Was surprised to find 2 bottles in my cellar of this champagne, bought 7yrs ago in auction. The 1st bottle was totally past. The 2nd bottle fared much better. Deep golden color with virtually no bubbles. Intense aged nose, with honeycomb, mushroom, earth, nuts aromas. Obviously oxidized. Full body, with very little sparkle in the mouth. Quite oxidized but still enjoyable with intense flavours of Honey, ginger, currant. Savoury with excellent persistence and length. Acidity totally integrated. Really excellent.
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Champagne Charlie #alldayeveryday (Chicago, IL): For my palate, this was definitely pushing the aged boundary a little too much for me. "Mushrooms rubbed with mango," was the phrase used to describe this wine. Certainly very ripe and tropical but the savoury umami notes as well as the sherried nuttiness of this wine is for me over the top.
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This is my first experience with such old champagne. I was not expecting much fizz or bubbles and this was the case. Just a few tiny bubbles here and there. Aromas were superb, almonds, some kind of cheese not sure what it is but quite interesting and pleasant, dried apricots. Who says champagne cannot age, I found my soft spot and will now put some good bottles aside for aging.
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Amazing, impressive life left in this 31 year old vintage Champagne. The color was dark gold colored with intense, complex, dry, finely integrated layers of zesty citrus fruits accented by notes of roasted almonds and paine grille with hints of fresh dough, smoke, and pineapple with a long bright vibrant finish. Son's Birthyear vintage bottle. https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/06/fathers-day-grilled-steak-wine-dinner.html
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We have a case of this champagne. 1990 is one of the best vintage in champagne history. However, this Charles Heidsieck was very disappointing. I wrote to the winery and no one replied me. I vividly remembered I asked my husband to open the champagne and I wanted to record and capture my two young sons experiencing the excitement of a champagne being opened. However, there was no pop sound. Oops. Wow in a sad way. Every bottle was disappointing. We purchased this case on release in Hong Kong.
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Charles Heidsieck Brut 1990, til feiring av 30-åringen min. Gyllen, klar og ren på farge. Fine bobler og ganske god mousse. Aromaer av lett søt brioch samt deilig honning, voks, hasselnøtter og et strøk av sitrus. Fantastisk munnfølelse, fortsatt god syre og lang, lang lengde. Kompleks vin som holder intensiteten hele veien uten dø-punkt. Dette er bare så godt, så elegant og delikat! Selv en 30-år gammel guttunge ble forført 😋, og den satt umåtelig godt sammen med skalldyrsuppe med fritert kongekrabbe.
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Medium light gold colour, not too deep for champagne of this age. Bubbles still active. Rich brioche with some slight yellow fruit flavour. Still quite energetic and on the young side. Quite a bit of sweetness - because of dosage or from aging. Good balance stuff but finish is medium only without much flair. Aging well but not something very exciting. 15.5/20
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Surprisingly vivid mousse. Perhaps a bit over the top but still drinking well. Purchased in October 1999 and one of the first five bottles in my collection. Now every bottle from that initial purchase have been consumed so it was kind of an historic experience drinking this one and remembering how life was back in 1999...
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Golden color with tiny bubbles that clung to the glass, but had lost their oomph, common in old Champagne. This is my last bottle of this wine, and the best of all. I drank it on Valentine's day with my wife, who pared it with lobster and asparagus. The wine had an extraordinarily powerful bouquet and flavor of dilute balsamic vinegar, a bit of petrol, and some toast. It had great balance, depth, and nuance, and a very long finish. I decided to give it a score of 100, a distinction otherwise bestowed only on Krug Clos de Mesnil, a wonderful wine, but with a price requiring a second mortgage. If you have not had the privilege of drinking old Champagne, I highly recommend it. It is much different from younger wines.
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Golden color with a bouquet and flavor of toast and dilute balsamic vinegar. Fair effervescence that dissipated rather quickly. Wonderful balance with a long finish. Very typical old Champagne. Still not over the hill.
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Yellow-brown color with fading bubbles, but with a wonderful bouquet and flavor of toast, dilute balsamic vinegar, and some citrus. Very good balance and nuance with a fairly long finish.
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toasted bread and fresh pineapple with candied ginger. Fully mature. Ripe fruit and high acid but perhaps lacking some minerality as well as concentration compared to other vintages. Delicious.
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Held on too long, though there was lemon and ginger spice, a bit golden honey and tangerine notes, the balance was a bit off. Tasted much better near the bottles finish so it needed to open up.
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Weekend Supper with Friends (TLV's): Golden color; very little effervescence remaining. Aromas of roasted nuts, caramel and apple with oxidative, sherry undertones. Less than pristine but has some redeeming qualities. The palate follows the bouquet, adding stone and poached pear tones. 87 for me, 89 for Domino. Someday I hope to taste a pristine example of this wine.
