Soft elegant mousse. Clean red fruit builds to complex layers of eucalyptus and anise with citrus in the backdrop. Licorice coats the palate on a long savory finish.
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Certainly this has opened. It’s gained steam. Almost a bridge toooo far with the toasty, rich, opulence. Elegant but monolithic. Almost Selosse like richness that is over taking it and persistence on the finish. The Noirs have been a bit more of wild card in terms of drinking window. The 2014 which i thought was even more reserved than this is hitting its stride but this may have fallen out of balance a bit at least for me. Probably a couple of years ago this would have been perfect for me
I’d drink up (and in a burgundy glass at that)
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Opened as a replacement for a corked bottle of champagne, this showed great. A bit more advanced than my last bottle with some nice toast notes and a bit of nuttiness but still plenty of bright citrus and red fruits with great acidity and a long finish. UM rarely disappoints.
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Enjoyed the magnum at birthday lunch for better half. One of the better ultramarines I’ve had (and I’ve liked them all and thought many were special). This is showing a broader fruit profile and the beginnings of age on the finish. My guess is that the extra year + on the lees is part of what takes this up a notch from an already-very-high level.
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Anyone else have a corked ‘13 BdN? Having had nearly a dozen Ultramarines to date, this was the first corked bottle. Super disappointing way to start Christmas morning. What can you do.
There was an issue with the cork, which was almost silent upon opening, and this was a half step above flat. Think vintage Champagne from the 70's or 80's. It's a shame because the palate retained the flamboyant richness and wild, almost Muscat-like, flavors that I always associate with Ultramarine. There's a good dose of creamy vanilla, but it doesn't seem out of place here. Even under the circumstances, these are still fun wines to drink.
To its credit, I still enjoyed a wine that was technically flawed.
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Popped and poured. This is light gold with a fine bead. On the nose, I get pear, bread, and fresh apples. In the mouth, the wine is mildly sweet, but stil has good focus and structure. The finish has plenty of zip and carries the apple notes on for a while. Overall, this is very well done and enjoyable. It is an exemplary CA sparkling wine. 92 points.
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Pop and pour. In the glass, light-medium gold, with very fine bubbles. On the nose, fresh cut green apples and almond pastry. On the palate, loads of green apple, with seawater, lemon, and hazelnuts in the background. If you're looking at this wine to fill the role of a traditional brut, you're going to be disappointed - but if you're looking for a fruit-forward and less dry sparkling wine with a character of its own, particularly as an assertive partner for food, this is for you.
Opened for my wonderful wife and mother of our kids. A little sweet with green Jolly Rancher. This simply tasted too young to me. I have one other bottle and will hold this for several more years. Enjoyable, but think this has a lot of upside ahead.
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This is the best Ultramarine I have had. Served at a wine tasting and universally liked. Great balance, fruit, and many guessed Champagne served blind.
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Medium golden yellow and lovely tiny bubbles. Layered nose with notes of brioche, chalk, citrus, green apples, creamy and a touch floral. Moderate acidity (6.5/10) and medium plus bodied. Rich palate and smoother than the prior tasting. Very creamy throughout with layers of lemon curd, custard and yeast. Long and lingering finish. Drink 2026.
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It has been over a year since I last had this wine. Much less funky and yeasty than I remember (thankfully), with the sea foam and saline notes orchestrating much more seamlessly with the rock and wood/earth elements; the poached pear, red apple skin, and bruised lemon rind core is elevated by the peripheral sea and land notes rather than being drawn away and distracted by them (as I noticed occurring on the previous bottle a year ago). Some time in bottle seems to have done this well. The finish is especially nice; long and salty.
Served side by side with a 2012 Laherte Champagne, which was similar in profile, but with the Laherte coming off a little more serious and focused overall compared to the Ultramarine. The Laherte offered a few extra layers of complexity, even though the Ultramarine seemed a little more advanced age-wise in its development. The funk of the Ultramarine was heightened when sampled next to the more chiseled Laherte.
Drink the Ultramarine now and over the next 3-5 years.
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PnP. As others noted, there's residual sweetness here, and to my palate not enough acidity to cut it. Smooth mousse with a long finish. Maybe the BdN just isn't my style but I think it's a 90 a best.
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Med yellow color. Concentrated fruit on the nose and palate that leans closer to Extra Dry than Brut. Not a flaw, just not my favorite thing. What did stand out was texture: superfine effervescence and cashmere-creamy on the tongue.
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Clear light red. Fresh floral nose, spice, yeast,cinnamon, and vanilla. Very nice yeast apple skin flavours. Seems quite dry but in reality it is a bit richer then but .Chsmpagne
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First thing - I really like the Ultramarine wines. I have also enjoyed this specific wine in the past.
