Couldn't be more different than the previous bottle. Rich but balanced, some evolution but still showing some freshness and minerality alonside spices. Sure, it is full body but quite easy to drink.
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In some ways this is hard for me to evaluate as it's very different from the Champagnes I typically seek out. It's apple pie filling with an acidic backbone. It's all in balance and I very much enjoyed it. I doubt it gets better, but I'm not exactly confident.
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Golden; concentrated flavor, leaning caramelized with real sweetness but plenty of vinous bite, sharp acidity and a fine tannic spine that presents an overall rich and pleasing experience. Complete and round enough to be an aperitif, cocktail, and also stand up to spicy foods
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This was FANTASTIC. I tasted the same wine 5 years ago after a year in storage and I was disappointed, thinking I'd blown $70 per bottle. But now I see the error of my ways. This needed time to fatten in that juicy, sexy, voluptuous way I expected but did not see earlier. It's bready, toasty heft was streamlined by a delicious orange marmalade citrus...amazingly good. I loved it. If I were being picky (which I'm not, because the Heels are in the finals) I would say the finish could be longer.
Wish I had bought more AND kept my hands off of it.
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From magnum. Backward aromas upon opening, and after it straightened itself out the wine still showed kernels of reduction on the finish, something that to me felt a little unclean. Never showed the kind of purity and drive, the focus that I prize, but delicious and celebratory and pleasing to all. In this instance, that mattered way more than the little criticisms I am making.
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Nice medium-golden color with fine bead; nose is aromatic, richly textured with plenty of toast, yeast, slight spice, slight apple; palate has the same richness and fullness but with superb clean and fresh medium-plus to high acidity, a tart lemon-lime through the finish, brioche, some spice, caramel, cleans up towards the finish; medium length finish. This is a nicely mature, enjoyable champagne that is largely on the richer spectrum, though the fresh acidity throughout takes it to another level. If the finish was longer, this would be stellar. At $70, this is a nice champagne. 92-93 Day 2: The last 1/3 of the bottle lost a bit of vibrancy and gained just a touch of bitterness on the palate under a champagne stopper. Drink up in one day if possible.
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Fantastic, rich, powerful, complex, long long finish. Either the last bottle I had was not showing well, was wedged b/w other great wines, or 4 years did this bottle righteous!
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The palate was a bit sweeter than I remembered but not overdone. Nice complexity on the nose similar to a Bollinger with that toasty spiciness. I couldn't give this the time it deserved since someone popped something a bit rarer right after I got this in the glass.
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Pre-Hospice du Rhone: Dinner at La Cosecha (La Cosecha, Paso Robles): This was my WOTN. I am not sure why it did not get opened earlier. It may have been too warm as it was on ice all night. It was passed around after dinner as a palate cleanser. It is so much more. Great showing IMO. Paul brought this. The nose has peaches, apricots and a slight cherry note. Nice minerality as well. Really fresh and lots of tension on the palate. The peaches and cherries carry thru but also some lemony acidity. Layers of complexity. Lots of cut but yet also a creaminess that fills the palate. Long finish. Really a delicious wine that seems to be in its prime with years left. Thank you Paul.
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Honey Butter Fried Chicken, Champagne, and some blinds (Chicago, IL): Lovely white florals on the nose. Again, quite ripe and rich with just a bit of baked apple on the palate. Good density; chalky texture and very intense. Some sweet marzipan on the mid-palate, and fruit as well. Excellent.
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Rich and generous with lots of yellow fruit and some yeasty elements-this bottle started at an advanced place but within an hr the slightly oxidative advanced note cleaned out nicely and it became a lot more focused and precise with good notes on the finish. Need to try another before making a general assessment o the drinking window.
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Just a lovely Pinot dominate champagne drinking for me at its peak. Complex powerful nose and beautifully balanced palate with length to burn. Similarly powerful palate but not overwrought with any adelhyde or controlled oxidation flavours. Was equal WOTN- first time I can recall this happening.
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The mousse is short lived. Plenty of fine beads though. Opened with a yeasty note. Then lemon curd, honey and toast. The acids freshen the palate beautifully. Finishes clean with a lingering lemon sherbet flavour.
