1/28/2023 - Sillywizard wrote:

88% 2019 + 12% reserve wines (2018 + 2012)
PnP; initially too cold, but warmed up during the course of the evening.
This wine is extremely simple and one dimensional. Powerful mousse with large bubbles that dissipates quickly (bottle chock?). Very clear, light golden color. At first, only a little grapefruit on the nose, but after 45 minutes of air and a couple more degrees, a little tangerine, cassis and a fleeting whiff of brioche.
Slight grapefruit bitterness and a little tangerine on the palate. Acid is fine, the 8 grams/liter dosage is balanced and not apparent.
Honestly, I would not have guessed this to be a champagne, but a Prosecco, and not a better one at that.

12/11/2022 - Sillywizard Likes this wine:

This wine is just now entering it’s window of full enjoyment.
The oak is integrated, the Viognier takes a backseat and Marsanne-Roussanne come forward.

There’s good, fresh acidity; medium+ to full- body, medium+ long finish. An ever so slight oiliness from the Marsanne, but this is never too much thanks to the other two varietals.

I recommend drinking this between 10 - 12 degrees C, as the wine warms beyond that, the oak begins to dominate in a not so good way.

We drank this to grilled whole white fish, mayonnaise-based sauce, boiled potatoes and haricotsverts and it was a perfect match, never dominating the meal.
It should match equally as well with poultry, pork and veal.

My experience with Tahbilk is that this wine needs approximately 8 years cellaring for it’s components to integrate and that holds true for 2015. No hurry to drink up, this should hopefully hold up five or so more years. Definitely much much better than the 83 points it’s been assigned by others, presumably by people who drank this too young and don’t understand how wines need their time to develop properly.

10/23/2022 - Sillywizard Likes this wine:

Dégorgé 2011
PnP - Apple, apple and more apple! Pours a deep golden yellow with fine mousse. At first I thought this tasted 100% Pinot Meunier because of all the overtones of apple; however, the wine is PN and Chardonnay. Besides the dominance of ripe red apple and calvados, there is distinct underlying malolactic acid.

After a few hours of air the champagne flavours round out and integrate to a delightful mature wine of fuller body with brioche, yellow and red apple; good length and aftertaste. Plenty of years left for cellaring but ready to drink now.