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Open by Allred. Medium yellow color. Slightly oxidized but not as bad as the first bottle I had earlier this year. I liked the depth on this wine. Apple notes with a slight metallic quality and some nuttiness. Creamy finish. Lower bead which faded rather quickly. 89-90 points
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Deep lemony yellow color. Very rich and developed nose with really attractive aromas of toasted bread, chestnuts, ripe orange-driven citrus fruits, some clover-driven, fragrant floral character, a little bit of caramel and a hint of smoky toasted character. The wine is rich, soft and creamy on the palate with weighty, full body. There are flavors of very ripe citrus fruits, tangerine, sweet and slightly dried stone fruits, toasty autolysis, honeyed richness, some chopped chestnuts, a little bit of steely minerality and a hint of crème brûlée. The wine feels quite structured, even though the concentrated body seems to overwhelm some of the high acidity of the wine. The mousse feels very small, only lightly tingly and rather short-lived at this age. The finish is long, ripe and powerful with intense flavors of sweet citrus fruits, dried orange zest, pineapple, a little bit of toasty autolytic bread crust, a little bit of roasted chestnuts and a hint of honey and beeswax.
A stunning wine and a real powerhouse for a Champagne - this must have been quite a monster while it was young and it must have only gained some extra weight with age. The complexity and the layers of flavors seem pretty much endless here and the harmony with the structure and the mouthfeel is beyond words. Funnily enough, some people found the wine pretty aggressive with sharp acidity, but I think most of them weren't familiar with older Champagnes - people who were more familiar with them agreed that the acidity was moderately high, but seemed to have settled somewhat with age. All in all, this is more or less everything I look for in a Champagne and I wish every bubbly I had was like this. One of the greatest fizzy experiences I've had. Stunning value at 80€.
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not sure what to think, wine was light golden, lots of bubbles left, the caramel taste was very strong and I loved it, i just can't get past the slightly maderized/sherry nose. Stored by me since release, bottles seem pristine, maybe I do not like aged champagne
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Better lucky that good I guess, based on notes below re: flawed and over-the-hill bottles. This bottle is neither of those. Palate shows definite age. Dough, still a bit of apple acidity, a torch of sherry and a honey/nut note that carries through to a finish that is unusually long. I drink scant few aged champagnes, but this one is an absolute gem.
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Last bottle from the group. Light gold. Some bubbles left. Somewhat oxidized/sherry-fied but still some enjoyment left in the bottle. This was probably not well stored but then again over 20 years is a long time for this bottling.
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Completely maderized and without a single CO2 bubble. The cork slid out and there was no expansion and no pop. The wine was worthless. This was completely disappointing given how delicious the magnum of the exact same wine and vintage was. And, the fact that both the standard bottle and the magnums were purchased from the same source and at the same time and stored in my cellar under identical conditions.
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A complete bust, unlike the experience with the magnums of this wine on 3 separate occasions. The cork slid out. There was no "pop". There were no bubbles whatsoever. The wine was completely maderized. Sad, but not reflective of the good bottles I have enjoyed so far. This experience simply reflects a poorly housed bottle.
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Light-dark gold. Still some effervescence. Tasted from 2 of the 3 bottles and there was significant difference in freshness though both were purchased at same time from same retailer. "Older" bottle had noted sherry tones but still some fruit and complexity and was enjoyable. Fresher bottle was lighter, had more bubbles, just some bare hints of caramel and nuts, good fruit character and nice complexity. "Older" bottle was good to very good, fresher bottle was excellent.
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this wine was magnificent. this was the best and last of six bottles. absolutely blew away the Dom and Cristal. Yeasty, doughy,toasty, citrus and ginger and an incredible finish. wish i had more.
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This is a spectacular champagne. A 98 in my book. Served 8 very happy people out of a magnum. Still a "pop" when uncorked. Cork did not expand which is consistent with its age. There was a modest amount of bubbles, as the cork and age presaged, but plenty enough to enjoy. The color was deep amber, beautiful. The nose was a delicious cross between coffee and burnt sugar. The predominant taste was caramel but with a heavy influence of coffee and pralines. There was honey, a faint bit of apple, as well and a nuttiness. This was a completely satisfying, delicious and complex champagne. All were honestly impressed and I was proud to serve it. I am glad I have more. I doubt it will age more than 5 more years though given the cork condition.
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Presterar riktigt bra, i sällskapet med i princip bara prestigeviner så visar det här hur en bra lagrad standardvintage från ett bra år kan leverera. Lite rostat, röda äpplen, begynnande mognadssötma. Bra balans med en intregrerad syra som hela tiden ligger i bakgrunden men inte dominerar. Många 90or är konstiga då de är ganska intesägande men det här vinet har karaktär som lyser igenom. Bra eftersmak men dog kanske lite i glaset efter ett tag. Drick nu
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Great wine still drinking very well. Mature impressions of malt, sherry and brioche balanced by vibrant acidity and luscious lemon custard flavors. Probably at it's peak now.
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Drinking as expected as an aged Champagne. Nice golden yellow color. Slightly nutty and doughy nose. Great if you like an aged Champagne, but doesn't have the "zing", doughiness, yeastiness, fruit or acidity that a younger Champagne typically has.
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An active amount of fine beading. Initial aromas of apricot, peach & honey. Very Sauternes(ish) indeed. With a few minutes to air it began to transform and open into a much more typical nose of this wine with aromas of toast, bread dough and honey. A beautiful acidic underpinning though balanced per its present age and a pleasant long finish. A beautiful showing from this bottle.
