Dinner with R&Y and B&A: Mag. 2004 purchase. Mid to full straw. Good stream of bubbles. Rich, honeyed, quite full bodied with a nicely biscuity element. Initially feels a little older than it is — guesses went back to the late 79s. Gathers energy with air and freshens nicely. Richness of maturity but vitality too. Really very nice. Went well as an aperitif with 36-month-Comté gougères, but would have worked equally well at table. ****
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HDH auction at Spiaggia; 12/13/2019-12/14/2019 (Chicago, IL): So effin' weird. Tastes like a boiled Yukon potato. Old and funky with surprising acidity. A little caramelly too. Others definitely liked it more than I did, but for my palate, past its prime. I'm not a big fan of how highly autolytic champagnes age.
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1995 Vintage Champagne horizontal (Medlar (London)): Served non-blind as aperitif. Not a perfect bottle but drinkable. Next to the Ruinart 95 an anticlimax clearly. Cloudy and developed in colour, bit grainy finish and hollow.
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Deep straw color, heavy perfume of honeysuckle with mineral edge, took a few minutes to uncoil and reveal smooth and gentle mouthfeel. Felt like it was at the end of its effective life so drink now if you have some. Not amazing but a high quality champagne - a little light at the finish
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HDH auction at Spiaggia; 2/15/2018-2/17/2018 (Chicago, IL): Really funky and mushroomy on the nose, too much so for my own taste. The palate is definitely a little more tractable for me, with some good fresh acidity and a fair dose of tart apples. Definitely not as mushroomy on the palate, this is actually quite nice if you can get past the earth and funk from the nose.
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Lovely once popped, at cellar temp. Fine, ripe yellow fruits, fresh dough and mild touch of funk on the nose. Then the funk (more wet woollen sox really) builds presence, before fading back to start. A wine that first seemed somewhat on the edge of rapid decline. Then amazingly resurrected after being put in the fridge for a couple of hours. I tend to drink my champagnes from cellar temp but this one deserves some lower temperature when being poured. On day 2 it was still holding up nicely, showing fine depth and development. Lacks a bit of concentration. Will never be a stellar wine but a truly fine specimen it is. 92-93p.
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Utter pleasure. Perfect balance of the developed notes of dough, mild sherry, grape fruit and hints of oak, against the remaining gorgeous fruit powered by overripe lemons and yellow apples that are just holding up so much as needed to make it all in a beautiful harmony. Fading bubbles. Long finish. To me a very special bottle as you feel you had it only when hitting the very peak moment in its cycle. 94-95p.
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Bien qu'évolué, ce 95 aux nuances légèrement oxydatives, n'en demeure pas moins fringuant, avec ses noter de sous-bois, de gingembre, d'épices et de citron confit. La bulle est agréable, fine et encore suffisament vive, il ne fait pas son âge! En bouche, je regrette suelement un petit manque de complexité, l'evolution a pris le pas sur la fraicheur aromatique, et il faudra envisager un accord gastronomique pour le mettre en valeur.
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Not very encouraging start. Cork looking rather burnt and not particularly healthy. Once popped I got heaps of funk on the nose, which eventually whiffed off. Almost a still wine. Good fruit still but acidity is fading. Still enough to keep balance in check. Much of PRs house style is here. Quite broad and rich, finishes rather long. Of course mature notes. Less nuttiness than I often find in 20+ yrs PRs, more towards honey. Really enjoyable though, not least given the speed that my wife and I finished off the bottle. Paired with crayfish au natural, which went well given the charachteristics. By this sample I would say this champ is perhaps slightly over its peak, but given the conditions of the cork I would not draw any conclusions. I have some more bottles left and think I will try one more rather soon. 93-94p
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95 Burgundy (La Trompette, London): Mid straw. Quite a full, rich, slightly oxidative nose. A touch of ginger and mushroom. Palate a bit flat and one dimensional. Almost a little shrill. Problematic, possibly corked. Apparently this cleaned up and filled out on the palate after a couple of hours, so maybe just needed to relax in the glass. NR.
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At 18yo, showing beautifully if you are a fan of older champagne. Good mouse still, long biscuit/yeast palate, typical PR polish and balance. A reminder of how aged "basic" vintage can be excellent value compared with the premium cuvees.
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Varied bottles of interest: Served blind. Pear, apple and some slight honeyed character emerging. The palate is very well balanced and it has great cleansing acid that leaves you wanting more. Has come along very well since I last tasted it and it still has room to develop further.
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Slightly dusty on the nose. I queried this as corked but was shot down. In fairness it seemed to blow off but the wine never really set me on fire. The nose was all about baked apple and mushrooms (not necessarily especially appealing mushrooms). The palate was very much baked apple with toffee and a touch of minerality. The mousse was fine but not especially persistent and there wasn't a lot of freshness/acidity. I was left with the lingering thought that perhaps this bottle had seen better times.
