Vinetasters: Special Clubs

Skokie, IL
Tasted Sunday, June 2, 2019 by acyso with 272 views

Flight 1 (6 Notes)

  • 2012 Salmon Champagne Special Club 90 Points

    France, Champagne

    Served double blind. Fairly rich nose, with some nice pinot elements here. Mildly doughy and bready. The palate is a little prickly, but that seems to come from the vintage than youth. Slightly chalky on the finish as well. Overall, complex with good breadth, but the acidity is certainly high here. Upon revisiting, this seemed to have a slight bit of salinity and green apple as well. Quite nice. My 1st, group's 3rd.

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  • 2012 Joseph Loriot-Pagel Champagne Special Club 90 Points

    France, Champagne

    Served double blind. Some stone fruit elements on the nose here. Not as bready and doughy, with more of the fruit showing through on the palate. Just a very slight bit sweet as well. Almost a slightly tropical thing going on here, but the acidity more prominent than the rest of the palate can sustain. My 2nd, group's 4th.

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  • 2012 Marc Hébrart Champagne Premier Cru Special Club 90 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

    Served double blind. Slightly spicy nose here, with a mildly prickly character that seems to give this a little bitterness. It's not as balanced, and there's an overall sharpness to this wine. There's a moderate mushroom thing going on here as well, so my guess is that this is a blend, as there isn't enough acidity and citrus here for a full-on blanc de blancs, nor is there enough richness for a full-on blanc de noirs. My 3rd, group's 2nd.

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  • 2012 Duménil Champagne Premier Cru Special Club 88 Points

    France, Champagne

    Served double blind. A mild almond note on the nose. More high toned, but also some fairly sharp citrus character that makes me think this is a blanc de blancs. Lacking overall richness and depth; this is driven by acidity through and through. Upon retasting though, I don't think it had as much of a chardonnay cut -- there was a little bit more fatness and the citrus seemed more attenuated. My 4th, group's 6th.

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  • 2012 Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Champagne Grand Cru Special Club Oger 85 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    Served double blind. The fruit on the nose is a little underripe here, and there are some vestiges of greenness. The palate here is a little more dilute and muted, with a hint of lime. Fairly thin, with the green notes becoming more prominent on repeated tastes. My 6th, group's 5th.

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  • 2012 A. Margaine Champagne Blanc de Blancs Special Club 88 Points

    France, Champagne

    Served double blind. The nose here has a bit of a bready character, as well as a little bit of smoke and some dough. In total, the profile is fairly strange. The palate has a hint of sweetness, and there's some bready qualities on the palate as well. The complexity is a little lacking here as well, but the sweetness gives this a little more balance overall. Overall the relative leanness and citrus had me going to chardonnay. My 5th, group's 1st.

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Flight 2 (6 Notes)

  • 2000 Gaston Chiquet Champagne Special Club Brut 90 Points

    France, Champagne

    Served double blind. There's a little bit of coconut on the nose here. This is clearly something with some serious age on it. Biscuity, sweet, and fairly complex. There's some brown elements on the back end as well, with some spice, nuts, and sweet biscuity flavours. I do wish that this had a little more breadth on the palate, but it is a fantastic wine nonetheless, and fully resolved for drinking now. My 5th, group's 4th.

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  • 2004 Gaston Chiquet Champagne Special Club Brut 93 Points

    France, Champagne

    Served double blind. Definitely in a similar vein to the previous wine, this has a nice biscuity element here that is very pleasant. Rich and complex, with some really bright acidity. The palate's texture is a little more full and rounded, and the biscuity elements are less overt on the palate than on the nose. Very tasty stuff. Fully mature for my palate. My 3rd, group's 3rd.

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  • 2008 Gaston Chiquet Champagne Special Club Brut 93 Points

    France, Champagne

    Served double blind. A very slight lactic thing going on with the nose on this wine, which seems a little odd overall. The palate is much brighter than the first two wines, and the acidity is more prominent as well. Likely the youngest of the lineup, but there's a really compelling chewiness to this wine. Good balance between development and youth here for my palate. My 4th, group's 2nd.

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  • 2002 Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Special Club 93 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    Served double blind. Slightly dumb nose, though there are some green apple gummy candy elements here. The palate has a fantastic richness, but there's also a bit of funk here that I think detracts from an overall fantastic wine. Very nicely balanced, with some green spices (cardamom?) that add further complexity. My 1st, group's 5th.

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  • 2005 Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Special Club 93 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    Served double blind. Again here, the nose comes across as a little bit dumb, but the palate again has a lushness and richness that is very enjoyable. Clearly a wine with a moderate amount of age on it, but plenty of complexity nonetheless. I like the malic quality that helps to balance out the overall heft here. My 2nd, group's 1st.

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  • 2005 Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Spécial Club Rosé 88 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    Served double blind. Really odd nose, with this dried coconut thing that's slightly off-putting. Slightly earthy and funky on the nose, and even more so on the palate. This definitely tastes like one of those slightly poopy old red Burgundies, which is a flavour profile that doesn't really belong in champagne, at least to my tastes. Incredibly umami and rich, I can only guess that this has some signficant age on it. My 6th, group's 6th.

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