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Out of a magnum that I purchased in 1999. Absolutely awesome. Still vibrant, youthful, full of life. Not a hint of oxidation or spoilage. It was the hit wine of the night.
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OC Blind Wine Dinner (The Winery - Tustin, CA): Tasted from a mag. Mature aromas of red apples, pears, chesnutts, and popcorn. Light and elegant on the palate with notes of pear, citrus zest, crushed shells and a touch of saline. While I very much enjoyed the nose, I thought the palate lacked some concentration and was a bit thin on the finish. Nonetheless, a very pleasant way to begin the evening. 90-91 points.
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The OC Goes Blind (The Winery, Tustin, CA): Earthy nose showing lots of oxidation but also some pleasant complexity with a nice note of vanilla standing out. Lean palate showing some apples and strongly tart acids and a touch of smoke. This is down but not out though I wouldn't hold onto it much longer. Probably best 5 years ago.
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The OC Blind Crew (The Winery Restaurant In Tustin, CA): Poured from a big 'ol mag. Nutty with pear, apple and what seemed like an almond flavor, along with light mineral. Something opn the finish seemed out of whack, like a brown or cooked note. Don't drink a lot of bubbly so not sure what to call it.
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Something weird was going on with this bottle -- tasted a little less than half a glass and could not take any more. It was way too yeasty and tasted like doughy apple juice. I know these are the flavor characteristics, but something was off and it did not have the balance and bubbles this normally would.
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Of the 90 Veuve, LP, and Charles Heidsieck, I think this one has held up the best of them (LP is right behind it). Still a straw color with a crisp, smooth entry, this one eems to have live left to it but finshes with a nice round, toasty, mature finish. A-
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From magnum: Medium gold in color with a fine bead rising. Layored aromas of cut field flowers, toast, honey, fresh dough and roasted almonds. Well integrated, the aromas carry through to the palate. Firm, fresh and focused preceeding a long, exhuberant finish. Drink now. Pure elegance.
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This bottle was opened as part of an 8 bottle tasting offline event. This in my opinion was WOTN. This was dark amber in color with a golden haze to it. On the nose massive amounts of toasted almonds, caramel, baked graham crackers and boiled apples. The mouth feel was so possessive with brown sugar, baked orchard fruit, caramel, slight amounts of coffee. This was multi dimensional, layers upon layers of fruit and a wonderful balance. Not too overpowering in any aspect, very complex and complete. This is what I would expect from good aged champagne.
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2001 Gevrey Chambertin Grand Cru dinner (Sage, Singapore): One of two champagnes thrown in for good measure. Bead does not have the vigour of youth, but this was still bubbling away nicely. The nose was incredibly yeasty and nutty, with an almost savoury soy accent which blew off after some time. Palate was nice and fresh, with good balance. Flavours were a bit musty, old cupboard-ish, but there was a nice underlying bed of fresh fruit, in the pear - green apple spectrum that was slowly coaxed out with time in the glass. The palate also put on some weight and sweetness with time. The finish had some length and persistence, with pleasant, dried grape tastes at the tail.
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This is the second bottle (magnum) that I've tasted in the past month. The first one was almost dead with respect to the bubbles, but had a lot of citrus in it. Also, some roasted pecans, but just a little nuttiness. The finish was very nice for this first bottle. The second bottle had a ton of vibrant life, bubbles, and acidity in it, leading me to believe that this champagne has another 20 years left in it. There was a ton of toasted almonds in it with lots of citrusy lemon and key lime pie. However, the finish on the second bottle wasn't quite as good. There is one more magnum left. I am going to buy it and sit on it for a couple of years or s and see where it goes.
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TWC 4-Year Anniversary Dinner (Biff's Bistro, Toronto, Canada): Medium-gold colour. Few bubbles remaining in this wine. Slight reduction/soy note on the nose, joined by caramel, nuts, apple, and biscuit aromas. Medium-bodied, with replays from nose. Plenty of lemon, apple, and nuts on the palate. Moderate finish, ~35s, with more lemon, apple, and nuts.
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After reading the reviews I expected a worn-out wine -- instead this was vibrant and delicious, with strong streaks of pear, apple, lemon, and toasted pecans. We all loved it and wished we had more.
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I really enjoyed this creamy biscuit and toast nose, stored since release by me, the bubbles are thinning, the nuances complex. I do like the older champs, but think I should drink a few more soon!!
From the 2nd batch.
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Very little on the nose, just a hint yeasty. Predominantly citrus and lemon oil...a little vanilla and apple toward the end. Nice, fine bubbles. To me this one is just a hair past its prime, but I can't speak to the storage conditions of this bottle as I have not had it since release. For my tastes it was too lemony with little else going on right now.
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Scott's Birthday Dinner (Dallas, TX): Served with hors d'oevres. Nice, deep yellow color with a toasty, caramel nose. Light creamy mouthfeel with tons of nut, toast, and apple. Late maturity, this one is taking on some sherry notes and won't last much longer.
