Super fun wine of outstanding quality, especially at this price point. A very nice richness here, with a hint of sweetness and a fair bit of sweet fruit. There's some juicy qualities here, and while I'll grant it's not the most complex wine, this is one with an incredibly pleasant demeanor.
Overall, quite dry, with lots of chalk and mineral qualities, but still some pleasant fruit elements, mostly with a bit of juicy white fruit. A touch hollow on the midpalate, this doesn't have the body for the structure. The finish stands out thanks to a chalky texture.
Quite pleasant, and more importantly, very clean. No funk here -- served blind, I wouldn't immediately go to pet nat. A pleasant set of pear aromas, with a nice fruity roundedness on the nose. The same on the palate, with a pleasant lightness. Goes down easy.
A second bottle wasn't corked. Nice mineral and savory notes, with the fruit being not too generous here. There's a slight bit of cranberry on the nose, and the palate is quite austere. Nice fresh mineral cut here, without any funk.
Clearly of a natty persuasion, kind of like carbonic but with carbon dioxide. There's something very pleasant here, despite the slight mousiness on the nose. Just kind of like happy fizzy pink/red juice (love the colour in this). I could see myself drinking this, even though this is out there.
Very nice showing of this bottle. A hint of browned apple on the nose, and some nuttiness on the palate -- perhaps a touch more oxidative than this wine ought to be? Not complex, but all the right components are here (even if not at large scale) -- citrus and apples, minerality and acid...
Can't get past the nose here. Sulphur, rotten eggs, burnt tires, skunk, diacetyl, farts. The palate's much nicer, but the nose I'll leave to someone else.
Been a while since I crossed paths with one of these. Still love it though -- there's that nutty, browned apple quality that you get from solera champagne, and coupled with great citrus acidity and intense minerality makes for a really solid champagne.
Despite the leaner wine making here, there's some lovely creaminess from ripe chardonnay on the nose and palate here. This also has a fairly intense biscuity/autolytic character that's quite nice. The sweetness on the palate seems to indicate a slightly heavier dosage, but I actually quite enjoy it.
This has a chardonnay-heavy nose, fairly similar to the Moncuit, with the white fruit characteristics, and a slight hint of autolysis as well. The palate is quite different -- this is a far leaner wine, with a focus on the acidity and minerality. There's fruit, but it seems lean and taut.
I keep bashing my head against the same wall trying to see what others do in these wines. Vegetal, celery, cigarette ash, and almost a little astringent. Thin and emaciated, this just doesn't taste good.
This is really nice, made in that lean style, but with actual body. Great citrus-inflected acidity and lots of minerally tension here, with a slight drying sensation on the finish. There's a light herbal tone here that adds interest, and the fruit is here, although it feels a little underripe. Nevertheless a very pleasant champagne, and well done in the style.
Most recent release, which I was told was the 2015 base. Very nice -- I think the vintage will be really good to champagne, and we're going to see some really pleasant wines. This is broader and weightier than some other examples, with a slight creaminess that I think adds to the complexity here. The riper fruit is balanced by some nice minerality as well.
A fairly rare champagne, I'm told, and this was probably one of the first bottles to be opened in Chicago. There are some nice cherry elements on the nose, as well as a touch of smoke, but on the palate, there's far too much herbaceous astringency for outright enjoyment. Feels green and stemmy and tastes bitter. Mind you, there are some good elements on the palate, but they are obscured by the harshness. Not entirely sure what's going on here...
2016 Casa de Saima Bairrada Reserva Bruto 90 Points
Portugal, Beiras, Bairrada
Super fun wine of outstanding quality, especially at this price point. A very nice richness here, with a hint of sweetness and a fair bit of sweet fruit. There's some juicy qualities here, and while I'll grant it's not the most complex wine, this is one with an incredibly pleasant demeanor.
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NV Charles Bove Brut 85 Points
France, Loire Valley, Vin de Pays du Loir-et-Cher
Overall, quite dry, with lots of chalk and mineral qualities, but still some pleasant fruit elements, mostly with a bit of juicy white fruit. A touch hollow on the midpalate, this doesn't have the body for the structure. The finish stands out thanks to a chalky texture.
