Still lively with plenty of sparkle, a good color for its age, a clean nose, some tertiary notes of coffee and creme brulee but also some tropical fruit. High dosage, a fair bit too much for my taste, hiding some of the evolved complexity that I expect from a perfectly aged wine as this. Concentration in flavour is also quite low and the finish short.
Much less evolved than a 1999 we tasted 2 years ago that was fully mature and at peak. This NV edition (1995/1996 base?) still has some years left before final peak, maybe as many as 5-10, or more.
More or less unchanged on day 2.
All in all a bit of a disappointment, but I might have caught this in an inbetween fase. Will be saving a bottle from this lot to try in 5-10 years from now.
92+ points
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I thought I had finished my entire stash of this but was happy to find one last bottle at the bottom of the cav recently. Rich, deep, sweet brioche but still crisp on the finish. Nuts and nougat. Very creamy mouthfeel. A style of champagne I really enjoy.
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Better than the last bottle I had in August. Bright gold, still vibrant but with good depth and complexity. Medium (+) body. Nuts, coffee, brioche, lemon. Not as oxidative as the previous example. Fully mature and no need for further aging. Probably as good as it will get.
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Light lemon hue. Cafe au lait, nuts, brioche, and white chocolate. Full bodied and yeasty. Despite the somewhat ponderous flavors, the acidity still manages to keep it fresh. . Good length. This is the style I favor for Champagne although I think this example is starting to show signs of over-maturity as the flavors are getting to be rather heavy. Might be time to drink up the last few bottles.
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Smell of sweet baked vanilla scones, sour apples Lively mouth feel - reasonably big but a short "pow" as bubbles don't persist Flavors are very enjoyable. Lemon meringue and oxidized apples. A little sweeter than is their vintage champagne. Finish is nice and dry and coats the tongue for at least a minute. Comparing this against my recollection of the 2000 brut vintage this premium cuvée is not obviously better. It has a nice sweetness mentioned earlier. I call it a draw. For the money, I'd go with the vintage in the future.
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ood depth of flavor. Butterscotch, green apple and tobacco. Good length. Excellent Champagne. I've been following the evolution of this wine for a couple of years now and it seems it's getting better and better but still has some upside.
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Very attractive pale yellow color. Aroma is a bit of a turn-off as it basically smells like cheap New Year's Eve champaign (yeasty). Taste was dry, with some butter and yeasts. The hints of butter were interesting, and this one grew on my as time went by. It might have been too cold at first, or maybe just needed to open up.
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November Champagne at Renaissance Wines (Renaissance Premium Wines and Cigars, Orenco Station, Oregon): The nose is full and complex. I get scents of roses, bread yeast, and apples. A burst of lime scents show as well and it feels deep and smooth. This is engaging on scent alone! Full bubbles deliver up front on the palate with some light citrus flavors quickly evolving into crisp apples and cinnamon on the mid palate. The apples become more juicy and full as the flavors evolve onto the finish. The evolution and flavors are captivating and blended with balanced acid. Everything runs out for a long long time and a touch of lemon appears out of nowhere as the finish is plowing through the 10s mark. Lovely wine.
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Cellared for about 4-5 years. Pretty, slightly sweet champagne. Rich toasty nose. Clean palate shows some balance, scrubbing acidity that doesn't detract from some richness.
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Hitting the Big 3-0. (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck, Paragon): Fresh, elegant Champagne. Very pleasant. Sweet nose showed ripe lemons, red apples and apple rind, along with some toasty spice, a bit of earth and just that touch of umami. There were little scents of herb and pepper floating around on top as well. Palate was crisp, clean and balance, with a nice sense of fruity sweetness and clean, crystallined fruit flavours - green apple shading into pineapple notes. Finish was mid-length, with touches of spice. Nice, almost too "nice", so that it almost lack a sense of personality. Still though, great elegance and very nice balance. Yummy start to the meal.
Very fresh and young , medium-bodied Champagne with a bready, yeasty flavor underneath a great deal of fruit. Good depth of flavor although still rather primal. Lemon rind. Very clean, long finish. An excellent NV that would probably have no trouble aging a few years.
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Light lemon color with a tinge of green. Bready and yeasty with a lot of fruit. Medium-bodied with good depth. Flavors of grapefruit and milk chocolate. Complex and crisp with a long finish. Excellent Champagne and can probably improve with age.
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It tasted very nice but not worth the list price in Sweden 799SEK. But for the price I got them for €26 it was well worth the price. Will try again next year with my second bottle.
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Still a bit skeptical of this wine. Opened with friends in Muenster-Sarmsheim, and while it was a nice wine to share with company, on its own I remain suspect. Nose of hot dogs covered with apple sauce on toast with leberwurst. Almost in that order. Palate was marginally creamy, but as a whole somewhat diffuse and disjointed: citrus and wheat bread dipped in skim milk (for that slightly creamy fluff). Compared to the 1999 Special Club from Chiquet we opened earlier in the week, this 'Cuvee Rare' showed rather common and bourgeois. Again, egregiously overpriced and hardly a cuvee worth pondering (unless, of course, you like hot dogs with apple sauce).