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gullgul; lett modnet duft av sjømineraler, epler, sitrus, bakst og toast. Rund og mild champagne med litt avslepen mousse, trenger å være godt avkjølt. Men følger duften fint, og god konsentrasjon.
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Hadn't drunk this since Dec 2007, when I'd been worried it had reached its prime. Both bottles were consistently excellent this time. Still light and fresh for a 1995 champagne, relatively low acidity and that lovely honeyed taste of aged champagne. Beautiful deep gold colour. Rave reviews from everyone who drank it. I'm now not worried about longevity. Seems to be going strong and still has plenty of life in it, but drinking beautifully right now.
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Drank two bottles in the space of a couple of days, one much better than the other. The rating applies to the good one. Nice classic vintage champagne nose. Good fruit and body on the palate with noticeable spice and pepper. I thought this was drinking better earlier in the year and I am wondering if this may be reaching the end of its drinking window.
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The perfect way to kick of Christmas day. Possibly my favourite non luxury Champagne, the vintage is always a treat. The 1995 is biscuity, honeyed and laid back elegance personified.
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Light straw yellow in colour. Fresh yeast and citrus on the nose. Crisp apple and pear along with some nuttiness on the palate. Good length. Will continue to improve in bottle for 5+ years.
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1/15/2022 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with R&Y and B&A: Mag. 2004 purchase. Mid to full straw. Good stream of bubbles. Rich, honeyed, quite full bodied with a nicely biscuity element. Initially feels a little older than it is — guesses went back to the late 79s. Gathers energy with air and freshens nicely. Richness of maturity but vitality too. Really very nice. Went well as an aperitif with 36-month-Comté gougères, but would have worked equally well at table. ****
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12/14/2019 - acyso wrote: 85 Points
HDH auction at Spiaggia; 12/13/2019-12/14/2019 (Chicago, IL): So effin' weird. Tastes like a boiled Yukon potato. Old and funky with surprising acidity. A little caramelly too. Others definitely liked it more than I did, but for my palate, past its prime. I'm not a big fan of how highly autolytic champagnes age.
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9/12/2019 - BenBlu wrote: flawed
1995 Vintage Champagne horizontal (Medlar (London)): Served non-blind as aperitif. Not a perfect bottle but drinkable. Next to the Ruinart 95 an anticlimax clearly. Cloudy and developed in colour, bit grainy finish and hollow.
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2/9/2019 - mattdathan Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep straw color, heavy perfume of honeysuckle with mineral edge, took a few minutes to uncoil and reveal smooth and gentle mouthfeel. Felt like it was at the end of its effective life so drink now if you have some. Not amazing but a high quality champagne - a little light at the finish
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2/16/2018 - acyso wrote: 88 Points
HDH auction at Spiaggia; 2/15/2018-2/17/2018 (Chicago, IL): Really funky and mushroomy on the nose, too much so for my own taste. The palate is definitely a little more tractable for me, with some good fresh acidity and a fair dose of tart apples. Definitely not as mushroomy on the palate, this is actually quite nice if you can get past the earth and funk from the nose.
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8/19/2017 - BSA Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely once popped, at cellar temp. Fine, ripe yellow fruits, fresh dough and mild touch of funk on the nose. Then the funk (more wet woollen sox really) builds presence, before fading back to start. A wine that first seemed somewhat on the edge of rapid decline. Then amazingly resurrected after being put in the fridge for a couple of hours. I tend to drink my champagnes from cellar temp but this one deserves some lower temperature when being poured. On day 2 it was still holding up nicely, showing fine depth and development. Lacks a bit of concentration. Will never be a stellar wine but a truly fine specimen it is. 92-93p.
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1/7/2017 - BSA Likes this wine: 95 Points
Utter pleasure. Perfect balance of the developed notes of dough, mild sherry, grape fruit and hints of oak, against the remaining gorgeous fruit powered by overripe lemons and yellow apples that are just holding up so much as needed to make it all in a beautiful harmony. Fading bubbles. Long finish. To me a very special bottle as you feel you had it only when hitting the very peak moment in its cycle. 94-95p.
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8/9/2016 - Raage wrote: 91 Points
Bien qu'évolué, ce 95 aux nuances légèrement oxydatives, n'en demeure pas moins fringuant, avec ses noter de sous-bois, de gingembre, d'épices et de citron confit. La bulle est agréable, fine et encore suffisament vive, il ne fait pas son âge!
En bouche, je regrette suelement un petit manque de complexité, l'evolution a pris le pas sur la fraicheur aromatique, et il faudra envisager un accord gastronomique pour le mettre en valeur.