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Henri Billiot NV and vintage champagnes tend to be extremely rich and flavorful pinot noir centric wines and this 2002 is no different. This has powerful caramel and fruit aromas on the nose, while the palate showed flavors of pears, red apples, allspice, honey, caramel, buttered biscuits, homemade bread, and some nuts. While not extremely complex or acidic, this was still very tasty. I'm not sure how much better this will get with more time, so I would recommend drinking these now while they still have lots of up front fruit.
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Akready deepeing in color more pale gold than lemon. Rich pinoty nose with some brioche and nuts. Palate is quite big but a superb length to the wine makes up for the relatively soft acid that while making the wine quite cuddly does seem to lose some structure. Ready to drink and can take food. Nice bubbly but not a top 2002
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An absolutely beautiful wine. Apple pie, toast, lemon custard, bright red fruit,... a lot going on here and a joy to drink. Medium(+) bodied, rich, medium acidity. Surprisingly opulent. Yum.
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I was told by someone I trust that it would be a good idea to check in on this. I am so glad that I did. Yes it was more mature than I expected, but it was glorious. Toast, apple, yeast, deep red fruit and everything else you could want was all wrapped up in this wine. With only 4 people I thought the mag would be fine, but it evaporated. Delicious Champagne that is drinking incredibly well right now.
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Kathy and I celebrated at Fleming's Steak house today. We opened this champagne, lovely mousse and lots of medium/fine bubbles, and loved the nose of pear and honey, more of the same on the palate, slightly dry which I prefer, medium body and long, long, long finish.
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It just keeps getting better. Fresh baked bread, creamy lemon that just never stops. Great mineral qualities too. Still incredibly fresh and absolutely DESTROYED the Perrier-Jouet Fleur de Champagne 1999 that we drank alongside.
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Bright nose with some toasty caramel notes coming out in the glass. Broad with a very fresh character. The most open and approachable of the Champagnes on the night. Terrific wine.
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10 year retrospective tasting at Conrad's (Conrad Green): Sticks and stony aromas with dried spices, apple tart; medium body, medium intensity, good acidity. Solid but not in love with this. Mostly red grapes from Ambonnay, all grand cru, no malolactic. 90-91
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Light yellow to yellow color in the glass, clear looking throughout with tiny, steady beading. Nose of spices, cream, baked apples and a hint of sherry. Flavors of apple pie, lemon curd and a hint of cherry. Bright acidity, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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Rich and developed nose with lots of nougat, baked stone fruit and some wheaty, bready notes. The palate is full-bodied and liquorous, with flavors that follow the nose. Noticeable sucrosity swims above the acids here, and a lower quantity of pleasantly fine fizz complements the maturing flavors. It's ponderously heavy at cellar temperature, but a nice chill brings up the acidity and keeps the sweetness at bay.
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Strong nutty almond nose with touch of caramel? Palate nicely structured, good acidity, mouth coating and smooth. Nutty lengthy finish. Seemed to have an interesting somewhat mature fruit profile, maybe dried apricots? A nice smooth deep champagne that opened up nicely after a couple hours air. The mostly pinot noir blend was very apparent, somewhat rounder with more depth.
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really impressive wine - the fruit is red, and very clean, the wine is beautifully focused and is showing beautifully now. richly fruited and with a touch of butter but grounded by chalk and acid and just very well balanced, focused. a flowery essence as the wine opens up. lovely, lovely.
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This was very nice. Nice dark straw color. Nose of of apple and yeast. Apple profile carried through to the palate. Really enjoyable. No need to rush if you have several but there is no harm at all in drinking these now. Will chase down a few more for the cellar.
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A very fine stream of bubbles. The color is that of light copper. This was highly aromatic, lots of almond and brioche, a little orange notes, and some caramel. Good balance and just enough acidity to give it some perk. yummy. Bottle from GigaMike.
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Light gold colour. Almost as if it was prematurely oxidated. But no such aromas or flavours. In fact, it was quite fresh and zesty, with cream, lemon, brioche and toast. It was lovely as an aperitif and also as an accompaniment to a light dish.
