I opened a ‘24 two years ago and it did not show well at all. Glad to hear it’s rounding into form.
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As fresh a bottle of the 2004 as I have ever had. From the color and exuberant mousse, one might have called this a 2013 it was so young looking. I found it a bit coy at first, and thought it took 20 minutes or so to get comfortable. After that….gorgeous. All about elegance and finesse, and just a joy to drink.
The emotional impact of champagne can’t be denied. I drink champagne like Coco Chanel said “on two occasions, when I’m in love, and when I am not,” so I am not one to relegate it to weddings and birthdays only. But yesterday, when we pulled this to mark a significant professional achievement, I was reminded how perfectly it pairs with, and still represents celebration, even when you also drink it on a random Tuesday.
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Hey everyone, This is the first time I have posted on here, so I hope my tasting note is OK
my wife and I joined our friends to celebrate a birthday at Montage in Laguna Beach and had a great dinner. As I observed the wine list for the right bottle of chapagne to go with oysters, I saw mostly extremely priced grand marquee houses and only a few grower champagnes.
I came across the 2016 pertrois lebrun grand cru les chetillons N 16 for $300, which I thought was not a bad price considering where we were, I have had this small growers wine before, but not the Chetillons. Wow this was tremendous. It showed a beatiful blend of green apple, meyer lemon, a touch of toast, with a nice creamy mouthfeel. That night I immediately went online to get some more.
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Extracted from a Charity Dinner thread:
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NV Laurent-Perrier Champagne Héritage Brut
- NV André Clouet Champagne Un jour de 1911...
I wanted to contrast this Blanc de Noirs with the preceding 2008 Taittinger Comtes Blanc de Blancs. It walks the line between freshness and maturity beautifully. Generous notes of biscuit and ripe pear, plus apple, lemon zest, a touch of ginger, and even a hint of coffee bean. Rich yet vibrant and precise. Great wine, but hard to follow the Comtes.
100% Pinot Noir, aged at least six years on the lees in stainless steel and neutral oak. Dosage is in the brut range. No markings on the cork or bottle to identify the release.
Another gorgeous bottle of Hêritage. Rich, with the malolactic fermentation softening the edges. White fruit, citrus, brioche, and Marcona almonds, with excellent balance and complexity. The aromas, flavors, and texture resemble the Grand Siècle, but this drinks beautifully young, while in my experience Grand Siècle has incredible complexity and benefits from more bottle age. About 55:45 Chardonnay to Pinot Noir, using reserve wines from 2019, 2018, 2016, and 2014. Four years on the lees and around 6 g/L dosage.
2008 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
A fortunate mistake for the guests. This had a “2007” hanging neck tag, and since I own more '07 than ‘08, I assumed that’s what I’d opened. I’d read credible notes saying the 2008 is shut down, and my bottle two months ago certainly was. But after a swirl, a sniff, and a taste, I thought, “Wow…this has to be my Champagne of the Year from 2007.” Then I looked at the label and realized my mistake.
This bottle showed beautifully. One of the wines of the night, and perhaps one of my wines of the year. Typical Comtes’ luscious mouthfeel, with ripe apple, lemon cream, buttery brioche, and a strong mineral streak. Beautifully balanced with outstanding complexity. I was honestly surprised how well this showed compared to my last bottle.
NV Fallet-Dart Champagne Les Hauts des Clos du Mont
I’d brought this as a backup bottle, but the weather and the cuisine called for another Champagne. French oak aging, and 15 years on the lees combine to produce a generous, full-bodied Champagne from a single walled vineyard in the Marne Valley. Although labeled NV, this is entirely from the 2006 vintage and was disgorged in April 2023.
Dense mandarin, dried apricot, and brioche. Deep, rich and concentrated. I might say it’s slightly inelegant, but it’s from a warm '06, and it was quite enjoyable.
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NV Horiot Metisse Noirs et Blancs, 2018 disgorgement.
After dinner bottle on its own, a tribute to the hot day and our wilting energy. We ended up with more of this wine than we’d ordered, due to the supplier reneging on another wine. While I would have preferred the original wine, I have not been sorry to drink these. Last night’s bottle was fresh and clean and crisp on the nose. The palate at first seemed to come in two pieces - the acid and the fruit - but that integrated quickly and it became a nice, easy to drink wine. Though 0 dosage, it was not harsh or lean. Not terribly complex, more about lightness and fun. At the $25 or so we paid for it back in 2018, I can’t complain.
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Laherte Frères Champagne Rosé de Saignée Extra Brut Les Beaudiers
Not sure what to think about this wine.
On the plus side, it has LOADS of personality. Gorgeous color, minimal effervescence. Very distinctive presentation with a crisp dry finish married to a fruit-forward approach. Lots of cherry and tart lemon and something else quite herbal that I can’t quite identify.
Unusual to say the least. Like no other meunier wine I have had. A wine I admire more than love.
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Have not posted here in a while, these have been some of the champagne highlights I’ve had recently.
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Great wines! Welcome back!
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Sushi night with a couple of friends. The 2012 Jadis sports body and texture, with excellent mid-palate density, length, and mineral depth, which played perfectly off fatty raw fish. I liked it less after the Sushi was gone, as it is just a little too full bodied to sip alone for my preference.
