Firm and crisp with lots of acidity. The palate had the biscuity tone to it that I love. Despite the bready notes, the palate wasn't overly big/powerful but seemed to float across the palate. Really nice, and it'll improve too.

Clayton brought up a good point, "tonight this is my least favorite champagne, but in 10 years it'll be a lot better". On this night, this was lean and hard but I liked its edgy citrus notes a lot. Pretty one dimensional, what I did taste was very good. I agree with Clayton, though...hold for better results.

I think this was my favorite champagne on this evening. Had really beautifully layered fruits...citrus, pear, apple, peach...delish.

A bit of a letdown when I think of the heights this has reached in the past. Definitely had some banana yogurt tones on the nose...very tropical and creamy. The palate wasn't as exotic as the nose and kinda reminded me of mushy cranberries, and raspberries. The acidity was a bit flat...just disappointing.

Wow did I love this wine. Smokey, citrusy, powerful, and saline-driven this was the real deal. I wish I could have taken a bath in this....speaking of which, anyone know if it comes in an 18L? That would fill up a bathtub, right?

From magnum. Beautiful from start to finish. Izzy gave the magnum a shake and I think it really helped liven the wine up. The nose was gorgeous with loads of peaches, smokey mangos, and lychee. Fresh, pure, stately. I was surprised how accessible this was already.

I've always had trouble with Hermitage Blancs. This was super dense and a bit sticky and had a bit too much banana and ripe mango/peach for my tastes. Wish it had more acidity.

Seemed a bit faded. I think Salil described it nicely...some caramel, some dusty red fruits, and a hint of tobacco. I liked the nose more than the palate.

Dark and spicy nose. Really liked the soft touch of oak on the nose that seemed to augment the dark fruits, damp earth and floral notes. Palate was great - acidity was in balance, and this was completely gulpable. So delicious.

Served blind. I guessed this was an older Ridge zinfandel, but others at the table guessed Heitz Martha's. The nose did have some distinct minty notes (which should have been a giveaway) wrapped around darker fruits. The palate was monumental with layers of cassis, earth, dried florals, and some smokey notes too. This was a bit more profound than the bottle I tried about a year ago. Just gorgeous!

off bottle. maybe some heat damage?

Really glad Clayton brought this back from his trop to Valtellina. The nose was gorgeous! Soft floral notes, airy fruity notes, and some damp earth. The palate wasn't as elegant as the nose and had a real crispness to it with biting acidity. More of a cranberry profile to the palate. Really beautiful bottle.

Super masculine and powerful. The warmth and power of the 1997 vintage really shines through. The fruit is super ripe and juicy...lots of cherries/raspberries/cranberries just bouncing all over the place. Under the red fruits there's a subtle tobacco and earth note that is the perfect compliment to the more forward fruity tones. Great length and complexity. Should age nicely for a while.

An interesting wine that had a lot of power, but was very young. Lots of smokey earth, dark berries, some tobacco, and dark cherry. A beautiful wine that has a lot of potential.

Last time I tried this was back in 2010, and this bottle was better. This was from a 3L, and it had a beautiful floral note to the nose with some of La Chapelle's darker, meatier notes too. The palate was still young, but showed really dark cherries, and some smokey/tobacco/earthy notes. I think we only made it through have the Jero...

Another really nice bottle. Lots of dark sweetness, some metallic notes, and plums. The palate was sweet but had great balance and acidity. Kept it fresh and perky.

Yeasty, bready, and firm. I don't think I've drank many 2007 champagnes at this point, but this had great structure, layered citrus and bready notes, and florals. Delicious.