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Paul Dethune Cuvée à I’Ancienne Grand Cru Champagne Brut NV

Paul Dethune Cuvée À I'Ancienne Grand Cru Champagne Brut NV

Yet another fabulous grower Champagne, Paul Dethune’s Cuvée à I’Ancienne Grand Cru Champagne Brut is gorgeous! I love the acidity in this wine, it provides not only focus, but also superb lift, and despite it being an Extra Brut, it manages to come across as totally fresh and vibrant. There is too, marked purity and […]

Francis Boulard Millesimé Extra Brut Champagne 2006

Francis Boulard Millesimé Extra Brut Champagne 2006

Francis Boulard’s Millesimé Extra Brut 2006 is a blend of 50% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, and 20% Pinot Meunier. The grapes are sourced from biodynamically farmed vineyards in the Saint-Thierry , a region named “la Petite Montagne de Reims”,  and are fermented with indigenous yeast. Sur lie aging with regular bâtonnage lends texture and a […]

Grower Champagnes: Pierre Péters

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 […]

Charles Dufour Champagne Bulles De Comptoir No. 3 Extra Brut NV

Charles Dufour Champagne Bulles De Comptoir No. 3 Extra Brut NV

Charles Dufour Champagne Bulles De Comptoir No. 3 is a blend of 55% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, and, 10% Pinot Blanc. That’s right, Pinot Blanc. In addition, Dufour ferments with native yeasts and is an organic producer. Bulles De Comptoir No. 3 opens with aromas of toasted almonds, Golden Delicious apple and a whiff of […]

Laherte Frères Champagne Les Vignes D’Autrefois Vieilles Vigne de Pinot Meunier 2009

Laherte Freres Champagne Les Vignes D'Autrefois Vieilles Vigne de Pinot Meunier 2009

Laherte Frères Champagne Les Vignes D’Autrefois 2009 is exactly as described, 100% Pinot Meunier. It’s also interesting to note that the grapes are from family-held plots established in 1947 and 1953. Fermented with native yeast in large oak casks, D’Autrefois has not gone through malolactic fermentation. The nose is dominated by black fruit: black raspberry, ripe […]

Vouette Et Sorbée Champagne Blanc D’Argile Extra Brut NV

Vouette Et Sorbée Champagne Blanc D'Argile Extra Brut NV

While I slightly preferred Vouette et Sorbée’s Fidèle over the Blanc d’Argile Extra Brut, this saturating Champagne has as much magnitude and depth as the former. On opening, all I could think of was…fresh old-fashioned buttermilk doughnuts, golden delicious apples, and crushed stones. Full and weighty on the palate, with an ultra-fine mousse, it presents […]

Suenen Champagne Extra Brut Grand Cru Blanc De Blancs NV

Suenen Champagne Extra Brut Grand Cru Blanc De Blancs NV

Suenen Champagne Extra Brut Grand Cru Blanc De Blancs is 100% Chardonnay primarily from the 2010 vintage, with 2008 and 2009 in the blend. Lean and edgy, featuring classic aromas of toast, orchard and citrus fruits. In the mouth, however, there is something of a departure from the expected, revealing a surprisingly linear, powerful, and […]

Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 1996

Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 1996

As always, Krug is for me, the perfect illustration of power and fineness. The common thread amongst all of the bottles I have been fortunate to taste is a sense of luxury. In a wine, luxury is not an easy to define, but most certainly Krug has it. A generous nose of brioche, apple galette, […]

Tarlant Champagne Rosé Zéro Brut Nature NV

Tarlant Champagne Rosé Zéro Brut Nature NV

Don’t let the pink label fool you, this is a serious rośe. Tarlant’s Zéro Brut Nature sees four years on the lees and zero dosage. Salmon-hued with a fine prelage, the nose subtle at first, with tangerine and golden apple notes. It’s not a yeast-driven style at all, yeasty notes are there, but are submerged […]

Georges Laval Brut Nature Cumières Premier Cru Rosé 2008

Georges Laval Brut Nature Cumières Premier Cru Rosé 2008

Gorgeous, with a most unusual flavor profile. This is a Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier blend, it is the Pinot Noir that really shines through. This is a small estate, with only 2.5 hectares under production and biodynamically farmed as well. Dark salmon, with a very fine mousse. Distinctive, rich, earthy notes, wild strawberries, fresh baked […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com