounds beautiful. I think the 2019 was 80% PN so your note makes perfect sense. Thanks for that note. Coincidentally, I discovered two bottles of the 2019 Cognaux in the cellar and managed to squeeze a taste in this evening. No time for detailed notes right now unforutnately but it’s a wine of great character and bold personality, really terrific. Cheers.
Yet another new (for me and for CT TNs) Henriet Bazin wine to kick the weekend off here. This is also a BdB, but a huge contrast to the Marie-Amelie that I tried a couple of weeks ago. That was oak-free, this is all oak!
Got a few of these Marie Demets from Fass. another bottle, as solid as first. Wouldn’t trip over myself running to find more, but it’s a decent bottle of Champagne for just under $50. Disg 10/2022
Steve, Fosse-Grely is 50/50…at least all of the vintages I have opened have been built this way, including the 2019. I don’t think they vary it.
Enjoy the 2019 Cognaux!
For all the Comtes-heads out there: my wedding is coming up in October, and I’ve got two bottles of 2008 in the cellar. I know that these will go for decades, but has anyone tasted one recently and think it’s worth opening one now and then leaving the other for a 10th anniversary-type thing, God and marriage willing?
Sean, congratulations!
As for the Comtes, it’s 17 years old and for me, squarely in the sweet spot. I would not hesitate to pop the bottle and enjoy. I think it’s an extraordinary wine. Well worthy of a spectacular celebration.
Cheers!
Not drinking these yet but a certain WBer supplied me with these 3 bottles shipped to my daughter’s house to celebrate the birth of our first grandchild (a little boy). Once she is drinking again I will post my first ever tasting notes on WB.
Congratulations! A more worthy celebration there has never been. Call out the generous Berserker so they might be lauded appropriately for both their impeccable taste and their generosity.
Cheers!