Top 1ers for AK's birthday: Late library release from 2018. Haven’t heard much discussion about the ‘99 vintage in champagne but the ones I’ve tried have been great and they seem to be at peak. Not a house I am familiar with, made in a crowd-pleasing style that reminded me of Piper. Good balance between richness and sweetness, some nougat and almond notes beginning to develop.
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Paired with a sushi omakase at one of my most favorite places in NYC (Sushi Amane). This was very nice aged drinking champagne. Not perhaps the absolute best of those but very good and went nicely with the food and overall was an incredibly enjoyable evening.
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Very popular tonight but not in the lofty heights of the last bottle. Main reason is that this one was much more flat in terms of the bubbles, felt like a bottle from the 80ies. I guess the cork was not top on this one. Aromas were fantastic though with caramelized, floral and citrus elements intertwined with baked apples.
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Beautiful nose of mature Chardonnay based premium Champagne around brioche, nougat, herbs chrysanthemum. The palate was fantastic as well, the mousse reduced to petillant, great lemon interplay with caramelized and bitter almond finish. Lot's of aah's and ooh's at the table and my French friends all admitted that the one category they need to bulk up in their cellar is aged prestige Cuvee Champagne.
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Good, definitely a little over the hill. Lots of salted caramel, soft and not incredibly effervescent, with a slightly short and muted finish. Delicious, but I wish I could've experienced it 5-6 years ago.
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Dinner with Rich and Paul (Bella Trattoria): Light golden; bright minerality and some components of age but also seems a bit fading; palate has some fruit but fading, medium acid, nice slight yeast; medium length. Good champagne but limited for a tête-de-cuvée. 90
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The bubbles are still there but past its peak and its mellowing down - green fruit and lemon but the mustiness seem more pronounced. A mature bottle - must have had more glory but this was enjoyable.
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Similar notes of lemon meringue. The bubbles in this bottle is smooth and a little more energetic than my previous experience. Some oxidative notes suggest there is no need to hold for long term.
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NobleRottersSydney - Champagne (Verde, East Sydney): {cork} (Gordon) Brioche, bakery aromas. This has a lovely texture – fine, creamy bubbles, medium weight – but there’s a stale bread/browning apples character to the palate. A mustiness that’s hard to love (although nothing seems cork-related). Medium-length finish; structurally very fine. Perhaps the magic is just lost on me. Drink now on this showing!
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Among the more improbable occasions to sample a vintage champagne: a child's first birthday party. We enter and are offered mimosas, which, having just had lunch, decline politely. Later I espy the unmistakable Belle Epoque label (surely one of the more alluring names in all winedom) and approach in disbelief. What, this was used in the mimosa? Sacrilege for sure, but mercifully quite a bit remains which I slyly endeavor to rectify. Fortunately I find a real glass amid the debris of paper cups and plates. A modest bead (no idea how long it was open; it was not cold), signs of age on the nose, (dare I say slightly corky?), somewhat faded on the palate, yeast, toast, faint citrus, lingering finish. A shocking but pleasant surprise.
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Steely and slightly reductive nose with lemon rind, green apple, chalk, honeyed florality, nougat and slight wool. Dry and pretty lightbodied steely palate with lovely smooth moussé. Green apple to white peach fruit, lime, lemon, wool and florality towards the aftertaste. Quite elegant even if not really that substantial; a lesser performance, but delivering subtleties. I liked.
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Fabulous nose of toast, lemon meringue, hazelnut. Bright and flavorful. The only problem is an alarmingly lack of effervescence which counts for a lot for a champagne. Looking like a much older champagne than a 1999. Tasting more like a still wine than sparkling. Otherwise, would have rating higher
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A private dinner (Restaurant Nathan Outlaw **, Rock, UK): Really lovely, rich, toasty, almost fishy Pinot Noir, balanced by what is clearly Côte des Blancs Grand Cru Chardonnay, fruity and forward, not great depth or staying power but ever so charming and stylish. Lady Geraldine Burford in a glass. Now - 2014.