OK, with that out of the way, this bottle was weird. On first sip, it was decidedly sweet. I have been so conditioned to the resolute dryness of Ultramarine wines, that it was quite jarring. Once I got used to it, the sweetness did not bother me nearly so much, and the other folks at the table did not notice it at all, even when I brought it up. Ultimately the wine was a seamless match with some palak chaat and lasooni gobi, so it was all good, but definitely not a typical showing for this wine.
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Served at closer to cellar temp than chilled. Such an interesting bouquet on the nose of red apple and pear, hints of red berry fruit, some floral notes. Very fresh and different. Similar flavors on the palate with orchard fruits, citrus and good acidity and a delicate mousse on the mouthfeel. Really impressive and so interesting.
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Checking in ahead of the upcoming release another enjoyable showing lots of baked apple, spice with hint of red berries, really elegant mousse and medium plus acidity generates a really fresh and persistent experience.
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One of the most shocking wines that I had this year so far. Definitely not champagne, but this wine is not inferior to any champagne in any sense. Great palate that is just like a white wine, but with distinct BdN profiles.
Wow, this is a stunner.
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Dark, honeyed-rich yellow color. Very lively. Has broadened some since my last bottle. There are apple notes and a bready element as it opens. There's an appealing richness and really energetic acidity and lift. Young. Wish i could leave my hands off those for a few years, but they come in, and I just get to drinking.
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Apple, cherry and orange fruit tones are layered atop a fresh, invigorating base. It’s an energetic wine that is easy to sip, and has plenty of depth to stand with a meal. It drinks very well now. Very satisfying.
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ripe aromas of berry fruit and apricot. creamy and a bit forward. I'd say it took 30min - 1hr to strike a balance. A handful of tastings of the 2012 and 2013 wines continues to suggest that the '13s are wines for now, and '12s are for later.
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Golden yellow and lovely tiny bubbles. Layered nose with notes of brioche, chalk, citrus, green apples, a little creamy and a touch floral. Moderate acidity (6.5/10) and medium to medium plus bodied. Rich palate with creamy elements of lemon curd, and yeast. A touch sweet as well. Looking forward to trying this with a few more years in the bottle. Long and lingering finish. Drink 2026.
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Solid. Gala apple notes, notes of yeasty toast. With air it gets a slightly salty and savory almost caramel notes to go with blood orange. Both those last ones were more pronounced in the Rose bottling. Last glass was the best 12 hours after opening. Brisk acid. Very good, but not the gregarious offering that was the Rose though a half step more complex than the 2012.
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On the nose we got apples, floral notes, elderflower, biscuit, and unripened strawberries.
On the palate we found medium acid and biscuity richness. We were struck by the lack of bitter mineral notes we're accustomed to getting with sparklers.
The finish is lush and rich. Thoroughly enjoyed and enjoyable. Glad we got another in the cellar because it makes me smile. This has a nice long life ahead of it, and only wish I could have stockpiled more.
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Golden hue. Flowery nose, slight sultana. Lots of peach, apricot on the palate. A very Gewurztraminer-like character, as has been mentioned in other notes. Have to admit, it’s not a style I’m fond of. Open to re-evaluate.
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My first UM...starts off with a intriguing floral, lychee ala Gewurtz, red apple skin, cherry nose...and also a faint liqueur, like from a dosage, but this is zero dos? Creamy and quite rich in the mouth, but with fresh citrus acid...crisp ginger ale, sour apple. Lot of delicate red fruit character, with a super creamy ginger, lemon/apricot chiffon mousse. The texture is more to the fleshy side, yet has an elegance to it. Love the florals and spices, and the interesting flavors and textures you don't find in Champagne. I think it's a tremendous drink!
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Opened this early to see what the fuzz is about (my first Ultramarine). Baked apples, peach, and meyer lemon notes on the nose. Creamy texture with more apple and sweet fruit notes on the palate. Overall, I was a bit surprised by the amount of sweetness, I expected this to be drier. Good finish. Will be interesting in a couple of years. So far, I’m not super impressed, but will buy again to see how this evolves over time. Nevertheless a good wine!
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Livermore AVA + Wente Dinner with a ton of other wines: Baked pear, apple pie crust, fried plantain, brioche, sea foam, and gray slate notes. A little ripe and heavy mid-palate, with a more voluptuous mouthfeel overall; somewhat funky on the finish, carrying additional notes of bread dough and ripe banana. There was enough cut and effervescence here to provide lift to the core fruit, and a saline note also added interest.
I’m more than fine declaring that I liked it, yet, there was indeed a “but” with this wine... It was interesting, unique, and I’d hope to think crafted with quality in mind, BUT its funkaliciousness could be a little off-putting for some. In fact, it was off-putting for some at the table. It was distracting at times, and took away from what would otherwise be a purer form of what this wine might or could have been.
91-92? points for me. In the end I’d revisit this wine, but I don’t know if I would travel to the ends of the earth for what has become its cult persona. I more preferred a NV Launois Champagne (served side-by-side) over this Ultramarine.