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Had three bottles with some guests. Very gracious and full bodied. Pears, Granny Smith apples and toasty flavors. Beautiful nose. Very nice finish with strong vanilla. Very nice champagne. Will hold some for another time.
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this was darn fine, very creamy biscuit and caramel. less vigorous than on release, but I'd say hitting a plateau right now. Mom remarked on how she wanted more!!
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Loved this bottle...Delicious with buttery toast character and an absolutely outstanding nose that was as much fun to smell as to drink...Extremly dry.
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Roy in NYC part 1: "The Brothers" at Tribeca (Tribeca Grill): from a Magnum. This is yummy from the start. nose full of apple and yeast. the palate follows accordingly. Beautiful long finish and the wine continued to evolve in the glass. has a long future ahead of it. with champagnes like this one i am starting to like the bubley :)
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STG - woopin it up at Roys (Roys Crib): Interesting that this wine did not show as well as I had hoped, I still liked it. It definately showed much older than others from the same purchase. It showed very nutty, with some lemon peal and honey.
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Year end SG Dinner #2 (House of Hersh): The nose was yeasty and a bit oxidized. It had a strong sherry element. The palate had a distinct barleywine element. NR
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Seattle Tasting Group 'End of Year Dinner' #2 (Sammamish, WA, USA): Time to bake some bread, as someone brought the yeast! Textbook nose. The palate is clearly older with some sherry notes and a nuttiness. This was certainly quite charming, although people were a bit surprised when it was unveiled, as it seemed to be quite advanced. JasonD confirmed that lots of bottles from the same case had seemed a lot younger. So be it, a number of tasters were excited by the more mature champagne.
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4 Champagnes for the holidays (Lafayette, Ca.): Lovely small bubbles in the glass, lovely yeast and honey on the nose and palate, lovely finish, good acid, nice finish. My #3 of 4, Group #1.
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5/5/2024 - aquacongas wrote: 91 Points
Not blind
A bit tired 91
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4/16/2023 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
SQN Dinner (Jordan's Place - Chicago IL): Served blind, this was so past its peak there had to be something wrong with storage or the cork.
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2/16/2023 - Chekib m. Likes this wine: 94 Points
Was surprised to find 2 bottles in my cellar of this champagne, bought 7yrs ago in auction.
The 1st bottle was totally past.
The 2nd bottle fared much better.
Deep golden color with virtually no bubbles.
Intense aged nose, with honeycomb, mushroom, earth, nuts aromas. Obviously oxidized.
Full body, with very little sparkle in the mouth. Quite oxidized but still enjoyable with intense flavours of Honey, ginger, currant. Savoury with excellent persistence and length. Acidity totally integrated.
Really excellent.
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11/20/2022 - acyso wrote:
Champagne Charlie #alldayeveryday (Chicago, IL): For my palate, this was definitely pushing the aged boundary a little too much for me. "Mushrooms rubbed with mango," was the phrase used to describe this wine. Certainly very ripe and tropical but the savoury umami notes as well as the sherried nuttiness of this wine is for me over the top.
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1/6/2022 - clinet12 Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is my first experience with such old champagne. I was not expecting much fizz or bubbles and this was the case. Just a few tiny bubbles here and there. Aromas were superb, almonds, some kind of cheese not sure what it is but quite interesting and pleasant, dried apricots. Who says champagne cannot age, I found my soft spot and will now put some good bottles aside for aging.
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6/16/2021 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 91 Points
Amazing, impressive life left in this 31 year old vintage Champagne.
The color was dark gold colored with intense, complex, dry, finely integrated layers of zesty citrus fruits accented by notes of roasted almonds and paine grille with hints of fresh dough, smoke, and pineapple with a long bright vibrant finish. Son's Birthyear vintage bottle.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/06/fathers-day-grilled-steak-wine-dinner.html
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1/1/2021 - Cabforme wrote: flawed
Past prime and maybe defective. There was no carbonation
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12/4/2020 - hksteve Does not like this wine:
We have a case of this champagne. 1990 is one of the best vintage in champagne history. However, this Charles Heidsieck was very disappointing. I wrote to the winery and no one replied me. I vividly remembered I asked my husband to open the champagne and I wanted to record and capture my two young sons experiencing the excitement of a champagne being opened. However, there was no pop sound. Oops. Wow in a sad way. Every bottle was disappointing. We purchased this case on release in Hong Kong.
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9/16/2020 - Vanja1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Charles Heidsieck Brut 1990, til feiring av 30-åringen min.
Gyllen, klar og ren på farge. Fine bobler og ganske god mousse.
Aromaer av lett søt brioch samt deilig honning, voks, hasselnøtter og et strøk av sitrus.
Fantastisk munnfølelse, fortsatt god syre og lang, lang lengde. Kompleks vin som holder intensiteten hele veien uten dø-punkt. Dette er bare så godt, så elegant og delikat! Selv en 30-år gammel guttunge ble forført 😋, og den satt umåtelig godt sammen med skalldyrsuppe med fritert kongekrabbe.