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very enjoyable champagne. Quite a bit of green apple, baking soda, uplifting in the mid palate. And oh the very pleasant grapefruit skin is coming through very nicely.
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NO maybe. I am across that in was not hugely impressed. Light colour, almost greenish with low fizz in the glass. Inn the mouth really good fizz, but I did not get much taste. Really quite mysterious to me what the attraction might be, esp. given the price.
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Straw yellow. Very youthful nose of hay, wet grass, yeast, green pepper. Creamy mouth, with some citrus nuacnces (especially cedar and tangerine) and a toasted hazelnut finish.
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I agree with a previous reviewer that this could use a little more time. Light to medium bodied. Nice flavor profile with a hint of sweetness...center of the plate pitch for my tastes. Just wish it would have a little extra "ummph" (fruit concentration).
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BD selection. A superb specimen with the trademark softness this house is famous for. The nose is filled with bakers dough. Excellent mousse-pin tip bubbles-color. Almond, lemon peel, green stone fruit finishing soft and easy. I don't care what anyone says, drink this now.
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My 4th testing of 1999 is still a little bit too young but very elegant nose of flowers, green/yellow fruits. Clean, fresh, light to medium-bodied, lovely powerful finished.
Drank it 30th. of May (Girlfriends Birthday). Very light yellow colour with a bit green in it. "Poor" nose. Very fresh and fruity in taste - seem young, hence i guess potiential with a few years more. fine gentle mousse. Fine aftertaste (wished it stayed longer).
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The palate has a hint of lemon but is mostly yeast. Small fragile bubbles and the wine seems a little metallic. Hints of brioche are coming after some time but overal a nice and elegant. Did not get me hugely impressed but still nice.
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German wine tasting (Martins office): Clear light color. Pure and delicate nose with notes of sweet yellow apples and plums. Good mouth fill with a tight acid grip as backbone. Very intense flavours of green apples first and marzipan on the finish. Nice length.
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Light yellow color with an aggressive but short mousse and persistent bead. Notes of apples, blanched almonds and citrus. Crisp on the palate, with lively acidity and flavors of apple and citrus. More feminine than I expected, but a nice change of pace from the heavier, nutty styles of Champagne.
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some pomerol wines (albert's house): albert's bottle...i like the nice flower bottle... elegant, creamy, lush and very bubbly. i had the 96 belle epoque couple mths ago and i prefered that. but, this is nice stuff.
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Light yellow to yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout with fine, steady beading. Somewhat feminine nose with notes of yellow fruits, flowers and perfume. Odd earthy palate right up front followed by some notes of red apples. Light to medium mousse, short finish. Light to medium acidity and body. Drink over the short term to maybe the medium term.
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This one was tasted as part of a vertical done at Perrier Jouet of their Belle Epoque 00, 99, 98, 96, 95, 88, 85 and 82 (see separate notes for the other wines). Quite closed on the nose at this point in time but with sweet notes of exoctic fruit, butterscotch and red apples. A fulle rwine than the 2000 but if it will develop nicer I am not so sure.
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The most beautiful Champagne bottle. Contains very small lively bubbles. Mild scents of green friuts, fresh, clean, deep and elegance. Light-bodied but very beautiful, very soft and smooth. Beautiful aftertaste too.
'' The Beautiful Champagne '' ...the 1995 is not so fresh because of truffle scent but 1999 is Bravo !!
Wine Talk : A litle bit too young...needed few more years of aging...
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12/9/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote: 92 Points
Top 1ers for AK's birthday: Late library release from 2018. Haven’t heard much discussion about the ‘99 vintage in champagne but the ones I’ve tried have been great and they seem to be at peak. Not a house I am familiar with, made in a crowd-pleasing style that reminded me of Piper. Good balance between richness and sweetness, some nougat and almond notes beginning to develop.