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Light golden yellow. Toasty and yeasty on the nose. Those flavors carry over to the biscuity palate. Creamy texture on the midpalate but it finishes with nice crisp acidity. Rich, balanced and complex.
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My impressions pretty much mirror those of Gregg G's 9/18/2010 note. I thought this was very nice, and it seems to have the structure and richness to age well.
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This is still a relatively young Brut. Quite rich but not heavy in the least bit. Butterscotch, baked breads and green apples on the nose that improve and show greater intensity after a few hours. Flavors continue on the palate with a pronounced acidity that settles in time. The bead is fine and non intrusive. This is a superb wine that should develop into a great wine.
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Third Thursday Champagne Night (Willamette Wine Storage - Portland, OR): This is a little funky on the nose with pretzel dough and wet autumn leaves showing along with some lighter apple scents. The bubbles start soft on the palate and show alongside some slightly over-ripe apple flavors on the mid palate. The wine is definitely on the "bready" side. Lighter acid shows up and lasts for quite a while with the other flavors. Some grapefruit appeared later in the night. It's nice wine, but the over-ripe apple wasn't really doing it for me.
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Super yeasty nose, smells of brown sugar as well, almost like sherry but very delicious. Some people thought the wine was flawed, I liked it just the way it was. The palate showed it was still an intact wine, fresh flavors of lime and honey, cotton candy and apples. The finish turns tart but holds for some nice length. I liked this, it was on the hedonistic side of Champagnes, some nights that's exactly what I am looking for.
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Vintage Champagne Third Thursday Group (Willamette Wine Storage): Very yeasty on the nose, biscuity, and perhaps a curry aroma. Very creamy on the palate, almost buttery, showing some lemon, spice, and some acid. Really nice texture on the tongue. More yeast on the finish again, like a sourdough biscuit for sure. Some bitterness, and the driest of the bunch thus far. The nose was definitely a little different here and off putting to some folks, but the palate came through nicely for me.
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Still in love with this champagne. The breadiness was less evident here than last time, yielding to soft red fruits and finishing with a delectable chalkiness that Anne described appropriately as "baby aspirin."
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A first bottle to get a marker for the case. Surprisingly deep colour and nice fine but firm mousse. Power packed but slightly reticent nose at this point. Quite primary and restrained strawberry notes, with a backing of a deep spice-like component. Palate is similarly reticent with excellent acidity, deep fruit and the reassuringly slightly bitter note of undeveloped extract near the finish. Great length. Well set for a long future.
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Definitely would have benefited from some more aging. It was surprisingly sweet upon opening, but had a good aftertaste and good balance. After about an hour, the sweetness faded (or the complexity set it) and you could see this sparkler had a bright future. Patience!
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I don't know what, if anything, is going on, but it's been a few years now since I've had a Billiot as good as the ones that first turned me on to the producer. This continues the streak. Not bad, but not showing much, in a deep pitch and an austere style - the finish so drying it almost feels tannic.
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Terrific wine. Aggressive nose of citrus, spices, and some yeast. On the palate, this is quite large-scaled, rich, and very intense. Slightly oxidative fruit and cinnamon. Very long finish. Not quite as elegant as some, but really nice.
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Grower Champagnes with Duck (New York City, Peking Duck House): I'll ask someone to verify this is the correct name of the bottle. In any case, this was jampacked with yeast, very full-bodied. Not great, but interesting because it was a more full bodied wine than the others. OK-
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Grower Champagnes (Chateau Todd - Dana Point, CA): I have had this wine a number of times but am surprised that this is my first TN. Anyhoo, this is a very regal Champagne. If you like Bollinger, then you will LOVE this wine! Rich and oxidative in character with notes of red apples and Bosch pears with hints of caramel and bruleed sugar. A terrific Champagne! 92-93 points.
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Grower Champagnes at Todd's (Chateauneuf de Todd): Oxidized note on the nose reminiscent of other big styled Champagnes. Big and rich with a dry finish, this was marked by spiced apples with nice notes of cinnamon. Love this stuff.
