Cab Showdown: Michigan v West Coast (Chateau Vino Me): Deep straw yellow color. Aromas of ginger, bitter almond, orchard fruit and saline. Fine bead. Blanched almond, dough, pear and ginger flavors. Very nice. 91+ pts. (VM)
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4th bottle. Light yellow color. Solid bead but it faded quickly. Fuller body. Notes of almonds and tea. This has put on some depth over the years. 91 points.
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Drinking nicely. A clear step up from the Montgolfiere (which we enjoy regularly) with finer mousse and little more cut. Similar flavor profile to the Montgolfiere with a nice ripe apple component; mild sweetness but good acid to keep it fresh.
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Very unique champers, at least in my experience. Super dry and perhaps even a little austere but has great baked bread and white fruit flavors. I wonder if I would have loved this even more with just a touch more dosage, but the people at Salmon and Club Tresors did it this way for a reason.
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Light bronze color. Biscuit and olive oil notes surround the brassy yellow citrus core on initial entry. Medium effervescence that allows the flavors to expand mid-palate. Finishes with moderate focus.
A really nice bottle of bubbly that holds enough complexity to keep it from getting lost in the pack. Seems to be aging and relaxing nicely; coming into a nice window now. The PM adds a slight rusticity here, inserting a brassy cherry water element that adds interest. Drink now and over the next 5+ years.
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Different than your normal bottles champagne. Love the no dosage. Pure Pinot Meunier. Try to age other 2 for a few years, but beautiful now. Wendi loved out of a bigger bowl wine glass- yeah! No mo flutes!
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Vinetasters: Special Clubs (Skokie, IL): Served double blind. Fairly rich nose, with some nice pinot elements here. Mildly doughy and bready. The palate is a little prickly, but that seems to come from the vintage than youth. Slightly chalky on the finish as well. Overall, complex with good breadth, but the acidity is certainly high here. Upon revisiting, this seemed to have a slight bit of salinity and green apple as well. Quite nice. My 1st, group's 3rd.
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Rye bread, a little bit of vanilla and tight acidity. It's not as dry as the zero dosage would suggest. It's impressive and balanced -- the flavors work in harmony yet still feel distinct.
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WOW! First nose was sharp, intense and sinus overwhelming. All agreed that this is racy, complex, fantastic QPR and should improve with age -- as in round off some of the sharp citric edges. Should have bought a full case (not 1/2). Will no doubt improve with age but take much discipline.
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Previous notes apply. Still in that 92-93 point range. Holding for a few years makes the most sense, but I can never keep anything for that long... so impatient I am...!
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Purchased for $45. 290 cases made. 100% Pinot Meunier from Chaumuzy in the Ardre Valley. No dosage. This is the 4th Special Club vintage for this producer. I had the 2009 and it was very good. Clear white color. For being a no dose wine, this did not taste that dry which probably speaks to the ripeness of the grapes. Notes of citrus, minerals and bosc pear. A very focused Champagne which will continue to improve as it is still very youthful. 94 points.
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Unusual (to me anyway) bottling of 100% Pinot Mugnier and zero dosage; very complex and enchanting fragrance; red orchard fruit, focused acidity, zippy, dry and fresh. Loads of life in this as it is a very young wine.
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Unique nose of pale raspberry fruit, brioche and a graphite-like minerality that shows a nice contrast to the blanc de blancs tasted side by side. Rich, powerful palate. Lots of drive an intensity. Would love to try this again in 4-5 years. Ends ripe and fruity but with no undue weight or heaviness. Plenty of acidity.
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Rioja and Ribero del Duero (Tilia): This was incredibly tart, with tons of minerality. As it warmed up, it became rounder with green apple. This wine is definitely in the "energy and minerality" camp. 91-92
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Napa Cabernets + SQN + others (Home): Similar to my notes on this wine a few months ago. A little more push and energy down the center of the palate than I recall from last time. Also, a little less ripe than I recall from the last bottle. Nevertheless, this delivered some nice yellow citrus fruit, bread dough, and oyster shell. Some ripeness, but a nice cut of acidity to keep it honest. Like the Launois, the Salmon’s effervescence was initially pretty powerful; some added time to settle down in the glass (BDX stem) helped to even that issue out considerably. This fell in-between the Launois and the Krug with regards to my personal preference. The Salmon offered more completeness and maturity than the Launois, but operated below the complexity level of the Krug165eme. The Salmon still falls in that 92-ish (inching into 93) point realm for me. Good to drink now, but a few years of aging might do it well.
Day 2/3 update: I had about half of a bottle of this left on 6/2, so I re-sealed it and opened it up last night (6/4). This still had tons of energy and flavor. In fact, it gained some added depth and complexity. Some nice quince and almond paste notes emerged. Solid 93++ points at this juncture, with upside in a few years.
