Shows lots of dosage and really, the sweetness is the dominating factor on the palate here. A hair more nutty and sherried than I would truly love, with some baked apple notes on the palate. Comes off like a high-acid, slightly-sweet amontillado. Not much discernible effervescence anymore.
Not as good as I remembered from my previous bottle. Very sappy and soft, and missing some density on the midpalate, though that did pick up with air. Lacks the complexity of a great Champagne; this is more a feat of aging than anything -- 50 years on the lees might do that. Preternaturally fresh.
16-10-18/R15. From magnum. A bit too lean and green apple-y, missing the palate presence and weight for my palate, but refreshing, bright, and plenty of enjoyable acidity.
Along with a few moments of the 1969 Cristal, this was my favourite of the old Champagnes this afternoon. It's like a CdC but with 2-3x more dosage than nowadays. There's something very old-school about this -- over a half century too late, but this comes across as the style of Champagne that Jay Gatsby would drink, in that opulent, baroque style. Despite the intense sweetness (this was probably sweeter on the palate than the 1935 Filhot), the minerality and cut gives this wine great balance.
Seems like this fell off a bit with air, but there were a few early moments where this was absolutely splendid. More of a caramel complexion here, with again plenty of old-school Baroque sweetness. There's a slightly mushroomy note as well, which kind of adds interest but also muddies the otherwise clean, sweet fruit.
I've always kind of liked the Pehu Simonet wines -- there's something about them that actually resonates with my palate. This one comes off a little doughy and doesn't quite have the fruit to balance it out; instead, it's a mix of yeast and some leaner white fruit. Interesting, to be sure, but not sure I'd care for more than a glass of this.
Good stuff; have never been a massive fan of Bouchard (not least because the labels are dumb AF), but I enjoyed how this was showing. Steely, chalky, and intense, with a delicate floral tone overlaid on top of some white fruit.
2020 base. Lean, mineral, and pulled very taut. High acidity, with a palate that seems to be missing a bit of overall complexity. Nonetheless, crisp, fresh, and clean -- kind of like a mineral water style of Champagne in its refreshing quality.
I've never really been impressed by most 2006 blanc de blancs; this is solid but not an outstanding Ruinart like the 2002. Shows a bit sweeter and is missing some structural cut. A bit of a white grape thing going on here too. Like so many 2006s, I would prefer the 2007 edition.
Chateau Diana. Wild stuff. The closest analogue is probably a tawny port. Lots of maple here, along with a profile that is actually quite evocative of a figgy pudding. A touch of peppercorn-based spiciness, like there was some zinfandel in this. Fairly sweet.
Surely this has got to be a late release, given how pristine the colour is. I've seen plenty of 20-30 year old Sauternes far darker. The nose shows a bit of volatility with air, but the apricot and marmalade are all there in spades. Not too sweet; I imagine most of the sugar has caramelized over the years. Kind of like drinking a richer version of a white Bordeaux. Very impressive for its age.
1966 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Flawed
France, Champagne
Oxidized.
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1973 G. H. Mumm & Cie Champagne René Lalou 90 Points
France, Champagne
Shows lots of dosage and really, the sweetness is the dominating factor on the palate here. A hair more nutty and sherried than I would truly love, with some baked apple notes on the palate. Comes off like a high-acid, slightly-sweet amontillado. Not much discernible effervescence anymore.
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1971 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Hors-Série 93 Points
France, Champagne
Not as good as I remembered from my previous bottle. Very sappy and soft, and missing some density on the midpalate, though that did pick up with air. Lacks the complexity of a great Champagne; this is more a feat of aging than anything -- 50 years on the lees might do that. Preternaturally fresh.
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NV Vouette et Sorbée Champagne Fidèle 88 Points
France, Champagne
16-10-18/R15. From magnum. A bit too lean and green apple-y, missing the palate presence and weight for my palate, but refreshing, bright, and plenty of enjoyable acidity.
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1976 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 93 Points
France, Champagne
Along with a few moments of the 1969 Cristal, this was my favourite of the old Champagnes this afternoon. It's like a CdC but with 2-3x more dosage than nowadays. There's something very old-school about this -- over a half century too late, but this comes across as the style of Champagne that Jay Gatsby would drink, in that opulent, baroque style. Despite the intense sweetness (this was probably sweeter on the palate than the 1935 Filhot), the minerality and cut gives this wine great balance.
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1969 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut 93 Points
France, Champagne
Seems like this fell off a bit with air, but there were a few early moments where this was absolutely splendid. More of a caramel complexion here, with again plenty of old-school Baroque sweetness. There's a slightly mushroomy note as well, which kind of adds interest but also muddies the otherwise clean, sweet fruit.
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NV Pehu Simonet Champagne Grand Cru Fins Lieux No 2 Verzenay 90 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
I've always kind of liked the Pehu Simonet wines -- there's something about them that actually resonates with my palate. This one comes off a little doughy and doesn't quite have the fruit to balance it out; instead, it's a mix of yeast and some leaner white fruit. Interesting, to be sure, but not sure I'd care for more than a glass of this.
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2015 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Blancs La Bolorée 93 Points
France, Champagne
Good stuff; have never been a massive fan of Bouchard (not least because the labels are dumb AF), but I enjoyed how this was showing. Steely, chalky, and intense, with a delicate floral tone overlaid on top of some white fruit.
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NV Domaine de Bichery Champagne La Source Brut Nature 88 Points
France, Champagne
2020 base. Lean, mineral, and pulled very taut. High acidity, with a palate that seems to be missing a bit of overall complexity. Nonetheless, crisp, fresh, and clean -- kind of like a mineral water style of Champagne in its refreshing quality.
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2006 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 90 Points
France, Champagne
I've never really been impressed by most 2006 blanc de blancs; this is solid but not an outstanding Ruinart like the 2002. Shows a bit sweeter and is missing some structural cut. A bit of a white grape thing going on here too. Like so many 2006s, I would prefer the 2007 edition.
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1971 G. H. Mumm & Cie Champagne Cordon Rouge Brut
France, Champagne
More tired than drinkable for my palate; a bottle that recalls Sceleritas Fel's appearance after the incident with the bard.
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1965 Trader Joe's Tinta Madeira Port 88 Points
USA, California
Chateau Diana. Wild stuff. The closest analogue is probably a tawny port. Lots of maple here, along with a profile that is actually quite evocative of a figgy pudding. A touch of peppercorn-based spiciness, like there was some zinfandel in this. Fairly sweet.
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1935 Château Filhot 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Surely this has got to be a late release, given how pristine the colour is. I've seen plenty of 20-30 year old Sauternes far darker. The nose shows a bit of volatility with air, but the apricot and marmalade are all there in spades. Not too sweet; I imagine most of the sugar has caramelized over the years. Kind of like drinking a richer version of a white Bordeaux. Very impressive for its age.
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