April 14, 2024 - Extravagant bouquet of bread yeasts, lemon blossoms and perfectly ripe Chardonnay grapes. Delicious flavors of crusty sourdough with a very lengthy aftertaste of ocean water / salinity. Thick mousse with moderately persistent bubbles and a surprisingly long tannic grip. A fantastic bargain; I must buy this again! It's honestly one of the best Champagnes I've ever had.
March 29, 2024 - Lemon from the chard, body and fullness from the PN. Yeast and brioche notes. Believe this is 9g/l dosage so in the upper end of brut. Has a lovely soft mouthfeel and very easy to drink. Fresh despite its 15 years of age. Beautifully rounded but not hugely complex. Great value.
February 24, 2024 - Rich buttery nose. Chalky tangy lemon cake on the palate. Very classic brut vintage champagne. 50/50 Pinot Noir/Chardonnay but drank more like a blanc de blancs to my palate. Great stuff.
February 2, 2024 - Fruit forward but drinking so nicely today. Pastry dough, citrus, nice acidity and lengthy finish.
January 7, 2024 - Probably the best value for a vintage 2008.
By no means amazing but just a solid bottle to drink.
December 31, 2023 - Passion fruit, blood orange, lemon curd, malt, vanilla, pastry cream and toasted pecans on the nose. Good tension between the citrus aromas and the autolytic aromas, with the latter being a bit stronger. Smells overall like a pastry, or something with meringue. On the palate, it's richer and creamier. Flavors of fennel seed, fresh baked sugar cookies and gingerbread are added to the citrus fruits from the nose. Great mix of richness and zest. Finishes with lemon juice, and no bitterness at all.
Medium + body with medium acid and, at this age, a medium - mousse. I really like how this is drinking right now. It will lose the freshness in a couple of years. If you prefer "older" feeling Champagne, you should age it longer.
November 23, 2023 - Celebrating Thanksgiving this year with this spectacular cuvée. Bready and yeasty nose with some briny ocean. A little yeasty on the palate also, with some fruit: tart apple and honeydew edge. Fine mousse, creamy texture. Decent acidity. Full body for Champagne. Lingering finish. Really a wonderful Champagne! *From Grand Cru vineyards - primarily in the Côte des Blancs and Montangne de Reims. *Pommery's claim to fame is that they founded and commercialized the less sweet "brut" style in 1874. *Pommery is currently owned by the Vranken-Pommery Monopole Group in Reims, but their vineyards are owned by LVMH, which owned the Champagne house from 1991 to 2002.
November 9, 2023 - Nose is very sweet and bready. Reminds me of my high school girlfriend’s parents’ basement. Tart, tangy, and gripping upon consumption. It made my tummy rumbly.
May 17, 2023 - Champagne In My Backyard: Served blind. For me a minute, I thought this might be Vilmart, maybe Grand Cellier. It had a fruit driven expression, with oranges and pineapple, and apple, which is kinda what I sense in a year when the fruit gets more opulent for Vilmart. A generous, more forward style and it hit me right.
May 13, 2023 - Blind Champagne at FMIII's: Tasted blind. A bit thin. Middle-of-the-road. Didn't really move me one way or the other.