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Brought this one all the way back from Ambonnay myself. Would have been a shame if it were a dissapointing wine after all that trouble. Thankfully it was nothing of the sort (and why would it be? Do these guys ever make bad wine??). A big, appley, yeasty, complex wine, yet still quite ethereal and elegant in the mouth. Really works your palate from front to back as the redder fruits kick in as you swallow and carry through on the looong finish. Walks a great tight rope between having big Pinot heavy character and a very pretty mineral vein and floral notes that remind me of a BdB. Best of both worlds and an oustanding value.
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Its in my other notes. Excellent Champagne that shows complexity early in life with some nice spicey notes intermingled along a balanced and concentrated palate. Was more than happy to share this with some good friends in Texas.
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Darkly colored. Nose of fresh toast and creme brulee top with touches of nutmeg, cinnamon and apples. Terrific cinnamon and baking spice notes on the palate really set this off even so young. Nice melange of stone fruits and ripe red apples peak out from some somewhat tightly wound fruit. Good tart acidity. A bargain at $60 locally.
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This quieted us into concentrating on drinking only pausing to praise it. Rich complex nose showing lots of honey which did make me wondering about how it traveled. But the palate was also intense with more honey along with some red fruits. Well balanced and concentrated. Blows doors off plenty of tete de cuvee's for 2-3 times the price. Excellent.
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This is broad and full on the nose with tons of red fruits and yeasty complexity. On the palate it does an excellent job of combining plenty of fruitiness with fine structure and finishing with a long minerally coating on the palate. There's lots of upside to this, I'm sure, but it's delicious now as well.
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1/2/2023 - french16 wrote:
Couldn't be more different than the previous bottle. Rich but balanced, some evolution but still showing some freshness and minerality alonside spices. Sure, it is full body but quite easy to drink.
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9/1/2022 - french16 wrote:
Drunk during harvest at Prieure Roch with the team.
This bottle showed extremely oxidative and overwhelmingly rich. Felt like the dosage was 15g!
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4/11/2020 - collin wrote:
In some ways this is hard for me to evaluate as it's very different from the Champagnes I typically seek out. It's apple pie filling with an acidic backbone. It's all in balance and I very much enjoyed it. I doubt it gets better, but I'm not exactly confident.
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9/28/2018 - professor widget Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drank at Winnie's 58th birthday with seafood. Wine showing age but very drinkable. Soft, bruised apples, sufficient acidity, slight RS.
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8/3/2018 - Jacobmejer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Vers good. Smooth and with character. Light brownies colour.
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5/2/2018 - jmw17 Likes this wine:
Golden; concentrated flavor, leaning caramelized with real sweetness but plenty of vinous bite, sharp acidity and a fine tannic spine that presents an overall rich and pleasing experience. Complete and round enough to be an aperitif, cocktail, and also stand up to spicy foods
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4/3/2017 - tarheel17 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was FANTASTIC. I tasted the same wine 5 years ago after a year in storage and I was disappointed, thinking I'd blown $70 per bottle. But now I see the error of my ways. This needed time to fatten in that juicy, sexy, voluptuous way I expected but did not see earlier. It's bready, toasty heft was streamlined by a delicious orange marmalade citrus...amazingly good. I loved it. If I were being picky (which I'm not, because the Heels are in the finals) I would say the finish could be longer.
Wish I had bought more AND kept my hands off of it.
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11/24/2016 - brooklynguy Likes this wine:
From magnum. Backward aromas upon opening, and after it straightened itself out the wine still showed kernels of reduction on the finish, something that to me felt a little unclean. Never showed the kind of purity and drive, the focus that I prize, but delicious and celebratory and pleasing to all. In this instance, that mattered way more than the little criticisms I am making.