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8/13/2023 - andip01 Does not like this wine:
Long gone
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12/15/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Paired with a sushi omakase at one of my most favorite places in NYC (Sushi Amane). This was very nice aged drinking champagne. Not perhaps the absolute best of those but very good and went nicely with the food and overall was an incredibly enjoyable evening.
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2/11/2022 - danckie wrote: 92 Points
Elegant and unbelievably vibrant, even after 20+ years.
Amazing good length. Buy if you get an opportunity.
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1/27/2022 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
Very popular tonight but not in the lofty heights of the last bottle. Main reason is that this one was much more flat in terms of the bubbles, felt like a bottle from the 80ies. I guess the cork was not top on this one. Aromas were fantastic though with caramelized, floral and citrus elements intertwined with baked apples.
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9/17/2021 - Collector1855 wrote: 97 Points
Beautiful nose of mature Chardonnay based premium Champagne around brioche, nougat, herbs chrysanthemum. The palate was fantastic as well, the mousse reduced to petillant, great lemon interplay with caramelized and bitter almond finish. Lot's of aah's and ooh's at the table and my French friends all admitted that the one category they need to bulk up in their cellar is aged prestige Cuvee Champagne.
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1/5/2021 - SlimShaney Likes this wine: 91 Points
Quite flat on opening. That said I'm enjoying aged champagne. I'm so sophisticated ;)
Bit of brut hit at the start than class down for a nice gentle experience, if a little bland
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11/22/2020 - burgundy-panda wrote:
Biscuit and hazelnut notes, high to medium acidity, medium body, quite fruity, medium long aftertaste
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4/13/2018 - 32lakeviewwine wrote:
Serious age on it
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10/31/2017 - Henger Gabriella Likes this wine: 90 Points
Bread, caramel. Small amount of bubbles. Enjoyable acidity.
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5/23/2017 - millennialwinegeek Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good, definitely a little over the hill. Lots of salted caramel, soft and not incredibly effervescent, with a slightly short and muted finish. Delicious, but I wish I could've experienced it 5-6 years ago.
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2/2/2017 - dron_ap wrote: 88 Points
Poor quality for prestige cuvee. Not fading yet, but very annoying sweet style lacking power
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1/29/2017 - aagrawal wrote: 90 Points
Dinner with Rich and Paul (Bella Trattoria): Light golden; bright minerality and some components of age but also seems a bit fading; palate has some fruit but fading, medium acid, nice slight yeast; medium length. Good champagne but limited for a tête-de-cuvée. 90
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1/14/2017 - Tpairing wrote: 89 Points
The bubbles are still there but past its peak and its mellowing down - green fruit and lemon but the mustiness seem more pronounced. A mature bottle - must have had more glory but this was enjoyable.
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2/14/2016 - acheng wrote: 91 Points
Similar notes of lemon meringue. The bubbles in this bottle is smooth and a little more energetic than my previous experience. Some oxidative notes suggest there is no need to hold for long term.
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5/11/2014 - Toronto Joe wrote: 90 Points
Tons of meringue, lemon, and a touch briny. Slow to open up and overall all quite light. Good, but not a stunner
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2/10/2014 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - Champagne (Verde, East Sydney): {cork} (Gordon) Brioche, bakery aromas. This has a lovely texture – fine, creamy bubbles, medium weight – but there’s a stale bread/browning apples character to the palate. A mustiness that’s hard to love (although nothing seems cork-related). Medium-length finish; structurally very fine. Perhaps the magic is just lost on me. Drink now on this showing!
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5/12/2013 - Dulcie and Aylwin wrote:
Among the more improbable occasions to sample a vintage champagne: a child's first birthday party. We enter and are offered mimosas, which, having just had lunch, decline politely. Later I espy the unmistakable Belle Epoque label (surely one of the more alluring names in all winedom) and approach in disbelief. What, this was used in the mimosa? Sacrilege for sure, but mercifully quite a bit remains which I slyly endeavor to rectify. Fortunately I find a real glass amid the debris of paper cups and plates. A modest bead (no idea how long it was open; it was not cold), signs of age on the nose, (dare I say slightly corky?), somewhat faded on the palate, yeast, toast, faint citrus, lingering finish. A shocking but pleasant surprise.
