Champagne night at Wenzhou Mansion
Tasted Tuesday, March 31, 2026 by melvinyeowq with 62 views
Introduction
Hosted a visiting champagne fan which turned up an excellent line-up. Didn't do blind because of the number of people present which allowed me to sequence the wines so unsurprisingly the last three of Bouchard VV, Chartogne-Taillet Les Barres and Calsac Revenants turned out to be my favourites. My other favourites were the Henin and the Vincey.
NV Jean Louis Malard Champagne Excellence Blanc de Blancs Brut 88 Points
France, Champagne
Reductive and simple, sweet yellow fruit on the palate. Nothing much of interest here.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
NV Pierre Moncuit Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Pierre Moncuit-Delos Blanc de Blancs Brut 91 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
More well-rounded citrus fruit and attractive than the Malard alongside with good weight. Punched above its level.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2021 Domaine Vincey Champagne Grand Cru Auge 92 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Brought for a friend. 2433 bottles made, 100% Chardonnay. Zero dosage, disgorged May 2025. Surprisingly red-fruited for a BdB with some apple cider notes but retaining tension. Still reserved today but plenty of potential, developed some attractive cinnamon spice with air that I often find with this producer.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2020 Emilien Feneuil Champagne Le Caqueray Flawed
France, Champagne
Brought for a friend. 100% Chardonnay. Zero dosage, disgorged 23 May 2023. Similar to the '20 Pinot Noir, this was very natty with distinct mousey barley notes. The '19 Meunier was the only clean bottle that I tried.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
NV Eric Rodez Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée des Grands Vintages 93 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Lot 01/23. Unlike previous Rodez I could actually tell the Krug influence here. Clean, pure citrus fruit with rich and toasty undertones. Terrific acidity and chalky, fine mousse that gave this a superb energy.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2018 Nicolas Maillart Champagne Premier Cru Franc de Pied Les Coupés 90 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
100% Pinot Noir from ungrafted wines. Zero dosage, disgorged Jun 2022. Rounder, more bready and oxidative style of champagne that was heavy and rich so not my preferred style despite having good acidity.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2016 Waris-Hubert Champagne Grand Cru Annexä l'Hôte d'Aÿ' Grand Cru 91 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
100% Pinot Noir from a producer more well-known for Chardonnay. 4.5g/l dosage, disgorged Nov 2023. Good crisp fruit that was more Chardonnay-like with a good lift, but the higher dosage was obvious compared to the other lower-dosage producers.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2020 Marguet Champagne Grand Cru La Grande Ruelle 89 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
100% Pinot Noir. Zero dosage, disgorged 19 Feb 2025. Another Marguet that was too oxidative with overt oak influence and felt older than its age because of the lack of acidity. Too inconsistent for my liking despite having some terrific bottles before.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2019 Pascal Henin Champagne Grand Cru Blanc Comme Neige Extra Brut 92 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
My contribution. Decided to serve this with the Pinots because of its rounder nature and I knew that it needed time from previous experience. Robust and weighty for a Chardonnay but still well-balanced and attractive. Give this producer plenty of air.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
NV Rémy Lequeux-Mercier Champagne G4.2 90 Points
France, Champagne
80% 2012 base with 20% reserve wines. 65% Meunier and 35% Pinot Noir. 3g/l dosage, disgorged Nov 2024. Slightly muted at first but developed a creamier texture when warmer. Good entry-level champagne.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2019 Déhu Père & Fils Champagne Cuvée La Rue des Noyers Extra Brut 89 Points
France, Champagne
100% Meunier. Zero dosage, disgorged 18 Mar 2024. Slightly austere with a slightly distracting pepper note. High acidity combined with the tropical nature of Meunier fruit didn't do it for me. Really don't understand this producer unfortunately.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
NV Henri Giraud Champagne Grand Cru Brut MV19 Aÿ 91 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Clearly the outlier tonight with a richer, full-bodied house style but not as overtly heavy or oxidative as I usually find of this producer. Very pleasurable and a useful reference point - better than the ho-hum growers but lacking the character of the top growers that followed.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
NV Étienne Calsac Champagne Les Revenants 93 Points
France, Champagne
Blend of Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier and Arbane. Disgorged April 2025 so I presume 2022 base. After the austere '21 base last month this was a return to form for one of my favourite cuvees. Open-knit white, floral orchard fruit with superb lift. Plenty of character from the lesser-known grapes.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
2020 Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Les Barres 94 Points
France, Champagne
100% Meunier. 1g/l dosage, disgorged April 2025. Wow this was on fire today compared to the more muted '19 a couple of weeks ago. Rich citrus fruit but so textural and saline at the same time with just the right amount of oxidative notes. Always love this producer and WOTN for me.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
2022 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne VV/R22 94 Points
France, Champagne
Surprisingly open. Clean and precise, with excellent lift and the same saline notes as the Chartogne before it. Delicate with barely any bubbles so very much like a still wine with zen-like composure. Always a pleasure to drink and a great reminder of why I backed up the truck when this was still S$90. My second favourite of the night.
Post a Comment / 4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No