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8/6/2018 - derekastoria Likes this wine:
Medium light gold colour, not too deep for champagne of this age. Bubbles still active. Rich brioche with some slight yellow fruit flavour. Still quite energetic and on the young side. Quite a bit of sweetness - because of dosage or from aging. Good balance stuff but finish is medium only without much flair. Aging well but not something very exciting. 15.5/20
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4/30/2018 - pawa wrote: 89 Points
Surprisingly vivid mousse. Perhaps a bit over the top but still drinking well. Purchased in October 1999 and one of the first five bottles in my collection. Now every bottle from that initial purchase have been consumed so it was kind of an historic experience drinking this one and remembering how life was back in 1999...
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12/31/2017 - Birdiealways Likes this wine: 89 Points
Hint of ox on the nose. Mousse almost gone. Yellow color. Quite pleasant taste though. Drink now.
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11/26/2016 - Simply Wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautifully aged, with nice complexity and depth, heavier style but good lift.
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2/14/2016 - tcosgriff Likes this wine: 100 Points
Golden color with tiny bubbles that clung to the glass, but had lost their oomph, common in old Champagne. This is my last bottle of this wine, and the best of all. I drank it on Valentine's day with my wife, who pared it with lobster and asparagus. The wine had an extraordinarily powerful bouquet and flavor of dilute balsamic vinegar, a bit of petrol, and some toast. It had great balance, depth, and nuance, and a very long finish. I decided to give it a score of 100, a distinction otherwise bestowed only on Krug Clos de Mesnil, a wonderful wine, but with a price requiring a second mortgage. If you have not had the privilege of drinking old Champagne, I highly recommend it. It is much different from younger wines.
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6/12/2015 - tcosgriff Likes this wine: 95 Points
Golden color with a bouquet and flavor of toast and dilute balsamic vinegar. Fair effervescence that dissipated rather quickly. Wonderful balance with a long finish. Very typical old Champagne. Still not over the hill.
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3/11/2015 - Atreyu wrote: 91 Points
plump but tart, lemon candy and hints of chalk. Mature but fresh, has lots of life left
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3/10/2015 - tcosgriff Likes this wine: 92 Points
Yellow-brown color with fading bubbles, but with a wonderful bouquet and flavor of toast, dilute balsamic vinegar, and some citrus. Very good balance and nuance with a fairly long finish.
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12/31/2014 - Atreyu wrote: 93 Points
toasted bread and fresh pineapple with candied ginger. Fully mature. Ripe fruit and high acid but perhaps lacking some minerality as well as concentration compared to other vintages. Delicious.
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12/26/2014 - dino_mike Likes this wine: 82 Points
Held on too long, though there was lemon and ginger spice, a bit golden honey and tangerine notes, the balance was a bit off. Tasted much better near the bottles finish so it needed to open up.
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12/14/2014 - boxedwine wrote:
flat
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11/28/2014 - thelostverse wrote: 89 Points
Opened by Allred. Showing oxidation and Sherry notes, but there was some green apple and mineral.
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11/28/2014 - AllRed wrote: 87 Points
Weekend Supper with Friends (TLV's): Golden color; very little effervescence remaining. Aromas of roasted nuts, caramel and apple with oxidative, sherry undertones. Less than pristine but has some redeeming qualities. The palate follows the bouquet, adding stone and poached pear tones. 87 for me, 89 for Domino. Someday I hope to taste a pristine example of this wine.
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11/28/2014 - Vino Me wrote: 90 Points
Open by Allred. Medium yellow color. Slightly oxidized but not as bad as the first bottle I had earlier this year. I liked the depth on this wine. Apple notes with a slight metallic quality and some nuttiness. Creamy finish. Lower bead which faded rather quickly. 89-90 points
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8/18/2014 - Vino Me wrote: flawed
Opened by Allred. Slightly oxidized but I didn't think it was too bad.
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8/15/2014 - thelostverse wrote: flawed
Opened by Allred at Salt. Oxidized. Thanks for opening this anyway.
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8/15/2014 - AllRed wrote: flawed
Orchard fruit lurking underneath oxidized qualities. The seal was less than pristine unfortunately.
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7/6/2014 - forceberry wrote: 98 Points
Deep lemony yellow color. Very rich and developed nose with really attractive aromas of toasted bread, chestnuts, ripe orange-driven citrus fruits, some clover-driven, fragrant floral character, a little bit of caramel and a hint of smoky toasted character. The wine is rich, soft and creamy on the palate with weighty, full body. There are flavors of very ripe citrus fruits, tangerine, sweet and slightly dried stone fruits, toasty autolysis, honeyed richness, some chopped chestnuts, a little bit of steely minerality and a hint of crème brûlée. The wine feels quite structured, even though the concentrated body seems to overwhelm some of the high acidity of the wine. The mousse feels very small, only lightly tingly and rather short-lived at this age. The finish is long, ripe and powerful with intense flavors of sweet citrus fruits, dried orange zest, pineapple, a little bit of toasty autolytic bread crust, a little bit of roasted chestnuts and a hint of honey and beeswax.