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7/29/2016 - BSA Likes this wine: 93 Points
Not very encouraging start. Cork looking rather burnt and not particularly healthy. Once popped I got heaps of funk on the nose, which eventually whiffed off. Almost a still wine. Good fruit still but acidity is fading. Still enough to keep balance in check. Much of PRs house style is here. Quite broad and rich, finishes rather long. Of course mature notes. Less nuttiness than I often find in 20+ yrs PRs, more towards honey. Really enjoyable though, not least given the speed that my wife and I finished off the bottle. Paired with crayfish au natural, which went well given the charachteristics. By this sample I would say this champ is perhaps slightly over its peak, but given the conditions of the cork I would not draw any conclusions. I have some more bottles left and think I will try one more rather soon. 93-94p
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10/16/2014 - SimonG wrote:
95 Burgundy (La Trompette, London): Mid straw. Quite a full, rich, slightly oxidative nose. A touch of ginger and mushroom. Palate a bit flat and one dimensional. Almost a little shrill. Problematic, possibly corked. Apparently this cleaned up and filled out on the palate after a couple of hours, so maybe just needed to relax in the glass. NR.
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8/18/2013 - brittain Likes this wine: 92 Points
At 18yo, showing beautifully if you are a fan of older champagne. Good mouse still, long biscuit/yeast palate, typical PR polish and balance. A reminder of how aged "basic" vintage can be excellent value compared with the premium cuvees.
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4/14/2013 - KCBrian wrote: flawed
Flawed
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3/31/2013 - CamWheeler wrote: 90 Points
Varied bottles of interest: Served blind. Pear, apple and some slight honeyed character emerging. The palate is very well balanced and it has great cleansing acid that leaves you wanting more. Has come along very well since I last tasted it and it still has room to develop further.
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2/13/2013 - ramblindrunkard wrote: 91 Points
Slightly dusty on the nose. I queried this as corked but was shot down. In fairness it seemed to blow off but the wine never really set me on fire. The nose was all about baked apple and mushrooms (not necessarily especially appealing mushrooms). The palate was very much baked apple with toffee and a touch of minerality. The mousse was fine but not especially persistent and there wasn't a lot of freshness/acidity. I was left with the lingering thought that perhaps this bottle had seen better times.
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10/26/2010 - Rupert wrote: 93 Points
Cheval Blanc dinner (The Ledbury, London): From magnum: light, fine elegant, with gorgeous rich oak undertow, really superb
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11/23/2009 - andrewnyc wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with prior notes. Terrific. Still going strong.
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5/31/2009 - Anders Danielsen Lie Likes this wine: 88 Points
gullgul; lett modnet duft av sjømineraler, epler, sitrus, bakst og toast. Rund og mild champagne med litt avslepen mousse, trenger å være godt avkjølt. Men følger duften fint, og god konsentrasjon.
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5/15/2009 - andrewnyc wrote: 92 Points
Hadn't drunk this since Dec 2007, when I'd been worried it had reached its prime. Both bottles were consistently excellent this time. Still light and fresh for a 1995 champagne, relatively low acidity and that lovely honeyed taste of aged champagne. Beautiful deep gold colour. Rave reviews from everyone who drank it. I'm now not worried about longevity. Seems to be going strong and still has plenty of life in it, but drinking beautifully right now.
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6/3/2008 - Wrighty wrote: 90 Points
Pol Roger - Probably the worst wine [experience] in the world (The Pawn, Hong Kong): Light golden colour; Bready nose; Fine mousse and fresh crispness. Toastiness came through on the nose later.
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3/5/2008 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
Excellent prtotypical Pol Roger style that even Ellen (tne non-champagne drinker)appreciated.
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12/25/2007 - andrewnyc wrote: 90 Points
Drank two bottles in the space of a couple of days, one much better than the other. The rating applies to the good one. Nice classic vintage champagne nose. Good fruit and body on the palate with noticeable spice and pepper. I thought this was drinking better earlier in the year and I am wondering if this may be reaching the end of its drinking window.
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12/21/2007 - pea wrote: 91 Points
Mellow green apples . Very much a pre-dinner champagne, but a very good one.
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12/25/2006 - The Wine Bum wrote:
The perfect way to kick of Christmas day. Possibly my favourite non luxury Champagne, the vintage is always a treat. The 1995 is biscuity, honeyed and laid back elegance personified.
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12/4/2005 - CamWheeler wrote: 88 Points
Light straw yellow in colour. Fresh yeast and citrus on the nose. Crisp apple and pear along with some nuttiness on the palate. Good length. Will continue to improve in bottle for 5+ years.
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