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NV Domaine du Facteur Vouvray Pétillant 'La Bulle du Facteur' Petillant Naturel 88 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray Pétillant
Quite pleasant, and more importantly, very clean. No funk here -- served blind, I wouldn't immediately go to pet nat. A pleasant set of pear aromas, with a nice fruity roundedness on the nose. The same on the palate, with a pleasant lightness. Goes down easy.
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NV Tissot (Bénédicte et Stéphane / André et Mireille) Crémant du Jura Rosé Flawed
France, Jura, Crémant du Jura
Corked.
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NV Tissot (Bénédicte et Stéphane / André et Mireille) Crémant du Jura Rosé 88 Points
France, Jura, Crémant du Jura
A second bottle wasn't corked. Nice mineral and savory notes, with the fruit being not too generous here. There's a slight bit of cranberry on the nose, and the palate is quite austere. Nice fresh mineral cut here, without any funk.
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2017 Meinklang Pinot Noir Frizzante Rosé 85 Points
Austria, Burgenland
Clearly of a natty persuasion, kind of like carbonic but with carbon dioxide. There's something very pleasant here, despite the slight mousiness on the nose. Just kind of like happy fizzy pink/red juice (love the colour in this). I could see myself drinking this, even though this is out there.
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NV Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Cuvée Sainte Anne 90 Points
France, Champagne
Very nice showing of this bottle. A hint of browned apple on the nose, and some nuttiness on the palate -- perhaps a touch more oxidative than this wine ought to be? Not complex, but all the right components are here (even if not at large scale) -- citrus and apples, minerality and acid...
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NV Vincent Couche Champagne Désir Rosé 80 Points
France, Champagne
Can't get past the nose here. Sulphur, rotten eggs, burnt tires, skunk, diacetyl, farts. The palate's much nicer, but the nose I'll leave to someone else.
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NV Roger Pouillon et Fils Champagne Premier Cru Brut Soléra 93 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
Been a while since I crossed paths with one of these. Still love it though -- there's that nutty, browned apple quality that you get from solera champagne, and coupled with great citrus acidity and intense minerality makes for a really solid champagne.
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NV Pierre Moncuit Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Pierre Moncuit-Delos Blanc de Blancs Brut 90 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Despite the leaner wine making here, there's some lovely creaminess from ripe chardonnay on the nose and palate here. This also has a fairly intense biscuity/autolytic character that's quite nice. The sweetness on the palate seems to indicate a slightly heavier dosage, but I actually quite enjoy it.
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NV J-M Seleque Champagne Solessence Extra Brut 88 Points
France, Champagne
This has a chardonnay-heavy nose, fairly similar to the Moncuit, with the white fruit characteristics, and a slight hint of autolysis as well. The palate is quite different -- this is a far leaner wine, with a focus on the acidity and minerality. There's fruit, but it seems lean and taut.
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NV Georges Laval Champagne Extra Brut Garennes 83 Points
France, Champagne
I keep bashing my head against the same wall trying to see what others do in these wines. Vegetal, celery, cigarette ash, and almost a little astringent. Thin and emaciated, this just doesn't taste good.
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NV Champagne Suenen Champagne Grand Cru Oiry Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 90 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
This is really nice, made in that lean style, but with actual body. Great citrus-inflected acidity and lots of minerally tension here, with a slight drying sensation on the finish. There's a light herbal tone here that adds interest, and the fruit is here, although it feels a little underripe. Nevertheless a very pleasant champagne, and well done in the style.
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NV Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Cuvée de Réserve 90 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Most recent release, which I was told was the 2015 base. Very nice -- I think the vintage will be really good to champagne, and we're going to see some really pleasant wines. This is broader and weightier than some other examples, with a slight creaminess that I think adds to the complexity here. The riper fruit is balanced by some nice minerality as well.
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2015 Barrat-Masson Champagne La Grande Homée 83 Points
France, Champagne
A fairly rare champagne, I'm told, and this was probably one of the first bottles to be opened in Chicago. There are some nice cherry elements on the nose, as well as a touch of smoke, but on the palate, there's far too much herbaceous astringency for outright enjoyment. Feels green and stemmy and tastes bitter. Mind you, there are some good elements on the palate, but they are obscured by the harshness. Not entirely sure what's going on here...
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