A gorgeous achievement that can hold its own in complexity and pleasure with fine champagne. And yet it also has its own steely taste. I’d surely rather spend the money on this than on the umpteenth champagne—Because, aside from its excellence, I wonder if this superb sparkler may mark a very happy moment in grower history. Breakthrough? I don’t know enough to say, but I’d confess to some native pride that we can do this so well, because this wine seems to me explosive and nuanced at once, just a joy
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Grapefruit-rind acidity, crisp minerality, high but not aggressive acidity, compellingly lean Chardonnay character: this is a very high-quality sparkling wine. It is more restrained than the Under the Wire wines (which I also love), but already delicious and easily drinkable.
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Disgorged sometime in 2020, maybe summer or earlier.
This bottle was hitting on all cylinders tonight. Pickled plums and brioche with some light complexity in the background. Great shape and length. Very enjoyable bubbly.
I know the cool thing to do on CT is to say how I can tell this is new world, but without a doubt, this is one of the closest things to big house champagne from the new world I have tried. It hits all the right notes.
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Notes from 24 hrs open. Notes similar to last time, but better today than yesterday. Palate shows slightly disjointed: bitter grapefruit and cranberry, but mousse is a bit harsh.
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64/36 Chard/Pinot with an elegant, dosage sweet presentation. Buttery brioche, lemon, sliced Granny Smith apple, chalk, wet stones. Palette is creamy with red berries, cherry, and brioche.
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First one of these. Nice fine bubbles. Balanced nose from citrus to brioche to tropical notes. On the palate this leans towards acid over fruit, but the balance with fruit and easy yeast is nice. Nicely done.
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Blind: wasn't sure the producer but thought it might be all chardonnay.
Light to Medium gold color. Definitely a foamy brew like the last bottle. A little bit of oxidation and sweet yellow fruit aromas. Medium weight and good acidity. Steely acid on the palate and the attack is yellow apple and lime notes on the backend. I got a good chunk of chalk too.
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Pop and pour. A bit strange initially, with a disjointed sweetness and bitternesss, but that resolved quickly. Notes from 30 min open. Yes, this needs air. On the nose: ginger, lemon, cranberry, apple pie with a touch of vanilla cream. On the palate: bitter at first, like chalk, grapefruit and cranberry, soft mousse, but grapefruit becomes dominant. Short on the finish, but good acid and density.
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Balanced and lively. More grapey than autolytic, and not especially vinous. Faded on the second day. For the money - comparing this to other CA sparkling, not Champagne - this is a pass.
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From memory. Small bubbles, lovely mousse, velvety texture. Mostly on furniture, citrus and a deep creaminess. Not very leesy, if that's the kind of thing you like, but this is all pleasure.
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Jailbreak Wine Dinner - Krug 168, Ultramarine, MacDonald and etc. (Jailbreak Brewery, Laurel, MD): After hearing that the 15 Rhys Blancs de Blancs Bearwallow didn’t show well, Kevin Harvey generously sent the bottle to Greg. Expressive nose displaying delicious yellow fruit, granny smith, apple candy, bubble yum, lemon curd, honey and mineral. Very good concentration, nicely layered sweet yellow fruit, ripe yet clean, pure and refreshing, medium fine generous mousse, good acidity and mineral, and a medium long ripe yellow fruit driven finish. I don’t find much resemblance to Champagne. It is delicious and correct. I think Greg and I like this more than the others.
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Light to Medium gold color. Pours a bit foamy and then settles down. Has a classic champer nose with an every so slight bit of oxidation. The citrus/stone fruit didn't scream Pinot or Chardonnay only. Has a fuller mouthfeel than some of the classic acid driven growers so i'm leaning towards a more classic champagne blend of grapes and house style. I like it. Good complexity.
