02 Base, purchased 09. Mid straw. The impression of bubbles more than their actual presence. Quite rich, buttery and a touch of Pinot meat. Harmonious. Fine as an aperitif but very good-friendly. This has held and is showing well. ****
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Wow I'm so glad I held onto a bottle of this - this is based on 2004. Firmly into secondary territory now. The nose is vivid and bright, but with savory aromas that include things like mushrooms and brown butter and baked apples. Harmonious and just gorgeous on the palate with this roundness of flavor that lends itself more to the appreciation of harmony than it does to identifying individual tastes. The dosage was perfectly gauged - an inch more would have been too much, but as we discussed this it made sense that an inch less also would have made the wine entirely different, and the wine was a perfect sphere. Beautiful bottle. Note to self - hold onto more Champs.
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Very fine, persistent mousse. Medium gold robe. On the nose, yeast, mushroom, red fruit and hint of topical fruit. Creamy mouth-feel. Medium plus body, medium plus length. Good acidity. Judicious use of dosage. Slightly vinous, but overall quite well-balanced.
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Disgorged Nov 27, 2008. Light gold core with small persistent bubbles and moderate mousse. Clean nose of biscuit, citrus and a bit of mushroom. Mature but still very lively. Dry with medium plus acidity, medium alcohol and body. Mouth coating and very much alive on the palate - a fuller bodied Champagne with richer flavours - brioche, minerals, hazelnuts and ripe orchard fruit. Medium finish with the ripe fruit continuing along with citrus and mineral. Very good quality! Enjoyed by all.
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Last half of this batch and a very enjoyable one it was too. Very smooth, creamy, cool vanilla palate. It seems to have lost the bruised apple character and was drinking very well in an undemanding but engaing manner. Very pleasant. 3 years post purchase. ***
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Overly oxidized, this half bottle apparently had been disgorged in '06 and seems to have sat too long. Almonds, wheat bread and a ripping acidity made for an unpleasant expience
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Purchased off the wine list at French Laundry; $160. I really enjoyed this champagne, which was rather full-bodied in style, and evolved quite impressively over the hour or so that it took to consume it. A very friendly texture, with good grip and focus on the finish -- went great with the food.
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Starts OK with light notes of citrus and moderate minerality and finished with an annoying subtle bitterness...not sure what's going on here but I don't particularly want to drink my one remaining bottle.
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IMW Annual Champagne Tasting (Christie's Auction House, NYC): this was an interesting wine -- i did not like many of the individual flavors i was tasting, but when thinking about the whole, it strangely came togther. red apple, but a little sour. strawberry, but a little bitter. i doubt that this would come together every time, but when it does, it is excellent. medium(+) finish.
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this was the 2004. beautiful wine! mostly pinot and the red fruit is intense and clean, quite prominent. but there is also a definite lemony quality that i associate with chardonnay, and that is not even 15% of the blend. this is harmonious, elegant, very chalky and mineral wine. does better with lots of air, and i think will benefit a lot from another 5 in the cellar.
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Good. Mid straw, moderate stream of fairly coarse bubbles. Coming together nicely. Stil la little loose-knit but good meaty pinot flavours dominating with a hint of spiced apple coming through too. Easy to drink. ***
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Half. Mellow, pinot-dominated nose and palate, quite ematy. Lacks a bit of focus and precission but perfectly decent in a mini-Bolly mould. Based on 2002 vintage this is 80% Pinot Noir & 20% Chardonay. **1/2
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Too much yeast on the nose... maybe it'll blow off after a while? Maybe it's because I'm drinking a split? And that damp lettuce smell that I think you sometimes get with Meunier. Some free-floating oak, but luxurious mouthfeel (lots of malo) and some chalky redcurrent along with the predominant Granny Smith. Goes mushy on the finish as the acid fades quickly. (disgorged April 2007).
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12/3/2022 - johnnylaw1222 Likes this wine: 90 Points
nuttiness consumes the nose, followed by citrus zest. lively acidity carrie’s through on the palate.
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12/26/2018 - SimonG wrote: 91 Points
02 Base, purchased 09. Mid straw. The impression of bubbles more than their actual presence. Quite rich, buttery and a touch of Pinot meat. Harmonious. Fine as an aperitif but very good-friendly. This has held and is showing well. ****
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1/18/2015 - brooklynguy Likes this wine:
Wow I'm so glad I held onto a bottle of this - this is based on 2004. Firmly into secondary territory now. The nose is vivid and bright, but with savory aromas that include things like mushrooms and brown butter and baked apples. Harmonious and just gorgeous on the palate with this roundness of flavor that lends itself more to the appreciation of harmony than it does to identifying individual tastes. The dosage was perfectly gauged - an inch more would have been too much, but as we discussed this it made sense that an inch less also would have made the wine entirely different, and the wine was a perfect sphere. Beautiful bottle. Note to self - hold onto more Champs.
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8/23/2013 - Wicked Panda wrote: 89 Points
Nice notes of yeast on the nose. Pale straw color. Taste of lemon and tart apple. Paired well with oysters and apps.
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12/27/2012 - Libiamo! Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very fine, persistent mousse. Medium gold robe. On the nose, yeast, mushroom, red fruit and hint of topical fruit. Creamy mouth-feel. Medium plus body, medium plus length. Good acidity. Judicious use of dosage. Slightly vinous, but overall quite well-balanced.