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Ehh. Had this the night before our trip to visit some growers in Ay and Dizy near Epernay. Compared to grower juice, this stuff is egregiously overpriced and marginally comparable. Perhaps I'm just a bit ticked I paid as much as I did for this, but perhaps I drank it a bit too young. Ehh. We'll see. Hold. Hopefully this becomes a $85 wine. Not holding my breath. Would spring for a Club bottling at 22 Euro ANY day over G-M juice.
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Pale yellow with green tinges. Aromas of toast, matchstick, apple, and lemon. Medium-bodied, with lemon, yeast, and hazelnut. Moderate finish, with green apple and lemon. As the wine warms up, it shows more sweet white fruit on the finish.
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6/25/2023 - PMJak11 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Had a glass and it was great! Nice balance between depth and effervescent. Brioche, cream, and nutty flavors. Really good!
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9/17/2022 - RolfT Likes this wine: 92 Points
Well matured notes. Not mindblowing champagne but enjoyable. Don't see upside but will last some years or ten still.
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5/7/2021 - RolfT wrote: 92 Points
Still lively with plenty of sparkle, a good color for its age, a clean nose, some tertiary notes of coffee and creme brulee but also some tropical fruit. High dosage, a fair bit too much for my taste, hiding some of the evolved complexity that I expect from a perfectly aged wine as this. Concentration in flavour is also quite low and the finish short.
Much less evolved than a 1999 we tasted 2 years ago that was fully mature and at peak. This NV edition (1995/1996 base?) still has some years left before final peak, maybe as many as 5-10, or more.
More or less unchanged on day 2.
All in all a bit of a disappointment, but I might have caught this in an inbetween fase. Will be saving a bottle from this lot to try in 5-10 years from now.
92+ points
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9/26/2020 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
For old times sake: Complex bouquet with a lot of nutty flavors. Many layers. Same on the palate. Developed bubble, good acidity and a great length.
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2/27/2015 - winesteward Likes this wine: 93 Points
I thought I had finished my entire stash of this but was happy to find one last bottle at the bottom of the cav recently. Rich, deep, sweet brioche but still crisp on the finish. Nuts and nougat. Very creamy mouthfeel. A style of champagne I really enjoy.
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11/5/2012 - winesteward wrote: 90 Points
Better than the last bottle I had in August. Bright gold, still vibrant but with good depth and complexity. Medium (+) body. Nuts, coffee, brioche, lemon. Not as oxidative as the previous example. Fully mature and no need for further aging. Probably as good as it will get.
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9/29/2012 - kalle303 wrote: 88 Points
Fine effort again. A bit less bubbly than last time. I'm not an expert in Champagnes, but I guess the original price is over the top for this kind.
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8/28/2012 - winesteward wrote: 87 Points
Light lemon hue. Cafe au lait, nuts, brioche, and white chocolate. Full bodied and yeasty. Despite the somewhat ponderous flavors, the acidity still manages to keep it fresh. . Good length. This is the style I favor for Champagne although I think this example is starting to show signs of over-maturity as the flavors are getting to be rather heavy. Might be time to drink up the last few bottles.
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2/12/2012 - Iceman611 wrote: 94 Points
Smell of sweet baked vanilla scones, sour apples
Lively mouth feel - reasonably big but a short "pow" as bubbles don't persist
Flavors are very enjoyable. Lemon meringue and oxidized apples. A little sweeter than is their vintage champagne.
Finish is nice and dry and coats the tongue for at least a minute.
Comparing this against my recollection of the 2000 brut vintage this premium cuvée is not obviously better. It has a nice sweetness mentioned earlier. I call it a draw. For the money, I'd go with the vintage in the future.
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2/9/2012 - winesteward wrote: 92 Points
ood depth of flavor. Butterscotch, green apple and tobacco. Good length. Excellent Champagne. I've been following the evolution of this wine for a couple of years now and it seems it's getting better and better but still has some upside.
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8/28/2011 - NOLA Bob wrote: 93 Points
Crisp fruit but some toast and yeast as well. A hit with everyone!
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12/31/2010 - Wazdakka Likes this wine:
Very attractive pale yellow color. Aroma is a bit of a turn-off as it basically smells like cheap New Year's Eve champaign (yeasty). Taste was dry, with some butter and yeasts. The hints of butter were interesting, and this one grew on my as time went by. It might have been too cold at first, or maybe just needed to open up.
