ErnestWorthing
Member #102,804 signed up 12/20/2009
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rrademaker
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Member #102,804 signed up 12/20/2009
316 Tasting Notes
1,804 Tasting Notes
This member's profile is not public.
2004 David Leclapart Champagne Premier Cru L'Apôtre Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut
11/7/2015 - ErnestWorthing Likes this wine: 89 Points
Leclapart is my first hipster grower. This bottle set me back around £50 back before most people had heard of him, now he's a mainstream arena superstar at £100 a ticket, or at least a cool cult success. He doesn't make much wine so I guess this rise was inevitable given critical responses. This wine was given a crazy point score when Juhlin first reviewed it, something like 97 or possibly 98 points in his Champagne travel guide. He's since dropped it to around 95 points, I think, but still with higher for potential than current drinking. For an 11 year old grower Champagne that's not bad. It's also an opinion I share, I'm not sure this is ready yet.
Out of the gates I get a strong hit of Vilmart about it. Not sure if this is oaked but it tastes to me like it is. Being a friend of Mr Selosse people may accuse Leclapart of being over oxidised (hi Steve!) but I don't think that's an accusation you can throw at this bottle. Yes it has rich, round tones but nothing approaching a sherry fest, in fact I'd say this is still quite tight and clean. There's bready, yeasty notes all over the nose and in the mouthy its shortbready, almost slightly salty with a short finish. Way short finish.
With time, air and temperature the nose does expand but the pallet doesn't give much more, grapefruit, shortbread and salt dominate. And still that short finish, like it never arrived.
Leclapart is a grower with many strong memories for me, I drank it on my wedding day, my 30th and now my (3 year delayed) honeymoon. As my first time trying his top of the range offering from a decent vintage I confess I was expecting fireworks. This doesn't deliver on that level. It certainly don't think it delivers on a £100 price tag. It's a good wine, maybe it'll be a great wine but for me the real value is still with l'amateur. If I'm being kind I'll say that this maybe didn't travel well, or just needs time, or wasn't a great bottle. I look forward to being proven wrong in the future but I can only mark what's in front of me.
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NV David Leclapart Champagne Premier Cru L'Alchimiste Extra-Brut
10/12/2012 - ErnestWorthing wrote: 96 Points
Colour: Deep orangey red, much redder than a normal rose
Nose: Pinot noir, summer fruits, musar esque notes(!)
First day very deep, almost like a sparkling shiraz. I was pre-warned about a tannic taste but wasn't so much tannic as full bodied red, or at least a sparkling Burgundy. Seemingly a much higher red wine percentage/maturation period than normal. Despite tiny cork (and 7 years age) still ridiculously young. Next day really opened up. Aroma coming through and just beautiful. Complex layers of fruit and red wine notes, lovely. Still quite a heavy taste, especially with the reduced bubbles. Smelt blind I'd still say red wine every time. Only an acidic finish gives a hint of Champagne. My better half compares it to "chantenay carrots"!
In short, leave this for a long long time before touching it. If you have to drink it, it's the first Champagne I'd recommend decanting.
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1968 Château Lascombes
7/1/2011 - ErnestWorthing wrote: 87 Points
Past its best. Decanted and drank slowly! Smell and colour improved with time. Sweet, little finish and light body.
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