Me too. My sole complaint is that it’s a pain in the ass for me to assemble a complete horizontal. 
I wish they’d sell a box set.
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No kidding! Seven in total. And I am not sure if they make them all each year.
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Only a single data point, but I had a bottle with seven years of post disgorgement aging and it had really powerful acidity still.
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Sounds like Gimonnet, although not quite as many.
After painstaking effort, here’s what I’ve been able to gather, three bottles each of the following:
2016 Pehu Simonet Fins Lieux No 1 Verzenay Millésime Pinot Noir
2015 Pehu Simonet Fins Lieux No 1 Verzenay Millésime Pinot Noir
2014 Pehu Simonet Fins Lieux No 1 Verzenay Millésime Pinot Noir2016 Pehu Simonet Fins Lieux No 2 Verzenay Les Crayères Pinot Noir
2015 Pehu Simonet Fins Lieux No 2 Verzenay Les Crayères Pinot Noir2012 Pehu Simonet Fins Lieux No 3 Mailly Millésimé Pinot Noir
2016 Pehu Simonet Fins Lieux No 5 Mesnil sur Oger Millésimé Chardonnay
2016 Pehu Simonet Fins Lieux No 6 Verzenay Millésime Chardonnay
2015 Pehu Simonet Fins Lieux No 6 Verzenay Millésime Chardonnay
2014 Pehu Simonet Fins Lieux No 6 Verzenay Millésime Chardonnay2015 Pehu Simonet Fins Lieux No 7 Villers-Marmery Les Chouettes Chardonnay
2014 Pehu Simonet Fins Lieux No 7 Villers-Marmery Les Chouettes Chardonnay
2013 Pehu Simonet Fins Lieux No 7 Villers-Marmery Les Chouettes Chardonnay
I still need that damn 4.
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And this evening yet another producer new to me and to this thread. And this is really rather nice - I’m a big fan of rosé de saignée done well. Sadly it is also unknown to Wine-SearcherPro, so I’ve no idea how available it might be in the USA.
- NV Jacques Rousseaux Champagne Grand Cru Rosé de Saignée Extra Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (16/12/2025)
100% PN. 2020 base vintage. Lot: 308. Disgorged 06/2023, dosage 3.5g/l.
A very deep orange, pretty much scarlet, colour - very pretty.
The nose is fresh red fruit and chalky minerality. The palate is quite vinous: dark red fruit (redcurrants, less ripe blackberries), crisp, minerally, well balanced, quite complex. The dosage is well-judged for my palate, allowing the fruit to show but staying very fresh. The finish is rather long with red fruit, minerality and some drying tannins. Very more-ish.
Overall I think this is an excellent wine: crisp enough to work as an interesting aperitif, but with complexity and vinosity to pair with quite a wide range of food. For the ~US$42 that I paid this is a definite repeat buy. (91 points)
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And another one (well, 'tis the season to be jolly). This time another vintage from the Catherine Ronseaux branding (apparently just for Italy) of the Ronseaux-Wanner house.
- 2015 Catherine Ronseaux Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (16/12/2025)
From the producer's Instagram, it seems that the "Catherine Ronseaux" branding is purely for their Italian distributor (XtraWine) whence it arrived with me in Hong Kong. The main brand of this producer is "Ronseaux-Wanner".
Also from the producer website, although the bottle states "à Cramant" for the winery, it seems that the grapes come from GC plots throughout the côte des Blancs. 100% Chardonnay from 2015. 74 months ageing. Disgorged April 2024. Dosage Brut.
The nose is a bit restrained. Some citrus and a little minerality can be teased out. The palate is quite rounded: citrus, hints of cream, some unripe apples; mouth-coating in the finish, but in a way that is slightly cloying for me, so it's more "get this off my lips" than "give me more of that". But I appreciate that some prefer a less austere style.
Overall, this is a decent, well-made bottle of fizz, but just a bit over-dosed for my palate (more so than the 2016 which I enjoyed previously and prefer). This isn't a repeat buy for me at the ~US$40 that I paid. (87 points)
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Billecart Salmon Rose.
Thoroughly enjoyed with family and a beautiful tasting menu at Mirabelle in Beaver Creek CO. Shame they were out of the 2018 Marguet Shaman but the rose hit all the notes - crisp strawberry, bright acidity, elegant finish
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I need some guidance here please. I am currently sipping a Marie Courtin Eloquence which I got for the apparently decent price of US$71. I find no useful information on the labels regarding base vintage, disgorgement or dosage (except extra-brut). I find a very faint etching on the bottle which appears to include “D0316N”. The cork says “SOB6” and “2012”. What can I infer from that?
