Dinner with the wine group (Los Gatos): Light golden; aromatic, some brioche and cheese, lemon, pear, complex; palate is rich and full bodied, balanced dosage, excellent mouthfeel, tons of lemon and peel, fresh; finish is medium-long. Very lovely, a good time to drink these at age 22. This is better than my last bottle. 93
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Another excellent bottle of 2002 Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Rare. Most of the bottles I’ve opened have been later disgorgements. This bottle had a red neck ring, signifying an earlier disgorgement. While I haven’t had them side by side, my feeling is the earlier disgorgements are showing a more oxidative nutty profile, while the later show more dense brioche. Citrus and honey on the attack, giving way to tropical notes, pear, coffee and hazelnut. Really dense and creamy. Historically, 10 gm/l dosage is not high, but compared to contemporary extra-brut and non-dosed wines, the sweetness is quite prominent here. This shows better when kept in an ice bucket.
Return of the Shrimp Heads to La Belle Vie, now PS Steak in Minneapolis. 6 of us back in our beloved lounge w/ the old LBV lounge menu. CV,KB,LI,BB,JV & MA. Kevin's btl. I love this cuvee, period. Enjoyed that this has reached optimum balance between youthful zip & mature tranquility. Plenty of depth.
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Shrimp Heads Ride Again (PS Steak (Pseudo La Belle Vie, Mpls, MN)): Light gold color. Drank a glass over an hour, next to the '02 CNFB. This is a wow nose, so rich and toasty, full of brioche, sea breeze, toffee, butter pain grille, pear and smoke on the nose. The palate is full bodied and energetic, this still has tons of verve; pear, toast, hazelnut, honeycomb, smoke, green apple, apple peel, dense and powerful yet still lithe and blissful. In super shape, but just one left -no hurry.
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*Rich, oily bruised apples swimming in yeast. Lovely ripe flavors that make you say, that's all I want to drink. There is some sweetness for sure, but that's just a very observant comment that may be taken negatively by the overly fickle. Theres nothing out of place here if you want to experience the magic of mature, richly textured champagne that makes a statement from the first whiff to the last drop. Thanks to my friend. Drink!
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5/4/2024 - aagrawal wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with the wine group (Los Gatos): Light golden; aromatic, some brioche and cheese, lemon, pear, complex; palate is rich and full bodied, balanced dosage, excellent mouthfeel, tons of lemon and peel, fresh; finish is medium-long. Very lovely, a good time to drink these at age 22. This is better than my last bottle. 93
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/13/2024 - WST Likes this wine:
Another excellent bottle of 2002 Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Rare. Most of the bottles I’ve opened have been later disgorgements. This bottle had a red neck ring, signifying an earlier disgorgement. While I haven’t had them side by side, my feeling is the earlier disgorgements are showing a more oxidative nutty profile, while the later show more dense brioche.
Citrus and honey on the attack, giving way to tropical notes, pear, coffee and hazelnut. Really dense and creamy. Historically, 10 gm/l dosage is not high, but compared to contemporary extra-brut and non-dosed wines, the sweetness is quite prominent here. This shows better when kept in an ice bucket.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
3/29/2024 - chablis28 wrote: 95 Points
Return of the Shrimp Heads to La Belle Vie, now PS Steak in Minneapolis. 6 of us back in our beloved lounge w/ the old LBV lounge menu. CV,KB,LI,BB,JV & MA. Kevin's btl. I love this cuvee, period. Enjoyed that this has reached optimum balance between youthful zip & mature tranquility. Plenty of depth.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2024 - rocknroller wrote: 96 Points
Shrimp Heads Ride Again (PS Steak (Pseudo La Belle Vie, Mpls, MN)): Light gold color. Drank a glass over an hour, next to the '02 CNFB. This is a wow nose, so rich and toasty, full of brioche, sea breeze, toffee, butter pain grille, pear and smoke on the nose. The palate is full bodied and energetic, this still has tons of verve; pear, toast, hazelnut, honeycomb, smoke, green apple, apple peel, dense and powerful yet still lithe and blissful. In super shape, but just one left -no hurry.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote: 96 Points
*Rich, oily bruised apples swimming in yeast. Lovely ripe flavors that make you say, that's all I want to drink. There is some sweetness for sure, but that's just a very observant comment that may be taken negatively by the overly fickle. Theres nothing out of place here if you want to experience the magic of mature, richly textured champagne that makes a statement from the first whiff to the last drop. Thanks to my friend. Drink!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)