Meyer lemon rind yellow-gold hue in the glass, with medium-to-light effervescence, and a ripe citrus and yeast nose. Flavors of ripe yellow citrus (and some white stone) core fruit, with bread dough, almond butter, ripe banana, and some faint oyster shell rounding-out the attack.
Medium-bodied, with medium acid. Not much zing across the palate, but enough of a grip and push to keep the flavors moving nicely. A bit of a toastier, rounder style, delivering more on the unctuous side of the fence than the bracing acidity side. Luckily, this doesn't come across overly fat, ripe, or heavy. It carries a decent amount of flavor complexity and depth to keep things interesting throughout consumption. Drink now and over the next 5 years.
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Pale gold with very faint pink. Light on the bubbles. Bread and apricot on the nose that continued to grow in the glass. Nice acidity and great length. It will improve a little with some time in the cellar. Very nice.
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First time, breadcrust, citrus, oyster, seabreeze, not on the opulent side, ripe fruits with a refreshing acidity, nice saltieness, more to expect in the next 3-5 years, 91+
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I always have a soft spot for these although we had it a bit later in the night. Toasty and brioche. It prob would have been better with some more time, but still worked this night.
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10/6/2023 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
Cab Showdown: Michigan v West Coast (Chateau Vino Me): Deep straw yellow color. Aromas of ginger, bitter almond, orchard fruit and saline. Fine bead. Blanched almond, dough, pear and ginger flavors. Very nice. 91+ pts. (VM)
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10/6/2023 - Vino Me wrote: 91 Points
4th bottle. Light yellow color. Solid bead but it faded quickly. Fuller body. Notes of almonds and tea. This has put on some depth over the years. 91 points.
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10/8/2021 - JuliannaDHS Likes this wine: 90 Points
A nice champagne, on the more delicate side. But, this doesn't really stand out. Special? Not so sure.
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9/29/2021 - aquacongas wrote: 91 Points
blind
Good acidity structure, fruity and bread crust. A bit wild. 90-91
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2/28/2021 - mp6283 Likes this wine:
Drinking nicely. A clear step up from the Montgolfiere (which we enjoy regularly) with finer mousse and little more cut. Similar flavor profile to the Montgolfiere with a nice ripe apple component; mild sweetness but good acid to keep it fresh.
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8/22/2020 - MrOctoberfest Likes this wine:
Very unique champers, at least in my experience. Super dry and perhaps even a little austere but has great baked bread and white fruit flavors. I wonder if I would have loved this even more with just a touch more dosage, but the people at Salmon and Club Tresors did it this way for a reason.
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6/13/2020 - Vino Me wrote: 92 Points
Opened by Mark. No formal notes. 92 points.
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1/14/2020 - csimm wrote: 93 Points
Light bronze color. Biscuit and olive oil notes surround the brassy yellow citrus core on initial entry. Medium effervescence that allows the flavors to expand mid-palate. Finishes with moderate focus.
A really nice bottle of bubbly that holds enough complexity to keep it from getting lost in the pack. Seems to be aging and relaxing nicely; coming into a nice window now. The PM adds a slight rusticity here, inserting a brassy cherry water element that adds interest. Drink now and over the next 5+ years.
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12/23/2019 - dougie wrote:
Different than your normal bottles champagne. Love the no dosage. Pure Pinot Meunier. Try to age other 2 for a few years, but beautiful now. Wendi loved out of a bigger bowl wine glass- yeah! No mo flutes!
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8/27/2019 - kcdutt wrote:
Wonderful, paired well with salmon.
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8/21/2019 - Vino Me wrote: 95 Points
Took this bottle to the beach to watch the sunset. Best wine of the weekend. Simply shining with similar notes as before. 95 points.
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6/7/2019 - mercurius wrote: 90 Points
More acidic and tighter than all other Salmon Champagnes I've tried.
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6/2/2019 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Vinetasters: Special Clubs (Skokie, IL): Served double blind. Fairly rich nose, with some nice pinot elements here. Mildly doughy and bready. The palate is a little prickly, but that seems to come from the vintage than youth. Slightly chalky on the finish as well. Overall, complex with good breadth, but the acidity is certainly high here. Upon revisiting, this seemed to have a slight bit of salinity and green apple as well. Quite nice. My 1st, group's 3rd.
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5/1/2019 - ChrisWagner Likes this wine: 90 Points
Was really pretty darn good. Shows much promise, but really very young.
If I had more I would hold for another 2-4 more years before I touched any.
Racy, fresh, and lively. Much promise here.