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11/8/2016 - aagrawal wrote: 92 Points
Nice medium-golden color with fine bead; nose is aromatic, richly textured with plenty of toast, yeast, slight spice, slight apple; palate has the same richness and fullness but with superb clean and fresh medium-plus to high acidity, a tart lemon-lime through the finish, brioche, some spice, caramel, cleans up towards the finish; medium length finish. This is a nicely mature, enjoyable champagne that is largely on the richer spectrum, though the fresh acidity throughout takes it to another level. If the finish was longer, this would be stellar. At $70, this is a nice champagne. 92-93
Day 2: The last 1/3 of the bottle lost a bit of vibrancy and gained just a touch of bitterness on the palate under a champagne stopper. Drink up in one day if possible.
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10/10/2016 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
Fantastic, rich, powerful, complex, long long finish. Either the last bottle I had was not showing well, was wedged b/w other great wines, or 4 years did this bottle righteous!
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10/8/2016 - WetRock wrote:
The palate was a bit sweeter than I remembered but not overdone. Nice complexity on the nose similar to a Bollinger with that toasty spiciness. I couldn't give this the time it deserved since someone popped something a bit rarer right after I got this in the glass.
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4/18/2016 - bon vivant wrote:
Really not much i can add to Loren's note -glad you liked it !
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4/18/2016 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 93 Points
Pre-Hospice du Rhone: Dinner at La Cosecha (La Cosecha, Paso Robles): This was my WOTN. I am not sure why it did not get opened earlier. It may have been too warm as it was on ice all night. It was passed around after dinner as a palate cleanser. It is so much more. Great showing IMO. Paul brought this. The nose has peaches, apricots and a slight cherry note. Nice minerality as well. Really fresh and lots of tension on the palate. The peaches and cherries carry thru but also some lemony acidity. Layers of complexity. Lots of cut but yet also a creaminess that fills the palate. Long finish. Really a delicious wine that seems to be in its prime with years left. Thank you Paul.
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3/29/2015 - Sennma wrote: 90 Points
Toasty brioche on the nose. Heavy mouuse. Nicely sharp, some salted caramel notes. Granny apple finish , very nice.
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3/22/2015 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Honey Butter Fried Chicken, Champagne, and some blinds (Chicago, IL): Lovely white florals on the nose. Again, quite ripe and rich with just a bit of baked apple on the palate. Good density; chalky texture and very intense. Some sweet marzipan on the mid-palate, and fruit as well. Excellent.
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3/14/2015 - bon vivant wrote:
Rich and generous with lots of yellow fruit and some yeasty elements-this bottle started at an advanced place but within an hr the slightly oxidative advanced note cleaned out nicely and it became a lot more focused and precise with good notes on the finish. Need to try another before making a general assessment o the drinking window.
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2/10/2015 - DaddyNeedsPow wrote: 92 Points
Seems to be holding steady, if perhaps a bit leaner on the palette.
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3/29/2014 - Rieslingfan wrote: 92 Points
Same as the bottle from last August. Delicious.
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12/31/2013 - Pverd wrote: 93 Points
Just a lovely Pinot dominate champagne drinking for me at its peak. Complex powerful nose and beautifully balanced palate with length to burn. Similarly powerful palate but not overwrought with any adelhyde or controlled oxidation flavours. Was equal WOTN- first time I can recall this happening.
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11/24/2013 - fizz wrote: 92 Points
The mousse is short lived. Plenty of fine beads though. Opened with a yeasty note. Then lemon curd, honey and toast. The acids freshen the palate beautifully. Finishes clean with a lingering lemon sherbet flavour.
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10/4/2013 - Krugman wrote: 92 Points
Henri Billiot NV and vintage champagnes tend to be extremely rich and flavorful pinot noir centric wines and this 2002 is no different. This has powerful caramel and fruit aromas on the nose, while the palate showed flavors of pears, red apples, allspice, honey, caramel, buttered biscuits, homemade bread, and some nuts. While not extremely complex or acidic, this was still very tasty. I'm not sure how much better this will get with more time, so I would recommend drinking these now while they still have lots of up front fruit.
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8/4/2013 - Pverd wrote: 91 Points
Akready deepeing in color more pale gold than lemon. Rich pinoty nose with some brioche and nuts. Palate is quite big but a superb length to the wine makes up for the relatively soft acid that while making the wine quite cuddly does seem to lose some structure. Ready to drink and can take food. Nice bubbly but not a top 2002
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8/3/2013 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 93 Points
An absolutely beautiful wine. Apple pie, toast, lemon custard, bright red fruit,... a lot going on here and a joy to drink. Medium(+) bodied, rich, medium acidity. Surprisingly opulent. Yum.