A stunning wine and a real powerhouse for a Champagne - this must have been quite a monster while it was young and it must have only gained some extra weight with age. The complexity and the layers of flavors seem pretty much endless here and the harmony with the structure and the mouthfeel is beyond words. Funnily enough, some people found the wine pretty aggressive with sharp acidity, but I think most of them weren't familiar with older Champagnes - people who were more familiar with them agreed that the acidity was moderately high, but seemed to have settled somewhat with age. All in all, this is more or less everything I look for in a Champagne and I wish every bubbly I had was like this. One of the greatest fizzy experiences I've had. Stunning value at 80€.
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1/25/2013 - Thomas D. Likes this wine: 89 Points
Red golden with green reflexes.
Typical nose, yeast, balanced, minerals.
Nice perlage/bubbles! Elegant wine!
Part of the 11 Einhoerner (unicorns) tasting at MWC
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7/3/2012 - beachbum wrote: 89 Points
not sure what to think, wine was light golden, lots of bubbles left, the caramel taste was very strong and I loved it, i just can't get past the slightly maderized/sherry nose. Stored by me since release, bottles seem pristine, maybe I do not like aged champagne
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2/14/2012 - vanpe003 wrote: 95 Points
Better lucky that good I guess, based on notes below re: flawed and over-the-hill bottles. This bottle is neither of those. Palate shows definite age. Dough, still a bit of apple acidity, a torch of sherry and a honey/nut note that carries through to a finish that is unusually long. I drink scant few aged champagnes, but this one is an absolute gem.
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1/25/2012 - dbg wrote:
Last bottle from the group. Light gold. Some bubbles left. Somewhat oxidized/sherry-fied but still some enjoyment left in the bottle. This was probably not well stored but then again over 20 years is a long time for this bottling.
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11/7/2011 - gbardy wrote: flawed
Completely maderized and without a single CO2 bubble. The cork slid out and there was no expansion and no pop. The wine was worthless. This was completely disappointing given how delicious the magnum of the exact same wine and vintage was. And, the fact that both the standard bottle and the magnums were purchased from the same source and at the same time and stored in my cellar under identical conditions.
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11/4/2011 - gbardy wrote: flawed
A complete bust, unlike the experience with the magnums of this wine on 3 separate occasions. The cork slid out. There was no "pop". There were no bubbles whatsoever. The wine was completely maderized. Sad, but not reflective of the good bottles I have enjoyed so far. This experience simply reflects a poorly housed bottle.
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10/27/2011 - dbg wrote:
Light-dark gold. Still some effervescence. Tasted from 2 of the 3 bottles and there was significant difference in freshness though both were purchased at same time from same retailer. "Older" bottle had noted sherry tones but still some fruit and complexity and was enjoyable. Fresher bottle was lighter, had more bubbles, just some bare hints of caramel and nuts, good fruit character and nice complexity. "Older" bottle was good to very good, fresher bottle was excellent.
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9/29/2011 - josef93 wrote: 99 Points
this wine was magnificent. this was the best and last of six bottles. absolutely blew away the Dom and Cristal. Yeasty, doughy,toasty, citrus and ginger and an incredible finish. wish i had more.
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9/3/2011 - gbardy wrote: 98 Points
This is a spectacular champagne. A 98 in my book. Served 8 very happy people out of a magnum. Still a "pop" when uncorked. Cork did not expand which is consistent with its age. There was a modest amount of bubbles, as the cork and age presaged, but plenty enough to enjoy. The color was deep amber, beautiful. The nose was a delicious cross between coffee and burnt sugar. The predominant taste was caramel but with a heavy influence of coffee and pralines. There was honey, a faint bit of apple, as well and a nuttiness. This was a completely satisfying, delicious and complex champagne. All were honestly impressed and I was proud to serve it. I am glad I have more. I doubt it will age more than 5 more years though given the cork condition.
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8/14/2011 - uberoh wrote: 94 Points
from magnum - beautifully aged, balanced, yeasty - great nose - loved it.
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2/6/2011 - thescrod wrote: 92 Points
From magnum. Quite worthy to celebrate my 40th.
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1/1/2011 - dwhsieh wrote: 92 Points
yeasty, nutty still drinking well
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12/8/2010 - Vinomarcus wrote: flawed
Wednesday Night Club - December 2010 (Peter Pratt's Inn): Something was wrong here, seemed old and oxidized, quite musty.
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9/17/2010 - Shorepower wrote:
Presterar riktigt bra, i sällskapet med i princip bara prestigeviner så visar det här hur en bra lagrad standardvintage från ett bra år kan leverera. Lite rostat, röda äpplen, begynnande mognadssötma. Bra balans med en intregrerad syra som hela tiden ligger i bakgrunden men inte dominerar. Många 90or är konstiga då de är ganska intesägande men det här vinet har karaktär som lyser igenom. Bra eftersmak men dog kanske lite i glaset efter ett tag. Drick nu
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2/5/2010 - stocksandbondage wrote: 95 Points
Great wine still drinking very well. Mature impressions of malt, sherry and brioche balanced by vibrant acidity and luscious lemon custard flavors. Probably at it's peak now.
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1/29/2010 - beachbum wrote: 86 Points
old but sherried and fading a bit, ok
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12/31/2009 - lebo9968@gmail.com wrote: 88 Points
Drinking as expected as an aged Champagne. Nice golden yellow color. Slightly nutty and doughy nose. Great if you like an aged Champagne, but doesn't have the "zing", doughiness, yeastiness, fruit or acidity that a younger Champagne typically has.