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11/19/2010 - subtlet Likes this wine: 93 Points
November Champagne at Renaissance Wines (Renaissance Premium Wines and Cigars, Orenco Station, Oregon): The nose is full and complex. I get scents of roses, bread yeast, and apples. A burst of lime scents show as well and it feels deep and smooth. This is engaging on scent alone! Full bubbles deliver up front on the palate with some light citrus flavors quickly evolving into crisp apples and cinnamon on the mid palate. The apples become more juicy and full as the flavors evolve onto the finish. The evolution and flavors are captivating and blended with balanced acid. Everything runs out for a long long time and a touch of lemon appears out of nowhere as the finish is plowing through the 10s mark. Lovely wine.
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10/2/2010 - HamishR wrote: 92 Points
A rich champagne with some steely, mineral notes. More firm, still young but non-vintage.
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7/14/2010 - winesteward wrote: 90 Points
Peppery, sourdough and light smoke. Full, and complex. There's a touch of coffee when it gets warm. Very nice now but I think more to come with age.
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4/11/2010 - Alex H wrote: 86 Points
Paul's 30th Birthday; 4/10/2010-4/12/2010 (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck Restaurant): Very clean white stonefruit nose with some toastiness. Pristine . Mouth watering green apples and lemon zest . Crisp and finishing fresh.
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4/10/2010 - solace wrote: 90 Points
Cellared for about 4-5 years.
Pretty, slightly sweet champagne. Rich toasty nose. Clean palate shows some balance, scrubbing acidity that doesn't detract from some richness.
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4/10/2010 - Paul S wrote: 91 Points
Hitting the Big 3-0. (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck, Paragon): Fresh, elegant Champagne. Very pleasant. Sweet nose showed ripe lemons, red apples and apple rind, along with some toasty spice, a bit of earth and just that touch of umami. There were little scents of herb and pepper floating around on top as well. Palate was crisp, clean and balance, with a nice sense of fruity sweetness and clean, crystallined fruit flavours - green apple shading into pineapple notes. Finish was mid-length, with touches of spice. Nice, almost too "nice", so that it almost lack a sense of personality. Still though, great elegance and very nice balance. Yummy start to the meal.
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12/18/2009 - winesteward wrote: 88 Points
Medium-bodied. Rather sweet fruit. Light coffee, white chocolate. Very fresh. Needs age I think but still, very good.
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11/10/2009 - winesteward wrote: 92 Points
Very fresh and young , medium-bodied Champagne with a bready, yeasty flavor underneath a great deal of fruit. Good depth of flavor although still rather primal. Lemon rind. Very clean, long finish. An excellent NV that would probably have no trouble aging a few years.
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8/25/2009 - winesteward wrote: 91 Points
Light lemon color with a tinge of green. Bready and yeasty with a lot of fruit. Medium-bodied with good depth. Flavors of grapefruit and milk chocolate. Complex and crisp with a long finish. Excellent Champagne and can probably improve with age.
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8/6/2009 - socidelvino Likes this wine:
Tasted on Lufthansa - great bubbles and nice hints of apricots on the nose.
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6/9/2009 - kalle303 wrote: 88 Points
It tasted very nice but not worth the list price in Sweden 799SEK. But for the price I got them for €26 it was well worth the price.
Will try again next year with my second bottle.
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1/5/2009 - jvogel wrote: 87 Points
Still a bit skeptical of this wine. Opened with friends in Muenster-Sarmsheim, and while it was a nice wine to share with company, on its own I remain suspect. Nose of hot dogs covered with apple sauce on toast with leberwurst. Almost in that order. Palate was marginally creamy, but as a whole somewhat diffuse and disjointed: citrus and wheat bread dipped in skim milk (for that slightly creamy fluff). Compared to the 1999 Special Club from Chiquet we opened earlier in the week, this 'Cuvee Rare' showed rather common and bourgeois. Again, egregiously overpriced and hardly a cuvee worth pondering (unless, of course, you like hot dogs with apple sauce).
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5/25/2008 - jvogel wrote:
Ehh. Had this the night before our trip to visit some growers in Ay and Dizy near Epernay. Compared to grower juice, this stuff is egregiously overpriced and marginally comparable. Perhaps I'm just a bit ticked I paid as much as I did for this, but perhaps I drank it a bit too young. Ehh. We'll see. Hold. Hopefully this becomes a $85 wine. Not holding my breath. Would spring for a Club bottling at 22 Euro ANY day over G-M juice.
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11/3/2007 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
K&L: Flavors pop a bit more than 1998, more elegant, cake, light yeast, shit loads of stuffing.
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11/3/2007 - Paul Lin wrote: 92 Points
Outstanding champagne, if a bit on the expensive side.
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12/24/2005 - futronic wrote: 87 Points
Pale yellow with green tinges. Aromas of toast, matchstick, apple, and lemon. Medium-bodied, with lemon, yeast, and hazelnut. Moderate finish, with green apple and lemon. As the wine warms up, it shows more sweet white fruit on the finish.
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