Cheers Liam! The Meslier from Laherte Freres is also terrific and much easier to find stateside if not quite as multi-faceted. Bergere also does one that I haven’t yet tried but it’s certainly on my list now. And Horiot does not only produce a single-variety Meslier but also the even more obscure (and arguably interesting) Arbane.
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Just had both the Bergere and the Lahertes Petit Meslier wines. Both quite interesting, but I preferred the A Bergere personally. Hard to find that bottle stateside though. They serve it by the glass at the tasting room, which was nice.
In both cases, I wouldn’t say these are either producers’ best wines… you’re paying a premium for the rarity.
That’s true, still interesting to try them and they are nice wines.
-Al
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This sounds fantastic! I went looking for some halfway through your note, only to run into the pricing issue you noted in your CT note. 
100% Meslier wines can be fun but often seem expensive. Emilien Feneuil’s Coteaux is another example. Singular wine though. (I sell it)
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Hah! Yeah I try to keep WB positive haha
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I can agree re: Laherte 100% (actually I think the also novel blend of 7 grapes is a step up), but not enough Bergere experience across any cuvees.
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re: 7 permitted grape varieties I’ve tracked down a number of 100% pinot blanc cuvees, and in that quest I would say petit meslier is maybe the second most common “other” variety in champagne. Not too much 100% pinot gris or arbanne from what I’ve seen.
Not champagne, but Tom at BXT said he might have access meslier soon, which would be really interesting for a CA sparkler.
2011 Le Brun-Servenay Champagne Brut Millésime Vieilles Vignes - France, Champagne (5/15/2026)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over couple hrs. –
– 100% Chardonnay –
– disgorged: Jan. 2022 –
– dosage: 4.5 g/L –
Golden yellow color with a slow bead. Smells advanced (butterscotchy). Rich fruits, with high acidity. Despite the dosage, this does present as dry. A touch buttermilky, so the age is showing on the palate now, too. Noticeably more advanced than the bottle I had a couple years ago; for my preferences, best to Drink Now.
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Man, I haven’t had a Godme in a few years; need to fix that.
Edit: I’ve had double foils on Cava once before. I chuckled. My wife was less amused.
I had a double foil Dom P years ago. I think I spent 20 minutes peeling the shitty black foil off. It was miserable and I was confused and thirsty.
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No saber as back-up? Rookie.
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That feels like it describes my state of mind for the majority of my waking life.
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How would you describe your state of mind during your teenage life?
-Al
Henriet-Bazin has been discussed quite a lot previously here (not least by the absent and much missed @Frank_Murray_III ) but I am surprised not to find mention of the rosé (perhaps due to my poor search skills). Very much enjoyed this today.
- NV Henriet-Bazin Champagne Grand Cru Leonard Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (24/07/2026)
Been too long since I had this wine.
70% from 2021, 30% from reserves. 50/50 chard/PN, of which 19% is vinified as red wine. 9 months sur lies in enamel casks, at least 36 months sur lies in bottles. So a reasonably recent (unspecified) disgorgement with 5g/l dosage.
As others have said the this in some ways resembles a rosé de saignée. It's best after maybe 15 minutes of air. The nose has some minerality, a slight floral note; the palate is wild strawberries, redcurrants, slate-y minerality and just a touch of drying tannin on the finish (which is quite long and clean).
Overall this is an excellent wine which works both as an aperitif and with food. And very decent QPR at the ~US$48 that I paid. (91 points)
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NV Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut
Ordered a bottle to our room in Vegas to start my Niece’s 21st birthday weekend. No formal notes since most of the bottle was mixed with orange and guava juice. 88 points.
VM
Shame to ruin the orange and guava juice.
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Thanks for the ping, Paul. I’ve been away, purely as a consequence of adjusting my own consumption. I’m down to mostly just drinking when my groups meet (I am part of two). It’s been a big change for me.
I have liked the Bazin wines, and their basic BdN (the 21 base I believe) has shown consistently good to me. Have not had the Rose that I can recall.
Our Champagne group met this week, with me as the host, so we did it in my backyard. Was in the low 80s, breezy, was beautiful. We had some Italian food brought in to go with the 9 wines I picked for the group. You can see the 3 flights below, all arrayed as one lineup once we had worked through them. The 2013 Courtin Efflorescence was fantastic. Smoky/reductive, medium weight with a great concentration yet a lithe feel and balance. It beat the 2014, which has been an enduring favorite of mine. The 2019 Vincey Oger was good too, and surprised the group I think because of the leaner profile for what is not usual for the village. A zero dose assemblage of Oger chardonnay, reminding me when it went still of Kutch Trout Gulch in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Ruppert-Leroy flight was interesting, my least favorite. I thought the 2015 showed the best, unusual given the vintage. The 2014 seemed like it was on the downside.
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