Community Tasting Note

jamesbadd wrote:

Saturday, May 7, 2005 - (~ 3 years aging on its lees; All from one vintage between 1990-1993 - I do not know which; 50% Chardonnay from the Cote de Blancs (Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Cuis, Grauves, Oger, Vertus) and 50% Pinot Noir from Clos des Goisses)

This is refered to this as the second wine of Clos des Goisses. Tastes like a third wine. Le Reflet was usually (maybe always) from one vintage. Philipponnat no longer produces any version of Le Reflet (to my knowledge). I recently had the 1995 based version of this wine and advised all to drink up. This one is a few years older and I wanted to see how it was doing.

Appearance: Medium gold and quite bright; still it is dark for a Champagne. Subdued mousse and small bubbles.

Nose: Full of honey, hard toast, and bright citrus. Very Bollinger-like. Quite toasty with a touch of oxidation.

Taste: Toast and lively citrus lead the way. The mix is not quite right as the citrus is too bright and the toast too hard. This leads to a jagged bitterness that destroys the promise of the nose. I think the jaggedness is covering up some other fruit flavors.

Finish: Medium length. Harsh and full of citrus; it ends creamy, but bitter.

Comments: As I stated with the Millenium release of this cuvee, this is not one to age. I would drink within a year of release when it is much better, but... I believe it is not made anymore so you can't. Pass this one by, even on closeout. There is better stuff out there.

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