Community Tasting Notes 3

• kostaslonis wrote:

  September 27, 2021 - Philipponnat tasting (Oinoscent): 4hr decant, lot 2015
  The wine is still a bit reductive (2015 being a bad vintage) ripe red cherries, currants, there is a herbal bitterness here.
  In the palate, the wine shows again herbs and some tannins, red cherry, maraschino, nice acidity, herbal bitterness right in the middle of the palate, medium finish
  As tricky as all the Coteaux Champenois I’ve ever had

  Comment

• forceberry wrote: 84 points

  May 14, 2021 - 100% Pinot Noir from the lieu-dit Valofroy, located right next to the legendary Clos des Goisses. After strict selection of the ripe grapes, the grapes are crushed and cold-soaked before the fermentation. After the fermentation the wine is aged for 2 years in 500-liter demi-muids. 12% alcohol.
  
  Luminous, moderately translucent and quite dark ruby red color with youthful, subtly blue highlights. Fresh, crunchy and slightly wild nose with somewhat dark-toned aromas of tart forest fruits, some black raspberries, a little bit of sappy leafy character, light notes of beet root, a sweet hint of wild strawberry and a touch of earth. At times a subtle whiff of green geosmin character seems to rear its head, lending a slightly vegetal note to the wine. The wine is light-to-medium-bodied and surprisingly tough on the palate with somewhat closed and underwhelming flavors of clayey earth, some black cherries, a little bit of leathery funk, light beet root notes, a hint of phenolic spice and a touch of sour cherry bitterness. The medium acidity feels surprisingly soft for a Coteaux Champenois, so the structure relies on the relatively grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish is tough and somewhat clumsy with moderately pronounced tannic grip and medium-long flavors of earth, tart lingonberries, some tart dark berries, a little bit of woody spice, light leathery notes, a hint of brambly black raspberry and a touch of dry, phenolic spice.
  
  I wonder if this wine was just in a dull and closed phase or if it is supposed to be like this. As a whole it seems to be slightly off balance: normally Coteaux Champenois are very high in acidity, but this wine seemed relatively low in acidity for a Pinot Noir; the fruit department feels somewhat closed and understated with more emphasis on spicy and slightly bitter non-fruit flavors; the tannins are quite tough and rustic, not entirely balanced in relation to the fruit; and finally there seems to be a slightly vegetal hint of green geosmin in the nose, which really doesn't benefit the wine one bit. Although I enjoyed the unapologetic tannic grip here, it still seemed to call for more fruit and intensity of taste to balance the tannins out. It's always possible this was an off bottle or the wine was caught in a slump, where the fruit flavors were muted. However, based on how it performed today, I'm not really convinced. Not too pricey for a Coteaux Champenois at 39,95€, but I wouldn't say the wine delivered for the price.

  Comment

• Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 points

  November 24, 2019 - A private dinner (Restaurant Bellevue, Hotel Royal Champagne, Champillon, France): Glossy red fruit.

  Comments (2)

Pro Reviews 1

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2015
• Type Red
• Producer Philipponnat
• Varietal Pinot Noir
• Designation Rouge
• Vineyard Mareuil
• Country France
• Region Champagne
• SubRegion n/a
• Appellation Coteaux Champenois

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 14 (88%)
• Consumed 2 (13%)

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