Paultacular Champagne Tasting

My wife's business partner hosted his annual Champagne tasting in his backyard. Aside from myself and Brig Campbell, we were the only wine dorks there but the wines reflected in the lineup are inspired by a more dorky inspiration. Paul and I buy many of the same wines, and while he doesn't hang out on Wine Berserkers or keep his items on Cellartracker or write TNs, he is very much a dork at heart. We had a great time, enjoyed it a lot.

• 2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut

  France, Champagne

  From magnum, thank you Brig for adding this to Paul's event. Toasty aroma, with lemony citrus and a custard/richer palate. This bottle shows very little of the 7-Up soda quality I have had in other bottles. Good balance and showing very well.

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• 2006 Henri Goutorbe Champagne Grand Cru Special Club

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  No back label info. From Ay so safe to assume 100% PN, I guess? Bread dough nose, little prickly in the palate with berry, lime and good energy. The finish has a good spine, along with a nice salty and green herb finish.

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• 2000 Lanson Champagne Noble Cuvée de Lanson Blanc de Blancs Brut

  France, Champagne

  Firm with good remaining structure, citrus and showing well, much like the bottle did a year ago.

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• NV Georges Laval Champagne Extra Brut Garennes

  France, Champagne

  Disgorged July 2018, a blend of 13/14/15 vintages. Salty and bright, showing the low dosage signature more prominently. Feels a bit lean and was the most structured of the wines we had within the event.

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• 2013 Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Chouilly

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Disgorged April 2018, zero dosage. Golden apple, lemony, with a cool spicy note. I also noticed what reminded me of apple pie crust and it's subtle but added a unique note. Finishes with a delicious lick of chalk.

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• 2014 Marie Courtin Champagne Resonance Extra Brut

  France, Champagne

  Disgorged October 2017, zero dosage and 100% PN. Red berry, nice balance of weight on the palate, with a tangy, minerally core. Finishes with a little bitter and firm structure.

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• 2014 Marie Courtin Champagne Eloquence Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut

  France, Champagne

  Disgorged December 2017, with zero dosage and 100% Chardonnay. This bottle showed as well as the previous one from December. Spot on fantastic. Intense citrus, lemon curd, along with some apple that is buried under the concentration. As it warms and becomes still, a creamy, stony character emerges that for me is the real attraction of the wine. This is on my WOTY list for 2019, and this bottle keeps it squarely there as the best Champagne I have had in 2019.

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• 2012 Savart Champagne Expression Nature

  France, Champagne

  Disgorged January 2017, zero dosage. The aromatics in this bottle show a toasty bread/graham cracker quality. Where this wine continues to showcase so well is the purity of the red berry that comes through the core of the wine, along with a rocky, minerally tone. All the while, it remains in balance. Just a lovely bottle of Champagne--rocky, creamy berry with a perfect pitch of weight.

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• 2012 Morlet Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Joli Coeur

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  This was a gift from a kind friend. A few impressions. First, I like the cherry core of this wine, as it has a nice deep tone to it. It also has a good lift of acidity, and so both of these markers would normally be the kind of CA PN that I buy and drink. On the reverse side, there seems to be a good bit of oak that remains in this wine after this many years in bottle. It produces in the wine a cinnamon quality, as well as a cherry red-hot candy note. Aligned to the candied quality is what seems to be some alcohol that is hidden but felt once I can taste enough of this wine. So, I've got a mixed reaction to this bottle, as I like parts of it, but the riper/wood approach just doesn't fit inside of the way I drink CA PN anymore.

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• 2016 Halter Ranch Ancestor

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles Adelaida District

  Some cedar, fragrant oak and Cab-like aromatic. The palate shows chocolate, iron, cedar, roasted cherry and an exotic quality that reminds me of maple syrup. The finish gives off a nice tobacco leaf quality, along with some grip. This kind of walks the line for me but I take the side of liking it. Give it plenty of air and then enjoy if you open now.

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