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8/3/2013 - Rieslingfan Likes this wine: 92 Points
I was told by someone I trust that it would be a good idea to check in on this. I am so glad that I did. Yes it was more mature than I expected, but it was glorious. Toast, apple, yeast, deep red fruit and everything else you could want was all wrapped up in this wine. With only 4 people I thought the mag would be fine, but it evaporated. Delicious Champagne that is drinking incredibly well right now.
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6/16/2013 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 94 Points
Kathy and I celebrated at Fleming's Steak house today. We opened this champagne, lovely mousse and lots of medium/fine bubbles, and loved the nose of pear and honey, more of the same on the palate, slightly dry which I prefer, medium body and long, long, long finish.
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5/30/2013 - DaddyNeedsPow Likes this wine: 94 Points
It just keeps getting better. Fresh baked bread, creamy lemon that just never stops. Great mineral qualities too. Still incredibly fresh and absolutely DESTROYED the Perrier-Jouet Fleur de Champagne 1999 that we drank alongside.
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12/21/2012 - jasonh wrote:
I really liked this. Drinking more friendly than the other 02s at the table. Just a joy to drink at the moment.
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12/16/2012 - WetRock wrote:
Bright nose with some toasty caramel notes coming out in the glass. Broad with a very fresh character. The most open and approachable of the Champagnes on the night. Terrific wine.
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12/16/2012 - peternelson wrote: 90 Points
10 year retrospective tasting at Conrad's (Conrad Green): Sticks and stony aromas with dried spices, apple tart; medium body, medium intensity, good acidity. Solid but not in love with this. Mostly red grapes from Ambonnay, all grand cru, no malolactic. 90-91
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11/25/2012 - wineismylife Likes this wine: 93 Points
Saturdays at One - First Chinese BBQ Post Thanksgiving Gluttony Festival! (First Chinese BBQ Arlington, TX): WIML93
Tasted non blind. Opeened and served immediately.
Light yellow to yellow color in the glass, clear looking throughout with tiny, steady beading. Nose of spices, cream, baked apples and a hint of sherry. Flavors of apple pie, lemon curd and a hint of cherry. Bright acidity, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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8/9/2012 - 5laton wrote:
Rich and developed nose with lots of nougat, baked stone fruit and some wheaty, bready notes. The palate is full-bodied and liquorous, with flavors that follow the nose. Noticeable sucrosity swims above the acids here, and a lower quantity of pleasantly fine fizz complements the maturing flavors. It's ponderously heavy at cellar temperature, but a nice chill brings up the acidity and keeps the sweetness at bay.
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2/2/2012 - Nutty08 wrote: 93 Points
Strong nutty almond nose with touch of caramel? Palate nicely structured, good acidity, mouth coating and smooth. Nutty lengthy finish. Seemed to have an interesting somewhat mature fruit profile, maybe dried apricots? A nice smooth deep champagne that opened up nicely after a couple hours air. The mostly pinot noir blend was very apparent, somewhat rounder with more depth.
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12/10/2011 - brooklynguy wrote:
really impressive wine - the fruit is red, and very clean, the wine is beautifully focused and is showing beautifully now. richly fruited and with a touch of butter but grounded by chalk and acid and just very well balanced, focused. a flowery essence as the wine opens up. lovely, lovely.
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11/5/2011 - Oskiwawa wrote: 92 Points
This was very nice. Nice dark straw color. Nose of of apple and yeast. Apple profile carried through to the palate. Really enjoyable. No need to rush if you have several but there is no harm at all in drinking these now. Will chase down a few more for the cellar.
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9/4/2011 - Roentgen Ray wrote: 93 Points
A very fine stream of bubbles. The color is that of light copper. This was highly aromatic, lots of almond and brioche, a little orange notes, and some caramel. Good balance and just enough acidity to give it some perk. yummy. Bottle from GigaMike.