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12/25/2012 - biggie Likes this wine: 90 Points
Disgorged Nov 27, 2008. Light gold core with small persistent bubbles and moderate mousse. Clean nose of biscuit, citrus and a bit of mushroom. Mature but still very lively. Dry with medium plus acidity, medium alcohol and body. Mouth coating and very much alive on the palate - a fuller bodied Champagne with richer flavours - brioche, minerals, hazelnuts and ripe orchard fruit. Medium finish with the ripe fruit continuing along with citrus and mineral. Very good quality! Enjoyed by all.
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6/30/2012 - SimonG wrote: 87 Points
Last half of this batch and a very enjoyable one it was too. Very smooth, creamy, cool vanilla palate. It seems to have lost the bruised apple character and was drinking very well in an undemanding but engaing manner. Very pleasant. 3 years post purchase. ***
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3/9/2012 - SimonG wrote: 85 Points
Half. A little loose knit but quite a decent weight. Bruised apples. Moderate acidity and length. Ok for what it is. **1/2
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1/28/2012 - MindMuse wrote: 91 Points
Toast with some char, minerally lemon and orange, sappy weight. Suave.
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5/8/2011 - BradboBaggins wrote: flawed
Overly oxidized, this half bottle apparently had been disgorged in '06 and seems to have sat too long. Almonds, wheat bread and a ripping acidity made for an unpleasant expience
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3/10/2011 - tbabes wrote: 92 Points
Purchased off the wine list at French Laundry; $160. I really enjoyed this champagne, which was rather full-bodied in style, and evolved quite impressively over the hour or so that it took to consume it. A very friendly texture, with good grip and focus on the finish -- went great with the food.
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2/21/2011 - KeithAkers wrote: 87 Points
A smattering of Grower Bubbles (Publican, Chicago IL): nose: very toasty nose that is a bit rough with tones of red fruits, brioche, and a lot of cream tones. decent depth, but it also comes off as a bit simple
taste: very good medium feel with medium acidity and a lot of toasted tones along with bits of sour red fruits, creams, and some bits of cherries
overall: A decent bubbly. The toasty tones on the nose and palate are bothersome but there are some good tones underneath that are enjoyable
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2/5/2011 - darvid wrote:
Luncheon of Champions (Yountville, CA): Strong mousse. Rich, toasty and leesy. A little topheavy but good backbone and bite.
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12/23/2010 - TinMan wrote: 84 Points
Rated by my wife...almonds and marzipan and pears...pale golden...
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10/8/2010 - TinMan wrote: 84 Points
Starts OK with light notes of citrus and moderate minerality and finished with an annoying subtle bitterness...not sure what's going on here but I don't particularly want to drink my one remaining bottle.
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9/5/2010 - Weston3220 Likes this wine:
No Formal Tasting Note, Lots of Acidity, Citrus, For being mainly Pinot/Pinot I found it having lots of Chard Acidity
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8/30/2010 - ews3 wrote: 92 Points
IMW Annual Champagne Tasting (Christie's Auction House, NYC): this was an interesting wine -- i did not like many of the individual flavors i was tasting, but when thinking about the whole, it strangely came togther. red apple, but a little sour. strawberry, but a little bitter. i doubt that this would come together every time, but when it does, it is excellent. medium(+) finish.
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7/14/2010 - brooklynguy wrote:
this was the 2004. beautiful wine! mostly pinot and the red fruit is intense and clean, quite prominent. but there is also a definite lemony quality that i associate with chardonnay, and that is not even 15% of the blend. this is harmonious, elegant, very chalky and mineral wine. does better with lots of air, and i think will benefit a lot from another 5 in the cellar.
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4/10/2010 - TinMan wrote: 89 Points
Clean, yeasty bread, and over-notes of lemon. This is a nice juice. Perhaps this will/should be rated higher?
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3/19/2010 - JJL wrote: 88 Points
Drank next to the '02 Pehu and this was much better. Classic biscuit and yeast on nose, citrus and apple palate with nutty finish.
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12/27/2009 - SimonG wrote:
Good. Mid straw, moderate stream of fairly coarse bubbles. Coming together nicely. Stil la little loose-knit but good meaty pinot flavours dominating with a hint of spiced apple coming through too. Easy to drink. ***
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11/9/2009 - moguls wrote: 87 Points
Disgorged 27/11/2008. Much better than the previous bottle. No notes taken, this was a general impression late at night.
Very good.
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8/29/2009 - SimonG wrote:
Half. Consistent with previous half. **1/2
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8/25/2009 - moguls wrote: 77 Points
Disgorged 27/11/2008, flabby, short yeasty finish. Some offputting aromas, metallic? . Not as good as previous bottles disgorged in 2007.
Average.
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8/16/2009 - SimonG wrote:
Half. Mellow, pinot-dominated nose and palate, quite ematy. Lacks a bit of focus and precission but perfectly decent in a mini-Bolly mould. Based on 2002 vintage this is 80% Pinot Noir & 20% Chardonay. **1/2
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5/6/2008 - RationalDenial wrote: 83 Points
Too much yeast on the nose... maybe it'll blow off after a while? Maybe it's because I'm drinking a split? And that damp lettuce smell that I think you sometimes get with Meunier. Some free-floating oak, but luxurious mouthfeel (lots of malo) and some chalky redcurrent along with the predominant Granny Smith. Goes mushy on the finish as the acid fades quickly. (disgorged April 2007).
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9/24/2007 - ews3 wrote: 84 Points
MW Champagne Tasting (Cornell Club, NYC): red apple & strawberry, simple but pleasant short finish
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