May 19, 2015 - If you like the regular cuvée then this takes it to the next level. Dry and measured with a subtle zest, it competes well with entry level French counterparts.
May 9, 2015 - Glistening mid gold colour. Intense bouquet of Rainier cherry, honey, caramel, citrus, and yoghurt. Rich but fresh palate of lemon and other citrus, white peach, some butterscotch, pale red cherry. Improved from twelve months prior.
August 15, 2014 - Casual badly flawed wine offline: Same source as first bottle. Again, not right.
August 15, 2014 - Casual badly flawed wine offline: Very dull. Probably some storage issues.
November 30, 2013 - The Twelveth Annual Stonefields Dinner (Guelph, ON): I really liked this but you better like things in the super rich and very oaky style. Nose blasts massive amounts of caramel, salted toffee and butterscotch. Repeats similarly on the palate with abundant richness, and a distinct coffee note, but with a great backbone of acid as well. Finish is quite long.
November 30, 2013 - The Twelfth Annual Stonefields Dinner (Guelph, ON, Canada): This was a big step up from the Chandon Australia….
Powerful nose of lemon, caramel, toffee and obvious autolytic notes. The palate is very smooth and creamy…wow, this is great. Flavours o lemon, lime, biscuit, minerals and orchard fruit transition to a medium+ finish that complex and balanced. Great showing.
March 29, 2013 - Not as good as the 2005 vintage I had. Pleasant and drinkable but lacks complexity. Maybe a few more years in the cellar will help. Citrus with some yeast notes. Clean and drinkable but nothing more special than various non vintage australian sparlkings available.
September 24, 2012 - Negociants 2012 ICON Tasting (Zed451, Chicago IL): nose: straight forward nose of citrus, white fruits, and pear tones. Not too much depth to this as it's more surface tones.
taste: lighter bodied with tones of lemon peels, pears, and white fruits. Nice medium acidity, but again, lacking depth to it.
overall: this is exactly what I would call an inoffensive bubbly. It's not meant in a bad way at all as it's very easy drinking, but it lacks real depth on both the nose and palate. Still, it's a nice and refreshing (if forgettable) bubbly