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12/25/2009 - KSC02 wrote: 95 Points
An active amount of fine beading. Initial aromas of apricot, peach & honey. Very Sauternes(ish) indeed. With a few minutes to air it began to transform and open into a much more typical nose of this wine with aromas of toast, bread dough and honey. A beautiful acidic underpinning though balanced per its present age and a pleasant long finish. A beautiful showing from this bottle.
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11/1/2009 - Edclr wrote: 95 Points
Out of a magnum that I purchased in 1999. Absolutely awesome. Still vibrant, youthful, full of life. Not a hint of oxidation or spoilage. It was the hit wine of the night.
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6/20/2009 - Paul Lin wrote: 90 Points
OC Blind Wine Dinner (The Winery - Tustin, CA): Tasted from a mag. Mature aromas of red apples, pears, chesnutts, and popcorn. Light and elegant on the palate with notes of pear, citrus zest, crushed shells and a touch of saline. While I very much enjoyed the nose, I thought the palate lacked some concentration and was a bit thin on the finish. Nonetheless, a very pleasant way to begin the evening. 90-91 points.
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6/20/2009 - WetRock wrote:
The OC Goes Blind (The Winery, Tustin, CA): Earthy nose showing lots of oxidation but also some pleasant complexity with a nice note of vanilla standing out. Lean palate showing some apples and strongly tart acids and a touch of smoke. This is down but not out though I wouldn't hold onto it much longer. Probably best 5 years ago.
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6/20/2009 - Frank Murray III wrote:
The OC Blind Crew (The Winery Restaurant In Tustin, CA): Poured from a big 'ol mag. Nutty with pear, apple and what seemed like an almond flavor, along with light mineral. Something opn the finish seemed out of whack, like a brown or cooked note. Don't drink a lot of bubbly so not sure what to call it.
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1/25/2009 - dionysis wrote: flawed
Something weird was going on with this bottle -- tasted a little less than half a glass and could not take any more. It was way too yeasty and tasted like doughy apple juice. I know these are the flavor characteristics, but something was off and it did not have the balance and bubbles this normally would.
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1/11/2009 - MC wrote:
Of the 90 Veuve, LP, and Charles Heidsieck, I think this one has held up the best of them (LP is right behind it). Still a straw color with a crisp, smooth entry, this one eems to have live left to it but finshes with a nice round, toasty, mature finish. A-
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12/21/2008 - KSC02 wrote: 95 Points
From magnum:
Medium gold in color with a fine bead rising. Layored aromas of cut field flowers, toast, honey, fresh dough and roasted almonds. Well integrated, the aromas carry through to the palate. Firm, fresh and focused preceeding a long, exhuberant finish. Drink now. Pure elegance.
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12/20/2008 - vinaigre wrote: 94 Points
Montreal Offline: End of Year 95+ tasting 2008 (Restaurent le Bleu Raisin): Nice golden yellow. Very fine bubbles almost seemed flat. Nose of pain grillé, fresh rising bread and hay. Nice fine bubbles on the palate with a present but balanced acidity. Amongst the best champagnes I have had.
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7/28/2008 - jeff nowak wrote: flawed
undrinkable, assume poor storage.
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7/28/2008 - kstoddard wrote: flawed
G7 (Rick): Oxidized. Bitter finish. Definitely an off bottle. Heat damaged?
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6/28/2008 - tyvoodoo wrote: 95 Points
This bottle was opened as part of an 8 bottle tasting offline event. This in my opinion was WOTN. This was dark amber in color with a golden haze to it. On the nose massive amounts of toasted almonds, caramel, baked graham crackers and boiled apples. The mouth feel was so possessive with brown sugar, baked orchard fruit, caramel, slight amounts of coffee. This was multi dimensional, layers upon layers of fruit and a wonderful balance. Not too overpowering in any aspect, very complex and complete. This is what I would expect from good aged champagne.
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6/17/2008 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
2001 Gevrey Chambertin Grand Cru dinner (Sage, Singapore): One of two champagnes thrown in for good measure. Bead does not have the vigour of youth, but this was still bubbling away nicely. The nose was incredibly yeasty and nutty, with an almost savoury soy accent which blew off after some time. Palate was nice and fresh, with good balance. Flavours were a bit musty, old cupboard-ish, but there was a nice underlying bed of fresh fruit, in the pear - green apple spectrum that was slowly coaxed out with time in the glass. The palate also put on some weight and sweetness with time. The finish had some length and persistence, with pleasant, dried grape tastes at the tail.
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4/6/2008 - jonradus wrote: 95 Points
This is the second bottle (magnum) that I've tasted in the past month. The first one was almost dead with respect to the bubbles, but had a lot of citrus in it. Also, some roasted pecans, but just a little nuttiness. The finish was very nice for this first bottle. The second bottle had a ton of vibrant life, bubbles, and acidity in it, leading me to believe that this champagne has another 20 years left in it. There was a ton of toasted almonds in it with lots of citrusy lemon and key lime pie. However, the finish on the second bottle wasn't quite as good. There is one more magnum left. I am going to buy it and sit on it for a couple of years or s and see where it goes.