@Frank_Murray_III is the resident expert on this house, having visited the winery and posted extensively about the wines. From what I recall, most of the information is in the faint bottle etchings. My guess is that your bottle was disgorged in March 2016, which would likely make it the 2013, as these typically spend about three years on the lees. The “N” probably refers to non-dosed, which is standard for this producer. Frank probably knows for sure.
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Hey guys. Yeah, that code gives you the date to decipher it. There may be etch data (you didn’t list it in your etching) that shows the vintage. Maybe says EL12 with that code? Anyway, I can help. I looked at my 2014 base and it is disgorged in April 2018. Logically going backwards, I would conclude you have a 2012 base Eloquence. I don’t think Dominique used/uses reserves in her Chard so it’s likely all 2012 base. I’ve never tried the 2012. I started owning her wines starting in the 2013 vintage.
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NV Louis Roederer Champagne Collection 244 - France, Champagne (11/8/2025)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over a couple hours on Day 1; revisited on Day 2 –
NOSE: medium expressiveness; light; a touch bready; chalky.
BODY: light to medium-light bodied.
TASTE: medium+ acidity is juicy; dry; interesting hint of light red berry in the background; seems to be broadening a bit, as compared to previous bottles; Pinot seems to be speaking more loudly today than with prior bottles. Drinking nicely now, but clearly has room for further improvement.
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Extracted from a thread just posted: Our Dinner Group's 26th Millennium dinner with 19 different wines, 11 magnums, including 1999 Dom Perignon,2007 Cristal,3 PYCMs,2014Leflaive Pucelles,2017 DRC La Tache,2005 Harlan,2009 Heitz Marthas,2010 Masseto,2004 Clos Erasmus,1963 Fonseca,2 d'Yquems +
1999 DOM PERIGNON in magnum- this was my bring and selected not only to honor the first Millennium dinner, but to see what the large bottle format has to give as compared to many of the 1999 750 ml bottle formats we’ve enjoyed over the last 3 years or so; I was generally pleased as to how it showed although there was a hint of a corkiness character that accompanied the first pour that fortunately blew off and left the quite viable ripe and spicy citrus fruit to be enjoyed; on the palate, it gave nice lemon and lime notes accented with a streak of minerals, a coat of honey and a bit of sweetness; it was crisp and refreshing and quite stately in DP fashion.
2004 DOM RUINART BLANC de BLANC in magnum- I liked this bottle a lot as it had wonderful balance and a plethora of gifts that included its tasty citrus fruit profile, fine acidity, impeccable balance and oily mouthfeel; grapefruit was the most dominant flavor with lemon, lime and green apple in the background; this spent 9 years on the less, was disgorged 6/13 and doused at 5.5 gpl.
2007 LOUIS ROEDERER CRISTAL in magnum- voted the best of the bubbly, this gave generous amounts of pleasure; it sported a tasty profile of honeyed yellow apple and grapefruit, lemon and lime that was delivered in a creamy textured medium all the way to the back end where it hung on for a grand finish; it was rich and full bodied, beautifully balanced and pleased at every phase from the nose through the tail.
2008 BILLECART-SALMON CUVEE ELIZABETH SALMON ROSE in magnum- this was a fabulous rose and in the large bottle format, we had enough to please 16 of us with its treasures; it had a lovely floral nose that included red roses and rose petals, strawberry, red currant and red apple with accents of saline and chalk, all of which continued on all the way through; it had an amazing effervescence that contributed to its tactile pleasing sensory perceptions; it is comprised of 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay with 9% red wine added; it was disgorged 7/20 after being aged for 10 years on the lees.
Cheers,
Blake
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Thank you both. Looking now in daylight I see that the full etching is “LELD0316ND”.
So (also with the cork info) it seems that it is a 2012, disgorged in March 2016.
Sadly, after all that, I have to say that unfortunately this really wasn’t to my taste - even with air over several hours I found the acidity just too dominant even with food. But if we all liked the same stuff the world would be a boring place.
I also have a bottle of Efflorescence etched LE10D0415ND, which I therefore take to be 2010 base, disgorged April 2015, non-dosed. TNs on CT suggest that the previous “fierce acidity” on that one may have mellowed with age, so I look forward to trying it.
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I hope you will forgive me for one of my occasional non-French
“méthode Champenoise” wines with which I kicked off my weekend.
- 2021 Small Wonder Blanc de Noirs - Australia, Tasmania, Tamar Valley (18/12/2025)
My first wine from Tasmania! And it's a decent effort.
100%PN from a single block. Fermentation in stainless steel. Full malolactic fermentation. Bottled November 2021. Matured on lees for 24 months. Disgorged late 2023, dosage 2.5g/l.
The nose is very fresh, unripe tropical fruit, perhaps a saline note; with air a creamy note is added.