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8/6/2011 - ericis wrote: 92 Points
Outstanding! Seamlessly integrated. Bright pinot core. Vibrant acidity. Has long life ahead of it.
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6/19/2011 - fizz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Light gold colour. Almost as if it was prematurely oxidated. But no such aromas or flavours. In fact, it was quite fresh and zesty, with cream, lemon, brioche and toast. It was lovely as an aperitif and also as an accompaniment to a light dish.
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5/28/2011 - spacewrangler wrote:
Very rich, but this is going downhill. Drink up.
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4/9/2011 - zscheiner Likes this wine: 92 Points
Light golden yellow. Toasty and yeasty on the nose. Those flavors carry over to the biscuity palate. Creamy texture on the midpalate but it finishes with nice crisp acidity. Rich, balanced and complex.
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4/3/2011 - grafstrb wrote:
My impressions pretty much mirror those of Gregg G's 9/18/2010 note. I thought this was very nice, and it seems to have the structure and richness to age well.
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3/13/2011 - spacewrangler wrote:
Just not a big Billiot fan, but this is well-made and wide open with fat/rich/creamy flavors.
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9/18/2010 - gregg g wrote:
This is still a relatively young Brut. Quite rich but not heavy in the least bit. Butterscotch, baked breads and green apples on the nose that improve and show greater intensity after a few hours. Flavors continue on the palate with a pronounced acidity that settles in time. The bead is fine and non intrusive. This is a superb wine that should develop into a great wine.
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7/22/2010 - subtlet Likes this wine: 89 Points
Third Thursday Champagne Night (Willamette Wine Storage - Portland, OR): This is a little funky on the nose with pretzel dough and wet autumn leaves showing along with some lighter apple scents. The bubbles start soft on the palate and show alongside some slightly over-ripe apple flavors on the mid palate. The wine is definitely on the "bready" side. Lighter acid shows up and lasts for quite a while with the other flavors. Some grapefruit appeared later in the night. It's nice wine, but the over-ripe apple wasn't really doing it for me.
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7/22/2010 - gripNsip wrote: 91 Points
Super yeasty nose, smells of brown sugar as well, almost like sherry but very delicious. Some people thought the wine was flawed, I liked it just the way it was. The palate showed it was still an intact wine, fresh flavors of lime and honey, cotton candy and apples. The finish turns tart but holds for some nice length. I liked this, it was on the hedonistic side of Champagnes, some nights that's exactly what I am looking for.
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7/22/2010 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 90 Points
Vintage Champagne Third Thursday Group (Willamette Wine Storage): Very yeasty on the nose, biscuity, and perhaps a curry aroma. Very creamy on the palate, almost buttery, showing some lemon, spice, and some acid. Really nice texture on the tongue. More yeast on the finish again, like a sourdough biscuit for sure. Some bitterness, and the driest of the bunch thus far. The nose was definitely a little different here and off putting to some folks, but the palate came through nicely for me.
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6/18/2010 - DaddyNeedsPow wrote: 93 Points
Still in love with this champagne. The breadiness was less evident here than last time, yielding to soft red fruits and finishing with a delectable chalkiness that Anne described appropriately as "baby aspirin."
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4/5/2010 - TiggerK wrote: 86 Points
Touch oxidised on the nose, not a fan of that, but a solid and enjoyable Champagne nonetheless.
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1/12/2010 - spacewrangler wrote:
Hold for at least 3 years, not showing much at the moment.
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1/1/2010 - Haltermr wrote: 92 Points
Round, ripe, rich, with dough, cereal grains, some cheesey notes, and ripe fruit. Round and full bodied in the mouth. A crowd pleaser.
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12/30/2009 - WetRock wrote:
Balanced and clean with spicey notes. Rich without being too big. I took an easy winner for my birthday drink.
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12/22/2009 - TBAFB wrote: 94 Points
A first bottle to get a marker for the case. Surprisingly deep colour and nice fine but firm mousse. Power packed but slightly reticent nose at this point. Quite primary and restrained strawberry notes, with a backing of a deep spice-like component. Palate is similarly reticent with excellent acidity, deep fruit and the reassuringly slightly bitter note of undeveloped extract near the finish. Great length. Well set for a long future.