When the bag was pulled I just starred at the label. Rhys but... Ultra Brut? what? I had heard rumors last year during a visit from Brinkman and company that there were more sparklers coming down the pipe but with Rhys that could mean they're looking to purchase land, or it's already sitting down in the cellar for 4 years or anything in between. No idea when this will see the light of day but it's very good right now.
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A blend of Chardonnay (62%) and Pinot Noir (36%), with two-thirds of the fruit from the 2017 vintage, the remainder from 2016. About 20 months on the lees, with 2g/L dosage. Disgorged April 2020. Citrusy, with some light notes of jasmine and pounded rock. Pink grapefruit, honeyed yellow apple and a good dollop of orange really underpins the palate. It also reminds me of jasmine, as the floral note gets infused into the wine, along with even a little spicy bergamot. The acidity here is bright and long throughout the wine, ending with a lemon rind impression and the same cool orange fruit note. Knowing there is Pinot Noir here, and perhaps biased by the intent to 'find it', I was careful to not try and push that grape into my note here but as I retaste the wine this morning, with most of the CO2 gone and at a room temp of 71f, there is a strawberry note here but in total, the Chardonnay does speak in the wine at this stage, and it drinks with a purity, a successful balance and the acidity really helping it all come together.
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2/1/2024 - bobweis Likes this wine: 94 Points
A gorgeous achievement that can hold its own in complexity and pleasure with fine champagne. And yet it also has its own steely taste. I’d surely rather spend the money on this than on the umpteenth champagne—Because, aside from its excellence, I wonder if this superb sparkler may mark a very happy moment in grower history. Breakthrough?
I don’t know enough to say, but I’d confess to some native pride that we can do this so well, because this wine seems to me explosive and nuanced at once, just a joy
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12/29/2023 - John O' wrote:
Sarah and Chris - New Year's Eve
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5/14/2023 - Guarded by Griffs wrote: 96 Points
Delicious bubbles. Measure of a great wine: still tastes great not cold, and this does.
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5/28/2022 - talbot61 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Grapefruit-rind acidity, crisp minerality, high but not aggressive acidity, compellingly lean Chardonnay character: this is a very high-quality sparkling wine. It is more restrained than the Under the Wire wines (which I also love), but already delicious and easily drinkable.
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5/27/2022 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 91 Points
66/33 blanc/noir. Nose: chalk, fresh lemon, brioche toast. Rich and toasty on the palette.
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4/14/2022 - magyarsvensk Likes this wine: 95 Points
Disgorged sometime in 2020, maybe summer or earlier.
This bottle was hitting on all cylinders tonight. Pickled plums and brioche with some light complexity in the background. Great shape and length. Very enjoyable bubbly.
I know the cool thing to do on CT is to say how I can tell this is new world, but without a doubt, this is one of the closest things to big house champagne from the new world I have tried. It hits all the right notes.
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11/13/2021 - glou.sf Likes this wine:
No formal note, but this was actually very enjoyable!
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7/2/2021 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Notes from 24 hrs open. Notes similar to last time, but better today than yesterday. Palate shows slightly disjointed: bitter grapefruit and cranberry, but mousse is a bit harsh.
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6/24/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote: 86 Points
Meursault (Northside) 1er Cru vs Village, Mostly Blind (The Moll House - Chicago IL): Tasted double blind. Clearly not champagne, but made in a style trying to replicate low dosage grower Champagne. Very lean, too tart with lots of density and good textures.
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5/2/2021 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
64/36 Chard/Pinot with an elegant, dosage sweet presentation. Buttery brioche, lemon, sliced Granny Smith apple, chalk, wet stones. Palette is creamy with red berries, cherry, and brioche.
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4/25/2021 - WineGold wrote: 92 Points
First one of these. Nice fine bubbles. Balanced nose from citrus to brioche to tropical notes. On the palate this leans towards acid over fruit, but the balance with fruit and easy yeast is nice. Nicely done.
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3/21/2021 - cadamson Likes this wine:
Much better than the initial release. Time in bottle will do much here, lots of raw materials. Still, delicious now.
