Nose: This is pure, unadulterated Chablis and I love every bit of it. The nose is precise and fragrant with saline, crushed rocks, flint, pears, acacia flowers, apples, nectarines, vanilla, and some jasmine.
Taste: The feel is Medium bodied with tart, high acidity. The acidity is well-integrated and balanced, but still with a lot of verve. There is a lot of freshness to the tones of pears, apples, nectarines, crushed rocks, flint, saline, vanilla, and acacia flowers.
Overall: This is starting to enter a really good place. This was poured out of a magnum and showed off all of the classic hallmarks of Chablis, but just dialed up a bit. There is plenty of years ahead, but by all means, open a bottle now!
This was almost as good as the magnum from 6 weeks earlier. I think that was benefitted by showing off extra air to finish it. Either way, this is an awesome wine and is really in its pomp right now.
Nose: The nose is elegant and fragrant with warm dough, red apples, biscuits, pears, quince, spring-time florals, baking spices, and custard. There is very good depth and while it shows a lot of autolytics, they don’t overwhelm and there is an overall refinement to the nose:
Taste: The feel is Medium bodied with crisp, high acidity. The acidity is noticeable and youthful, but still very much in balance. The feel is lovely, textured, and balanced with red apples, pears, quince, baking spices, custard, boscuits, and warm dough.
Overall: This still needs a few years to fully come together, but the materials are pretty good. There is a real elegant side to this that is highly enjoyable with excellent balance and length.
Nose: Right away, the nose is pristine, focused, and intensely aromatic with pears, green apples, chalk, flint, crushed rocks, white flowers, peaches, saline, quince, biscuits and some pastry tones. As is the style, there is a deftness to the tones with a lot of depth.
Taste: The feel is Medium bodied with razor-sharp, high acidity. The acidity has a bit of sting right now and is certainly showing it’s youth. Though the acidity is youthful, there is still a lovely, nuanced, and refined feel with pears, green apples, peaches, chalk, flint, crushed rocks, white flowers, saline, biscuits, and pastry tones.
Overall: I routinely equate Suenen to Grand Cru Chablis, but I also feel that is a mistake. These are wines that easily stand on their own and are some of the most expressive Chardonnay-based Champagnes that I have come across. This will certainly benefit from another 4+ years, though I wouldn’t want the freshness to fade after too long.
Nose: Next to the Les Robarts, this offers up a great contrast in the terroir. The precision and aromatics are there in spades, but this takes a different and more nuanced route with herbs, vanilla beans, pears, red apples, peaches, white fruits, mint, crushed rocks, acacia flowers, biscuits, and baking spices.
Taste: The feel is Medium bodied with racy and mouthwatering acid. The acidity has some sting, but the feel is nuanced and elegant with herbs, mint, pears, red apples, peaches, vanilla beans, acacia flowers, biscuits, and baking spices.
Overall: I love the dichotomy between the two single vineyards. This has a lovely, herbal, yet fresh take that is a bit more nuanced than the Les Robarts. This can also use a few more years to settle into itself.
Nose: The nose is heavy on the autolytics. Smelling this is like walking into a bakery, first thing in the morning with all sorts of warm dough, pastry tones, brioche, toast, almonds, red apples, quince, mineral notes, and some yellow flowers.
Taste: The feel is Medium bodied with crisp, high acidity. There is excellent depth and balance to the feel with warm dough, pastry tones, brioche, almonds, red apples, quince, mineral notes, and yellow flowers.
Overall: This is slightly too autolytic for my taste. There is excellent balance and fruit still there though so that it's not just a giant bread bomb. This feels like it's drinking about as well as it can get, though the acidity will easily allow it to age for more years.
2014 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Nose: This is pure, unadulterated Chablis and I love every bit of it. The nose is precise and fragrant with saline, crushed rocks, flint, pears, acacia flowers, apples, nectarines, vanilla, and some jasmine.
Taste: The feel is Medium bodied with tart, high acidity. The acidity is well-integrated and balanced, but still with a lot of verve. There is a lot of freshness to the tones of pears, apples, nectarines, crushed rocks, flint, saline, vanilla, and acacia flowers.
Overall: This is starting to enter a really good place. This was poured out of a magnum and showed off all of the classic hallmarks of Chablis, but just dialed up a bit. There is plenty of years ahead, but by all means, open a bottle now!
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2008 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée 94 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
This was almost as good as the magnum from 6 weeks earlier. I think that was benefitted by showing off extra air to finish it. Either way, this is an awesome wine and is really in its pomp right now.
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2012 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année 93 Points
France, Champagne
Nose: The nose is elegant and fragrant with warm dough, red apples, biscuits, pears, quince, spring-time florals, baking spices, and custard. There is very good depth and while it shows a lot of autolytics, they don’t overwhelm and there is an overall refinement to the nose:
Taste: The feel is Medium bodied with crisp, high acidity. The acidity is noticeable and youthful, but still very much in balance. The feel is lovely, textured, and balanced with red apples, pears, quince, baking spices, custard, boscuits, and warm dough.
Overall: This still needs a few years to fully come together, but the materials are pretty good. There is a real elegant side to this that is highly enjoyable with excellent balance and length.
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2014 Champagne Suenen Champagne Grand Cru "Les Robarts" Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Millésime 94 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Nose: Right away, the nose is pristine, focused, and intensely aromatic with pears, green apples, chalk, flint, crushed rocks, white flowers, peaches, saline, quince, biscuits and some pastry tones. As is the style, there is a deftness to the tones with a lot of depth.
Taste: The feel is Medium bodied with razor-sharp, high acidity. The acidity has a bit of sting right now and is certainly showing it’s youth. Though the acidity is youthful, there is still a lovely, nuanced, and refined feel with pears, green apples, peaches, chalk, flint, crushed rocks, white flowers, saline, biscuits, and pastry tones.
Overall: I routinely equate Suenen to Grand Cru Chablis, but I also feel that is a mistake. These are wines that easily stand on their own and are some of the most expressive Chardonnay-based Champagnes that I have come across. This will certainly benefit from another 4+ years, though I wouldn’t want the freshness to fade after too long.
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2014 Champagne Suenen Champagne Grand Cru "La Cocluette" Extra Brut 94 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Nose: Next to the Les Robarts, this offers up a great contrast in the terroir. The precision and aromatics are there in spades, but this takes a different and more nuanced route with herbs, vanilla beans, pears, red apples, peaches, white fruits, mint, crushed rocks, acacia flowers, biscuits, and baking spices.
Taste: The feel is Medium bodied with racy and mouthwatering acid. The acidity has some sting, but the feel is nuanced and elegant with herbs, mint, pears, red apples, peaches, vanilla beans, acacia flowers, biscuits, and baking spices.
Overall: I love the dichotomy between the two single vineyards. This has a lovely, herbal, yet fresh take that is a bit more nuanced than the Les Robarts. This can also use a few more years to settle into itself.
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2004 Pascal Doquet Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil-sur-Oger 91 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Nose: The nose is heavy on the autolytics. Smelling this is like walking into a bakery, first thing in the morning with all sorts of warm dough, pastry tones, brioche, toast, almonds, red apples, quince, mineral notes, and some yellow flowers.
Taste: The feel is Medium bodied with crisp, high acidity. There is excellent depth and balance to the feel with warm dough, pastry tones, brioche, almonds, red apples, quince, mineral notes, and yellow flowers.
Overall: This is slightly too autolytic for my taste. There is excellent balance and fruit still there though so that it's not just a giant bread bomb. This feels like it's drinking about as well as it can get, though the acidity will easily allow it to age for more years.
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