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1/12/2019 - OaktownRush Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rye bread, a little bit of vanilla and tight acidity. It's not as dry as the zero dosage would suggest. It's impressive and balanced -- the flavors work in harmony yet still feel distinct.
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11/4/2018 - IAmVintage wrote: 94 Points
WOW! First nose was sharp, intense and sinus overwhelming. All agreed that this is racy, complex, fantastic QPR and should improve with age -- as in round off some of the sharp citric edges. Should have bought a full case (not 1/2). Will no doubt improve with age but take much discipline.
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10/25/2018 - csimm wrote: 93 Points
Previous notes apply. Still in that 92-93 point range. Holding for a few years makes the most sense, but I can never keep anything for that long... so impatient I am...!
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8/6/2018 - Vino Me wrote: 94 Points
Purchased for $45. 290 cases made. 100% Pinot Meunier from Chaumuzy in the Ardre Valley. No dosage. This is the 4th Special Club vintage for this producer. I had the 2009 and it was very good. Clear white color. For being a no dose wine, this did not taste that dry which probably speaks to the ripeness of the grapes. Notes of citrus, minerals and bosc pear. A very focused Champagne which will continue to improve as it is still very youthful. 94 points.
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7/12/2018 - jmoore431 wrote: 93 Points
Unusual (to me anyway) bottling of 100% Pinot Mugnier and zero dosage; very complex and enchanting fragrance; red orchard fruit, focused acidity, zippy, dry and fresh. Loads of life in this as it is a very young wine.
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7/10/2018 - Xavier94 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Unique nose of pale raspberry fruit, brioche and a graphite-like minerality that shows a nice contrast to the blanc de blancs tasted side by side. Rich, powerful palate. Lots of drive an intensity. Would love to try this again in 4-5 years. Ends ripe and fruity but with no undue weight or heaviness. Plenty of acidity.
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6/19/2018 - galewskj wrote: 91 Points
Rioja and Ribero del Duero (Tilia): This was incredibly tart, with tons of minerality. As it warmed up, it became rounder with green apple. This wine is definitely in the "energy and minerality" camp. 91-92
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6/10/2018 - rocknroller wrote: 90 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: Spain (Tilia, Mpls): Small taste. Tart apple, lighter body, flinty mineral.
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6/2/2018 - csimm wrote: 93 Points
Napa Cabernets + SQN + others (Home): Similar to my notes on this wine a few months ago. A little more push and energy down the center of the palate than I recall from last time. Also, a little less ripe than I recall from the last bottle. Nevertheless, this delivered some nice yellow citrus fruit, bread dough, and oyster shell. Some ripeness, but a nice cut of acidity to keep it honest. Like the Launois, the Salmon’s effervescence was initially pretty powerful; some added time to settle down in the glass (BDX stem) helped to even that issue out considerably. This fell in-between the Launois and the Krug with regards to my personal preference. The Salmon offered more completeness and maturity than the Launois, but operated below the complexity level of the Krug165eme. The Salmon still falls in that 92-ish (inching into 93) point realm for me. Good to drink now, but a few years of aging might do it well.
Day 2/3 update: I had about half of a bottle of this left on 6/2, so I re-sealed it and opened it up last night (6/4). This still had tons of energy and flavor. In fact, it gained some added depth and complexity. Some nice quince and almond paste notes emerged. Solid 93++ points at this juncture, with upside in a few years.
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3/24/2018 - csimm wrote: 92 Points
At Mr. Jiu's in SF.
Meyer lemon rind yellow-gold hue in the glass, with medium-to-light effervescence, and a ripe citrus and yeast nose. Flavors of ripe yellow citrus (and some white stone) core fruit, with bread dough, almond butter, ripe banana, and some faint oyster shell rounding-out the attack.
Medium-bodied, with medium acid. Not much zing across the palate, but enough of a grip and push to keep the flavors moving nicely. A bit of a toastier, rounder style, delivering more on the unctuous side of the fence than the bracing acidity side. Luckily, this doesn't come across overly fat, ripe, or heavy. It carries a decent amount of flavor complexity and depth to keep things interesting throughout consumption. Drink now and over the next 5 years.
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3/23/2018 - mp6283 Likes this wine:
Pale gold with very faint pink. Light on the bubbles. Bread and apricot on the nose that continued to grow in the glass. Nice acidity and great length. It will improve a little with some time in the cellar. Very nice.
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1/6/2018 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 91 Points
First time, breadcrust, citrus, oyster, seabreeze, not on the opulent side, ripe fruits with a refreshing acidity, nice saltieness, more to expect in the next 3-5 years, 91+
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12/31/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
I always have a soft spot for these although we had it a bit later in the night. Toasty and brioche. It prob would have been better with some more time, but still worked this night.
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