André Jacquart Rosé de Saignée Experience Brut Nature Premier Cru NV
Carmine red in the glass, the André Jacquart Rosé de Saignée Experience Brut Nature NV Premier Cru is comprised of estate-grown fruit from the Doyard family’s 60-acre farm maintained under France’s strict sustainable “culture raisonnee” guidelines. It’s a vivacious blend of 80% Pinot Noir from a small parcel located within the Vertus Premier Cru and […]
Pierre Moncuit Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Nicole Moncuit Vieille Vigne 2004
Rich and wonderfully full in body and texture, the Pierre Moncuit Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2004 opens with generous notes of dried honey, pear tart and nutmeg. On the palate, it’s supple and creamy, delineated by a coursing vein of chalky minerality and bright, mouthwatering acidity. Rich notes of buttercream and toffee are […]
Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons 2007
Classic Les Chetillons, the 2007 Pierre Peters Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs offers pungent, enveloping aromatics of buttered toast, blanched almond, and bruised yellow apple. Beautifully delineated and focused on the palate with sumptuous creaminess at the core. Wet dough is couched in chalky, mineral texture along with sel gris, dried lemon […]
Clos Cazals Champagne Grand Cru Blanc De Blancs Extra Brut 2002
From the sublime 2002 vintage, the Clos Cazals Grand Cru Blanc De Blancs Extra Brut is fabulous. Suffuse, enveloping notes of apple tartin, toasted hazelnuts, molasses, and creme sherry allude to a wine of serious character. And indeed, it’s taught as a drawn bow, with the sort of tension that is only eased in a […]
Philippe Gonet Champagne Rosé Brut NV
Tasted during Sunday’s Bubbly Pink seminar at Pebble Beach Food & Wine, the panel, by the was fantastic and included the likes of Ian Cauble. My favorite from the tasting was the Philippe Gonet Champagne Rosé Brut, a complex and earthy blend of 90% Chardonnay from Mesnil-sur-Oger and 10% Pinot Noir sourced from Vertus on […]
Grower Champagnes: Pierre Péters
At that point in my tasting career, I’d had much less experience with Champagne. Yet, Pierre Péters was instantly memorable, even though my introduction to this celebrated house had been in tasting their Cuvée de Réserve, a wine that cannot be described as humble, despite the fact that it is an entry-level label. (With some […]