The Launois “Severine” continues to show well, and I regret buying only three bottles. On the lighter side, but rather toasty, with layers of flavors, a wonderful texture from the barrel aging, spice, and no paucity of chalk. Friendly, and just so easy to like, particularly at the price. This is my QPR of the year.
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How was the '12 Caillez-Lemaire Cuvee Jadis? I have some, but haven’t opened one yet. I’ve read they’re pretty dense and slightly oxidative, so maybe a bit much for sushi.
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It’s very dense, but the weight and mineral intensity is a good match for raw Tuna and Salmon. I liked it very and would have bought more when Fass was selling this for $59.99 if I had been in the know.
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It’s hard to know how much to buy from the emails. You have to wade through the hyperbole.
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Had a small gathering with friends - all bottles covered in ice in ice buckets as it was very warm on the night we were drinking:
The Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs was a surprise to me - my first time having this - so easy to drink and at the price feels like good value for money. The Bollinger PN TX20 that followed was also very well balanced and showed well but at its price is a questionable re-purchase. The Cristal 2013 was disappointing - it never really opened up. I think I messed up here…due to the heat we could not leave the wines in the glasses for too long to open. I even tried decanting half the Cristal and stuck it in the fridge to see if it would open up but after 3 hours still no luck. I had the 2015 in the winter and that was much more accessible and enjoyable. The 2012 Comtes continues to be my favourite prestige cuvee.
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NV JP. Chenet Rosé Dry
Purchased a few on closeout for $3. Grapes sourced from the Pays d’Oc. Fermented in the Charmat method. 2nd bottle I’ve had. Pale pink color in this sparkler. Drank this watching a sunset. A lighter bodied wine with strawberry and watermelon notes. A lower bead in this wine. 83 points.
VM
Pertois-Lebrun L’Extravertie Blanc de Blancs NV - Chardonnay from a blend of 5 grand crus and 2 premiere crus. This gets malo, is aged on lees for 10 months in a mix of vat and oak barrel, then is aged for 2 years. Mostly from the 2021 vintage, with 14% “reserve” wines from 2020. This wine is a bit of an oddity in that it shows some lovely oxidative richness and yeasty notes, but also some imbalance with some citric fruit and snappy green apple and underripe peach, but with a creamy finish from the malo. The result is a weird conundrum of the wine seeming big and rich, but then not being big and rich, finishing a bit disjointed with a tangy cut. Probably in that 90-91 range. And I wonder if a studly winemaker handled this start to finish if it couldn’t be closer to like 93-94 because it seems like there is some decent stuffing hidden in there.
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NV Gaspard Brochet Champagne 333.f Rose
This was my first time trying a wine from Gaspard Brochet, and the 333F Rosé made quite an impression. 100% Pinot Noir, farmed biodynamically. Excellent wine, very vinous, with red fruits including raspberry, cherry, and strawberry, along with notes of orange peel and cinnamon. Dense but approachable; tons of character!
I’ve read conflicting reports on the dosage, with some saying it’s non-dosed and others reporting a dosage of 1 g/L. To my palate, I more often than not find myself thinking that the majority of Brut Nature wines I’ve had would have been better with a little dosage. It’s a trend I hope fades with time.
This wine was one of the exceptions. While I find many to be shrill and/or austere, it was anything but. Supple and balanced, with plenty of fruit and texture. Paired beautifully with sockeye salmon.
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Good to read Warren, and as I said upstream, I think you’ll really like the Tome cuvees.
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First, cool wine and I’ll keep an eye out. Second, I think folks can sometimes get away with one when doing low to no dose rose if the additive pinot noir is full ripe or has retained some small amount of residual sugar. It’s a means of providing some semblance of rich fruit to what can be a “crisp” base. And no, I don’t have anything other than personal anecdotes to back that up! We’re generally in the same camp re no-dose wines.
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NV Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Grand Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (5/24/2026)
– popped and poured –
– June 2024 disgorgement –
Light chalky red berry aroma on the Nose. Medium-light red berries flavor on the palate, along with a bit of a green/stalky edge. I continue to be a bit lukewarm on this disgorgement.
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This evening my first wine from Chavost - a producer who seems to have very mixed reviews in this thread due to their non-use of added sulphites. My sample of one, was a good one, and I shall be getting a few more in!
- NV Chavost Champagne Rosé de Saignée Brut Nature - France, Champagne (12/08/2026)
This is a rather nice wine. Labelled simply as "Rosé" but it seems clear on drinking that it is a rosé de saignée. From the producer's website: 67/33 Pinot Noir/Meunier. From the bottle: disgorged January 2024.
Deep salmon colour. The nose has crisp red fruit: cranberries, cherries, raspberry; plus a toucjh of slatey minerality.
On the palate more of those red fruits - quite rounded initially, almost sweet considering zero dosage. But quite short and with a light, clean, slightly drying finish.
Overall for me this is an excellent wine, but more of the quaffing type than for lengthy contemplation. It has the fruit to pair with light foods, but also works well stand-alone.
For the ~US$57 that I paid this is decent QPR and an occasional rebuy for me. (90 points)
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