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12/22/2012 - EuroCaveNZ wrote: flawed
there slight cork taint to this wine. this was on the nose but it also affected the middle palate. dry it had also lost most of its sparkle. flinty.
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12/17/2012 - Winestein wrote: 91 Points
Apple and brioche.
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10/7/2012 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 90 Points
Very musty/ocean water nose. Loads of minerality and a touch of honey on the finish.
See more detail at
http://maximumsatisfaction.tumblr.com/post/33111628813
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7/11/2012 - avp wrote:
Steely and slightly reductive nose with lemon rind, green apple, chalk, honeyed florality, nougat and slight wool.
Dry and pretty lightbodied steely palate with lovely smooth moussé. Green apple to white peach fruit, lime, lemon, wool and florality towards the aftertaste.
Quite elegant even if not really that substantial; a lesser performance, but delivering subtleties. I liked.
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1/2/2012 - cweiss wrote:
Mousse was fine, but depth and complexity nowhere near worth the tariff.
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5/26/2011 - acheng wrote: 90 Points
Fabulous nose of toast, lemon meringue, hazelnut. Bright and flavorful. The only problem is an alarmingly lack of effervescence which counts for a lot for a champagne. Looking like a much older champagne than a 1999. Tasting more like a still wine than sparkling. Otherwise, would have rating higher
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5/24/2011 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
A private dinner (Restaurant Nathan Outlaw **, Rock, UK): Really lovely, rich, toasty, almost fishy Pinot Noir, balanced by what is clearly Côte des Blancs Grand Cru Chardonnay, fruity and forward, not great depth or staying power but ever so charming and stylish. Lady Geraldine Burford in a glass. Now - 2014.
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5/3/2011 - swyang wrote: 91 Points
very enjoyable champagne. Quite a bit of green apple, baking soda, uplifting in the mid palate. And oh the very pleasant grapefruit skin is coming through very nicely.
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12/31/2010 - serialmonkey wrote: 93 Points
NYE 2010. Holding up well after 11 years, probably another 2-3 years left but I can't see it developing much further. Good bead and length.
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12/21/2010 - mukden wrote: 88 Points
NO maybe. I am across that in was not hugely impressed. Light colour, almost greenish with low fizz in the glass. Inn the mouth really good fizz, but I did not get much taste. Really quite mysterious to me what the attraction might be, esp. given the price.
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10/23/2010 - sparksinsuits wrote: 83 Points
Second bottle tonight at Mitchell Charlesworth 125th anniversary bash in Liverpool. Always great
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10/20/2010 - sparksinsuits wrote: 86 Points
Great. Bottle of vintage champagne please - one glass
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9/20/2010 - Ludi Likes this wine: 90 Points
Straw yellow. Very youthful nose of hay, wet grass, yeast, green pepper. Creamy mouth, with some citrus nuacnces (especially cedar and tangerine) and a toasted hazelnut finish.
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1/24/2010 - vanpe003 wrote: 91 Points
I agree with a previous reviewer that this could use a little more time. Light to medium bodied. Nice flavor profile with a hint of sweetness...center of the plate pitch for my tastes. Just wish it would have a little extra "ummph" (fruit concentration).
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1/10/2010 - GreatLibations wrote: 90 Points
BD selection. A superb specimen with the trademark softness this house is famous for. The nose is filled with bakers dough. Excellent mousse-pin tip bubbles-color. Almond, lemon peel, green stone fruit finishing soft and easy.
I don't care what anyone says, drink this now.
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12/14/2009 - noppakit s. wrote: 93 Points
My 4th testing of 1999 is still a little bit too young but very elegant nose of flowers, green/yellow fruits. Clean, fresh, light to medium-bodied, lovely powerful finished.