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1/19/2008 - futronic wrote: 92 Points
TWC 4-Year Anniversary Dinner (Biff's Bistro, Toronto, Canada): Medium-gold colour. Few bubbles remaining in this wine. Slight reduction/soy note on the nose, joined by caramel, nuts, apple, and biscuit aromas. Medium-bodied, with replays from nose. Plenty of lemon, apple, and nuts on the palate. Moderate finish, ~35s, with more lemon, apple, and nuts.
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12/10/2007 - mreinitz wrote: 94 Points
After reading the reviews I expected a worn-out wine -- instead this was vibrant and delicious, with strong streaks of pear, apple, lemon, and toasted pecans. We all loved it and wished we had more.
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11/18/2007 - sailcappy wrote: 93 Points
Really enjoyed, creamy and beautiful flavor
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9/12/2007 - thomaskeil wrote: 91 Points
Golden with diminished, but fine bubbles. Lots of toasty yeast and great mineral acidity to focus it around some nice, almost honeyed white fruits.
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8/31/2007 - beachbum wrote:
I really enjoyed this creamy biscuit and toast nose, stored since release by me, the bubbles are thinning, the nuances complex. I do like the older champs, but think I should drink a few more soon!!
From the 2nd batch.
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6/29/2007 - keithgg wrote: 87 Points
Not quite as past its pirme as the last few bottles, but I recommend drinking this in a fruit punch.
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5/22/2007 - philhh wrote: 84 Points
Very little on the nose, just a hint yeasty. Predominantly citrus and lemon oil...a little vanilla and apple toward the end. Nice, fine bubbles. To me this one is just a hair past its prime, but I can't speak to the storage conditions of this bottle as I have not had it since release. For my tastes it was too lemony with little else going on right now.
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3/10/2007 - strulock wrote: 90 Points
Scott's Birthday Dinner (Dallas, TX): Served with hors d'oevres. Nice, deep yellow color with a toasty, caramel nose. Light creamy mouthfeel with tons of nut, toast, and apple. Late maturity, this one is taking on some sherry notes and won't last much longer.
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12/27/2006 - JeffW wrote: 94 Points
Had three bottles with some guests. Very gracious and full bodied. Pears, Granny Smith apples and toasty flavors. Beautiful nose. Very nice finish with strong vanilla. Very nice champagne. Will hold some for another time.
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8/10/2006 - beachbum wrote: 93 Points
this was darn fine, very creamy biscuit and caramel. less vigorous than on release, but I'd say hitting a plateau right now. Mom remarked on how she wanted more!!
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8/5/2006 - keithgg wrote: 84 Points
I adored this wine when I purchased cases of it in 1999. The last few bottles have all been sherry-like, over-mature and a huge disappointment.
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8/7/2005 - jmd60611 wrote: 94 Points
Loved this bottle...Delicious with buttery toast character and an absolutely outstanding nose that was as much fun to smell as to drink...Extremly dry.
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7/15/2005 - Mlermontov wrote: 92 Points
Roy in NYC part 1: "The Brothers" at Tribeca (Tribeca Grill): from a Magnum. This is yummy from the start. nose full of apple and yeast. the palate follows accordingly. Beautiful long finish and the wine continued to evolve in the glass. has a long future ahead of it. with champagnes like this one i am starting to like the bubley :)
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3/5/2005 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Alsace and S&D: Blind Sparkler - Very sherried and oxidized with nutty battery acid flavors. Lots of character, but I don’t care for it.
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12/24/2004 - TripDaddy wrote: flawed
Oxidized. Strong notes of bitter sherry. Damn. Last bottle of this I had. Looks like a bad cork.
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12/15/2004 - JasonD wrote: 94 Points
STG - woopin it up at Roys (Roys Crib): Interesting that this wine did not show as well as I had hoped, I still liked it. It definately showed much older than others from the same purchase. It showed very nutty, with some lemon peal and honey.
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12/11/2004 - Jason wrote:
Year end SG Dinner #2 (House of Hersh): The nose was yeasty and a bit oxidized. It had a strong sherry element. The palate had a distinct barleywine element. NR
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12/11/2004 - Eric wrote: 90 Points
Seattle Tasting Group 'End of Year Dinner' #2 (Sammamish, WA, USA): Time to bake some bread, as someone brought the yeast! Textbook nose. The palate is clearly older with some sherry notes and a nuttiness. This was certainly quite charming, although people were a bit surprised when it was unveiled, as it seemed to be quite advanced. JasonD confirmed that lots of bottles from the same case had seemed a lot younger. So be it, a number of tasters were excited by the more mature champagne.
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4/1/2003 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Rich well balanced champagne with plenty of toasty yeast, but balanced with good fruit an acidity. A nice middle ground. 4/03
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11/5/1998 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 91 Points
4 Champagnes for the holidays (Lafayette, Ca.): Lovely small bubbles in the glass, lovely yeast and honey on the nose and palate, lovely finish, good acid, nice finish. My #3 of 4, Group #1.
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