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12/31/2020 - brasstab Likes this wine: 93 Points
Classic flavors. Great nuttiness in the nose. Used it to ring in the new year with family. It delivered.
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12/30/2020 - brigcampbell wrote:
Blind: wasn't sure the producer but thought it might be all chardonnay.
Light to Medium gold color. Definitely a foamy brew like the last bottle. A little bit of oxidation and sweet yellow fruit aromas. Medium weight and good acidity. Steely acid on the palate and the attack is yellow apple and lime notes on the backend. I got a good chunk of chalk too.
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12/4/2020 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Pop and pour. A bit strange initially, with a disjointed sweetness and bitternesss, but that resolved quickly. Notes from 30 min open. Yes, this needs air. On the nose: ginger, lemon, cranberry, apple pie with a touch of vanilla cream. On the palate: bitter at first, like chalk, grapefruit and cranberry, soft mousse, but grapefruit becomes dominant. Short on the finish, but good acid and density.
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11/26/2020 - rhit wrote:
Balanced and lively. More grapey than autolytic, and not especially vinous. Faded on the second day. For the money - comparing this to other CA sparkling, not Champagne - this is a pass.
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11/20/2020 - magyarsvensk Likes this wine: 95 Points
From memory. Small bubbles, lovely mousse, velvety texture. Mostly on furniture, citrus and a deep creaminess. Not very leesy, if that's the kind of thing you like, but this is all pleasure.
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10/8/2020 - dcwino wrote: 91 Points
Jailbreak Wine Dinner - Krug 168, Ultramarine, MacDonald and etc. (Jailbreak Brewery, Laurel, MD): After hearing that the 15 Rhys Blancs de Blancs Bearwallow didn’t show well, Kevin Harvey generously sent the bottle to Greg. Expressive nose displaying delicious yellow fruit, granny smith, apple candy, bubble yum, lemon curd, honey and mineral. Very good concentration, nicely layered sweet yellow fruit, ripe yet clean, pure and refreshing, medium fine generous mousse, good acidity and mineral, and a medium long ripe yellow fruit driven finish. I don’t find much resemblance to Champagne. It is delicious and correct. I think Greg and I like this more than the others.
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6/29/2020 - brigcampbell wrote:
Blind: thought it was big house champagne.
Light to Medium gold color. Pours a bit foamy and then settles down. Has a classic champer nose with an every so slight bit of oxidation. The citrus/stone fruit didn't scream Pinot or Chardonnay only. Has a fuller mouthfeel than some of the classic acid driven growers so i'm leaning towards a more classic champagne blend of grapes and house style. I like it. Good complexity.
When the bag was pulled I just starred at the label. Rhys but... Ultra Brut? what? I had heard rumors last year during a visit from Brinkman and company that there were more sparklers coming down the pipe but with Rhys that could mean they're looking to purchase land, or it's already sitting down in the cellar for 4 years or anything in between. No idea when this will see the light of day but it's very good right now.
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6/29/2020 - Frank Murray III wrote:
A blend of Chardonnay (62%) and Pinot Noir (36%), with two-thirds of the fruit from the 2017 vintage, the remainder from 2016. About 20 months on the lees, with 2g/L dosage. Disgorged April 2020. Citrusy, with some light notes of jasmine and pounded rock. Pink grapefruit, honeyed yellow apple and a good dollop of orange really underpins the palate. It also reminds me of jasmine, as the floral note gets infused into the wine, along with even a little spicy bergamot. The acidity here is bright and long throughout the wine, ending with a lemon rind impression and the same cool orange fruit note. Knowing there is Pinot Noir here, and perhaps biased by the intent to 'find it', I was careful to not try and push that grape into my note here but as I retaste the wine this morning, with most of the CO2 gone and at a room temp of 71f, there is a strawberry note here but in total, the Chardonnay does speak in the wine at this stage, and it drinks with a purity, a successful balance and the acidity really helping it all come together.
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