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12/13/2009 - pizzler wrote: 89 Points
Definitely would have benefited from some more aging. It was surprisingly sweet upon opening, but had a good aftertaste and good balance. After about an hour, the sweetness faded (or the complexity set it) and you could see this sparkler had a bright future. Patience!
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11/28/2009 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 84 Points
I don't know what, if anything, is going on, but it's been a few years now since I've had a Billiot as good as the ones that first turned me on to the producer. This continues the streak. Not bad, but not showing much, in a deep pitch and an austere style - the finish so drying it almost feels tannic.
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11/10/2009 - DaddyNeedsPow wrote: 94 Points
Bready and wonderful. An hour plus of decanting and cellar temperature service...sublime.
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9/6/2009 - rc@ughey wrote: 92 Points
Terrific wine. Aggressive nose of citrus, spices, and some yeast. On the palate, this is quite large-scaled, rich, and very intense. Slightly oxidative fruit and cinnamon. Very long finish. Not quite as elegant as some, but really nice.
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7/7/2009 - Cheryl wrote:
Grower Champagnes with Duck (New York City, Peking Duck House): I'll ask someone to verify this is the correct name of the bottle. In any case, this was jampacked with yeast, very full-bodied. Not great, but interesting because it was a more full bodied wine than the others. OK-
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6/13/2009 - Paul Lin wrote: 92 Points
Grower Champagnes (Chateau Todd - Dana Point, CA): I have had this wine a number of times but am surprised that this is my first TN. Anyhoo, this is a very regal Champagne. If you like Bollinger, then you will LOVE this wine! Rich and oxidative in character with notes of red apples and Bosch pears with hints of caramel and bruleed sugar. A terrific Champagne! 92-93 points.
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6/13/2009 - WetRock wrote:
Grower Champagnes at Todd's (Chateauneuf de Todd): Oxidized note on the nose reminiscent of other big styled Champagnes. Big and rich with a dry finish, this was marked by spiced apples with nice notes of cinnamon. Love this stuff.
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4/26/2009 - BigJeff wrote: 93 Points
Brought this one all the way back from Ambonnay myself. Would have been a shame if it were a dissapointing wine after all that trouble. Thankfully it was nothing of the sort (and why would it be? Do these guys ever make bad wine??). A big, appley, yeasty, complex wine, yet still quite ethereal and elegant in the mouth. Really works your palate from front to back as the redder fruits kick in as you swallow and carry through on the looong finish. Walks a great tight rope between having big Pinot heavy character and a very pretty mineral vein and floral notes that remind me of a BdB. Best of both worlds and an oustanding value.
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4/24/2009 - WetRock wrote:
Its in my other notes. Excellent Champagne that shows complexity early in life with some nice spicey notes intermingled along a balanced and concentrated palate. Was more than happy to share this with some good friends in Texas.
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2/17/2009 - WetRock wrote:
Darkly colored. Nose of fresh toast and creme brulee top with touches of nutmeg, cinnamon and apples. Terrific cinnamon and baking spice notes on the palate really set this off even so young. Nice melange of stone fruits and ripe red apples peak out from some somewhat tightly wound fruit. Good tart acidity. A bargain at $60 locally.
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2/1/2009 - blaiseiii wrote: 94 Points
very nice
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11/15/2008 - WetRock wrote:
This quieted us into concentrating on drinking only pausing to praise it. Rich complex nose showing lots of honey which did make me wondering about how it traveled. But the palate was also intense with more honey along with some red fruits. Well balanced and concentrated. Blows doors off plenty of tete de cuvee's for 2-3 times the price. Excellent.
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11/1/2008 - jlm wrote:
This is broad and full on the nose with tons of red fruits and yeasty complexity. On the palate it does an excellent job of combining plenty of fruitiness with fine structure and finishing with a long minerally coating on the palate. There's lots of upside to this, I'm sure, but it's delicious now as well.
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