The truly impression of drinking Champagne !!!
Drink 2011 - 2020........................93-94/100...............................
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12/3/2009 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Binny's Champagne Gala Tasting (Binny's on Clark - Chicago, IL): Beautiful light yellow and grapefruit play.
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7/18/2009 - Rupert wrote:
Pronounced celery-like freshness, striking light style
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6/2/2009 - BECKMANN wrote: 90 Points
Drank it 30th. of May (Girlfriends Birthday). Very light yellow colour with a bit green in it. "Poor" nose. Very fresh and fruity in taste - seem young, hence i guess potiential with a few years more. fine gentle mousse. Fine aftertaste (wished it stayed longer).
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5/22/2009 - canan wrote:
The palate has a hint of lemon but is mostly yeast. Small fragile bubbles and the wine seems a little metallic.
Hints of brioche are coming after some time but overal a nice and elegant.
Did not get me hugely impressed but still nice.
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5/22/2009 - Terkel wrote: 93 Points
German wine tasting (Martins office): Clear light color. Pure and delicate nose with notes of sweet yellow apples and plums. Good mouth fill with a tight acid grip as backbone. Very intense flavours of green apples first and marzipan on the finish. Nice length.
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4/26/2009 - AllRed wrote: 90 Points
Light yellow color with an aggressive but short mousse and persistent bead. Notes of apples, blanched almonds and citrus. Crisp on the palate, with lively acidity and flavors of apple and citrus. More feminine than I expected, but a nice change of pace from the heavier, nutty styles of Champagne.
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1/14/2009 - vinole wrote: 90 Points
Wine Watch Best of 2008 Tasting (Ft. Lauderdale, FL): Light bodied with less acidity and without the depth or complexity I expected.
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12/28/2008 - Willy W wrote: 91 Points
some pomerol wines (albert's house): albert's bottle...i like the nice flower bottle... elegant, creamy, lush and very bubbly. i had the 96 belle epoque couple mths ago and i prefered that. but, this is nice stuff.
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12/10/2008 - wineismylife wrote: 89 Points
Dallas 2nd Wedneday Group (Amici's in Carrollton, TX): WIML89
Tasted December 10, 2008 at an offline.
Light yellow to yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout with fine, steady beading. Somewhat feminine nose with notes of yellow fruits, flowers and perfume. Odd earthy palate right up front followed by some notes of red apples. Light to medium mousse, short finish. Light to medium acidity and body. Drink over the short term to maybe the medium term.
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10/18/2008 - peternelson wrote: 91 Points
K&L: Lite buttery toast, balanced doseage, very bubbly, ong fin. Grt.!
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10/2/2008 - robertek wrote: 84 Points
This one was tasted as part of a vertical done at Perrier Jouet of their Belle Epoque 00, 99, 98, 96, 95, 88, 85 and 82 (see separate notes for the other wines). Quite closed on the nose at this point in time but with sweet notes of exoctic fruit, butterscotch and red apples. A fulle rwine than the 2000 but if it will develop nicer I am not so sure.
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1/19/2008 - Gilles wrote: 95 Points
WOW, this was amazing....great bubbles, taste of apple and maple syrup.
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11/6/2007 - kelly2258 wrote: 89 Points
yeast on the nose (55% chard 45% pinot). Very elegant, silky, lush champagne. I enjoyed. And the decorated bottle is always popular.
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6/18/2007 - noppakit s. wrote: 94 Points
The most beautiful Champagne bottle. Contains very small lively bubbles. Mild scents of green friuts, fresh, clean, deep and elegance. Light-bodied but very beautiful, very soft and smooth. Beautiful aftertaste too.
'' The Beautiful Champagne '' ...the 1995 is not so fresh because of truffle scent but 1999 is Bravo !!
Wine Talk : A litle bit too young...needed few more years of aging...
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