Champagne Tasting $120+

This was going to be a single blind tasting but this worked out nicely as a side by side comparative tasting.

The Larmandier was the early favorite but with air the Taillet may have been a contender for the whole event.

• 2015 Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Hors Serie

  France, Champagne

  Golden straw with fine bubbles; oxidative , candy cane, yellow fruit, interesting, could easily confuse this as simple; sharp mineral, chalky, good drive, yeast coming out nicely; checking back in with 1.5 hours of air this seems to have come around, greener color, oxidative notes are gone and a creamy green apple and custardy flavors have come out, great acid drive and fullness; this is really dynamic and delicious, it went from being one of the most closed and boring to probably #2 of the night, haunting flavors that linger days after.

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• 2013 Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Grand Cru Vieille Vigne du Levant Extra Brut

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Deeper color; honeyed nose, green edge with rich deep fruit, exotic fatter yellow fruit, barrel influence, good minerality, oyster shell, good power and pedigree; grilled lemon, seaweed salt, mineral; really good, this unlike the Chartogne-Taillet was ready to go on cork pop.

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Wow, hard to imagine anything we'd rather be doing when enjoying this flight. Both were spectacular but the Boloree was a crusher and was my WOTN.

• 2011 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Blancs La Bolorée

  France, Champagne

  Still youthful yellow green gold; autolytic nose, round, some reductive/sulfur youthfulness, yeasty, weight, ginger, candied lemon lime, a bit heavy initially, eggy and custardy, good drive on the finish, this seemed to tighten up with a little air bringing more focus and pinpoint acid for a long mineral filled finish, unique and delicious this bottle was spectacular and would definitely give Krug a run for its money though this is now probably more expensive and harder to find.

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• NV Ulysse Collin Champagne Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut (2012) Les Maillons

  France, Champagne

  More golden color, definitely darker than the Boloree; golden apple, apricot, honeyed and rich nose, such weight and savoriness on the mid palate, a little natty in the way of some pickled apples but just an accent of interest, oxidative quality that seems to detract from some producers but this is great, weight and fullness from front to the finish; very good; interesting and makes me hungry for Asian food but I know it would work with so many things.

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We enjoyed this with some fantastic salmon and other nibbles mainly from salmon. Filet, smoked, roe, dip, and Rose.

If we were to do the tasting blind, I'm sure this would have been one of only a few that we may have gotten correct as it was the only Rose.

• 2008 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon

  France, Champagne

  Deeper salmon color; medicinal cherry, blood orange, yeast and showing some good power and drive but this was really young and needed the food to tone it down enough to enjoy a little more; this bottle was really youthful so I'd suggest another 5 years or more before this starts to soften.

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These looked so similar in the glass but very different in the glass. Hedonism and wound up potential. Both were terrific but the DP was so classy today.

• 2004 Dom Pérignon Champagne

  France, Champagne

  Greenish yellow color, looks very similar in color to the 2014 Bollinger next to it; toast and brioche, good complexity on the nose, nice yeastiness, gasoline, eggy, lemon, steely, herbaceous and some mineral which I rarely describe DP to be; in a good spot but I'm sure a little longer wouldn't hurt, delicious mix of hedonistic creamy texture and interesting flavors.

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• 2014 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année

  France, Champagne

  Greenish yellow color; younger and more reticent nose, greener fruit and acids, malic, chalky, fine and lively froth is most prominent of the day, good refinement, quite dry and seemingly mineral, wound up and in need of a few more years at least before jumping into any; youngest and most punishing of the day but really nice refinement.

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Funny how this flight made so much sense but they were wildly different in the glass. The Bollinger was so mineral and structured and the Bouchard was a silk sheet hung up to dry in the Spring air.

• 2020 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Noirs Côte de Val Vilaine

  France, Champagne

  Pale straw, lightest of the day; fruit and mineral, white flowers, somewhat neutral, apple pear and peach, Asian pear, reminiscent of young Rheinhessen Riesling grown on limestone, a little natty on the palate, great acids but enough flesh to keep it in balance, very fresh, star fruit, one of the least textured wines of the day; I'm sure we can blame any shortcomings on its youth.

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• NV Bollinger Champagne PN AYC18

  France, Champagne

  Straw with green hues; powerful nose, flinty, mineral, intense, chalky, very broad shouldered and balanced Ay, some may find this a little blocky but I really enjoyed this and found it accessible for the most part; probably Bollinger's best permutation of these annual releases that I've had.

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What an incredible tasting of such interesting and dynamic Champagnes. I even felt the Dom Perignon soared to great heights that it rarely achieves.
Very educational and fun at the same time.
Need to get some Boloree and Hors Serie.