The palate is initially quite high acidity and really demands food, but it moderates eventually after maybe an hour's air. But even then the acidity is still medium+ and the flavours match the nose: green mango, perhaps unripe raspberry. It's all very clean and crisp and saliva-inducing, and it stays very dry to the finish.
Overall, this is a good alternative to an extra-brut champagne when something crisp and acidic is called for. There's some interest on the nose and on the palate, and it's quite good QPR at the ~US$26 that I paid. (87 points)
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[list][*]2020 Marc Hébrart Champagne Premier Cru Special Club - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (12/20/2025)
This is an absolute show stopper! I’m overwhelmed at the freshness that this wine shows instantly when you first taste it. It has combinations of orchard/stone fruit, and citrus, braced by lovely minerals and a rocky soil perception. There’s a hint of fresh baked bread. It’s hard to describe just how playful and joyful this wine is to drink! (95 pts.)[/list]
Posted from CellarTracker
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Extracted from a thread just posted: 6 wines tasted blind at dinner: 2008 Taittinger Comtes, 2008 Bollinger Granda Annee, NV Maison 76 Cote des Blancs, 2019 Carillon Combettes, 2020 Guyon Corton-Charlemagne and 2004 Rochioli Riverblock Pinot Noir
2008 TAITTINGER COMTES de CHAMPAGNE BLANC de BLANC- my bring and served blind to the others; this selection was made as we’ve had 4 different vintages of Comtes blind in the last few months and all received a vote or 2 for being 2008 even though they were 2004, 2006, 2012 and 2013; our bottle on this night was not the powerhouse I’ve experienced with many previous bottles, in fact, it was nicely balanced and had more elegance and finesse than power, depth and complexity although it possessed some of these traits, but to a lesser extent; following its light yellow color came aromas of spice and toasty brioche laden lemon, orange zest and lime; it had bright acidity, lots of richness and more elegance and sophistication while being delivered in a creamy, feel good texture; had I not known the vintage, I would have called it 2012; one of the others did have it as 2008, but not Comtes.
2008 CHAMPAGNE BOLLINGER LA GRANDE ANNEE- blind; the gold color was strikingly darker than the Comtes and the nose and taste profile that followed was broader, bigger and rounder; aromas of ginger yellow apple were most prominent with some lemon and lime in the background as were mild accents of brioche and honey butter; each taste was a mouthful of bliss as it was fully loaded and super rich; my first thought was it was 2002 Cristal and after repeated tastes over time, I held on to that conviction while others were also calling it Cristal but from younger vintages; once revealed, I had to admit, this is really impressive and as good as any from that vintage. The fruit is sourced from 18 crus, Pinot Noir mostly from Ay and Verzenay make up 71% of the blend, the balance from Chardonnay primarily from Le Mesnil-sur- Oger and Cramant and is fermented and aged in wood and cellered for 9 years before release.
NV MAISON 76 COTE des BLANCS GRAND CRU BLANC de BLANC WESTBY COLLECTION- blind; the one who brought it stated it arrived on this day and may have some shock although I’m finding less and less adverse effects on many bottles I do open soon after being received; it had a light yellow color and mild aromas of yellow apple, tangerine and white flowers; once tasted, tangerine became more prominent and the mineral note in the nose disappeared only to return on the finish; it was delicious and elegant and seemingly on the low end of dosage; Gary Westby, K&L’s main champagne buyer is credited with orchestration of this and for the coordination of the label which commemorates the founding of K&L in 1976; it was made by Olivier Bonville at Champagne Franck Bonville from the grand cru of Avize in the center of the Côte des Blancs; this is comprised of 40% base vintage with 60% reserve wines, aged for 3 years on the lees and dosed at 5.8 gpl. The release price was $39.99.
Cheers,
Blake
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Extracted from another thread just posted: A birthday dinner with my sweetie and 2 superb wines, one maybe my beat ever: 2002 Cristal and 1995 Williams Selyem Summa Pinot Noir
2002 LOUIS ROEDERER CRISTAL- I’ve had quite a few bottles of this vintage of late as it has been so ready and capable and IMHO, nearing it apogee although it has many years to go; this bottle was the best of all previous ones; following its pure yellow gold color came inviting aromas of ginger, lemon and yellow apple with some mild caramel notes in the background; the taste profile also included a coat of butter and honey and some mild sweetness while it was being delivered in a tantalizing creamy texture; it had some power, lots of depth and complexity and yet elegance and finesse; it seemed to exude some age and youthfulness throughout and its hallmark was its impeccable balance; we were graced over a 2 hour period with its consistent treasures and appreciated every taste.
Cheers,
Blake
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Blake,
Nice note. I was able to track down a couple of more bottles yesterday at a decent price. IIRC, your bottle with the vintage in the center circle was the original release.
Warren