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Somewhat more generous fruit on the nose than I recall previous vintage, green baked apple notes fill the nose and palate slight hint of fresh bread, medium acidity, refined effervescent texture and medium length
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Early look as these just landed, disgorged about a month ago. Kind of a burnt -rich yellow color. Wine is tight right now. Needs some time to unwind. Fine bead, very clean on the palate. There's a richness to the palate that fleshes out as it warms a bit. Baked apple and hints of mousse. Picks up where we left off.
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5/18/2023 - BURGHen Boy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Soft elegant mousse. Clean red fruit builds to complex layers of eucalyptus and anise with citrus in the backdrop. Licorice coats the palate on a long savory finish.
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1/2/2023 - rosenst1 wrote: 90 Points
Mousse fading but flavors still nice. Not as good as last bottle.
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11/24/2022 - rosenst1 wrote: 92 Points
Quite lovely - rich but not over the top. Excellent flavors and a nice mousse - drinking well at age 9.
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3/27/2022 - yossarian.livez wrote: 91 Points
Certainly this has opened. It’s gained steam. Almost a bridge toooo far with the toasty, rich, opulence. Elegant but monolithic. Almost Selosse like richness that is over taking it and persistence on the finish. The Noirs have been a bit more of wild card in terms of drinking window. The 2014 which i thought was even more reserved than this is hitting its stride but this may have fallen out of balance a bit at least for me. Probably a couple of years ago this would have been perfect for me
I’d drink up (and in a burgundy glass at that)
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2/23/2022 - JackStraw77 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fresh green apple and strawberry pastry. Absolutely beautiful. Long finish. Wish I had more.
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1/16/2022 - R.H. Likes this wine:
this bottle has put on its covid 15. creamy strawberry. round mouthfeel, maybe lacking a little nerve. but still delicious. corkage at union sq cafe
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12/31/2021 - Rich S Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened as a replacement for a corked bottle of champagne, this showed great. A bit more advanced than my last bottle with some nice toast notes and a bit of nuttiness but still plenty of bright citrus and red fruits with great acidity and a long finish. UM rarely disappoints.
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9/12/2021 - Jahull03 wrote:
Enjoyed the magnum at birthday lunch for better half. One of the better ultramarines I’ve had (and I’ve liked them all and thought many were special). This is showing a broader fruit profile and the beginnings of age on the finish. My guess is that the extra year + on the lees is part of what takes this up a notch from an already-very-high level.
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12/31/2020 - jshufelt wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with previous tasting note. Happy New Year!
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12/28/2020 - sethebarlow wrote: flawed
Corked. Really dissapointing.
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12/26/2020 - dkstar1 wrote: flawed
Anyone else have a corked ‘13 BdN? Having had nearly a dozen Ultramarines to date, this was the first corked bottle. Super disappointing way to start Christmas morning. What can you do.
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12/11/2020 - Seafoam Manor wrote: flawed
There was an issue with the cork, which was almost silent upon opening, and this was a half step above flat. Think vintage Champagne from the 70's or 80's. It's a shame because the palate retained the flamboyant richness and wild, almost Muscat-like, flavors that I always associate with Ultramarine. There's a good dose of creamy vanilla, but it doesn't seem out of place here. Even under the circumstances, these are still fun wines to drink.
To its credit, I still enjoyed a wine that was technically flawed.
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7/24/2020 - BigTex22 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really enjoyed. Very fine mousse, apple, honeydew melon, with a soft finish. Well done!
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4/26/2020 - whitmanlholt Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and poured. This is light gold with a fine bead. On the nose, I get pear, bread, and fresh apples. In the mouth, the wine is mildly sweet, but stil has good focus and structure. The finish has plenty of zip and carries the apple notes on for a while. Overall, this is very well done and enjoyable. It is an exemplary CA sparkling wine. 92 points.
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2/14/2020 - Beezc Likes this wine: 92 Points
Apples, brioche and a touch of almond
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9/17/2019 - Jahull03 wrote:
Lively, fun, as good near-flat at the end of the night as immediately upon opening. A wine that makes me smile every time.
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6/15/2019 - jshufelt wrote: 93 Points
Pop and pour. In the glass, light-medium gold, with very fine bubbles. On the nose, fresh cut green apples and almond pastry. On the palate, loads of green apple, with seawater, lemon, and hazelnuts in the background. If you're looking at this wine to fill the role of a traditional brut, you're going to be disappointed - but if you're looking for a fruit-forward and less dry sparkling wine with a character of its own, particularly as an assertive partner for food, this is for you.
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5/12/2019 - BigTex22 Likes this wine:
Opened for my wonderful wife and mother of our kids. A little sweet with green Jolly Rancher. This simply tasted too young to me. I have one other bottle and will hold this for several more years. Enjoyable, but think this has a lot of upside ahead.
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4/15/2019 - Fid wrote:
Drank for 50th. All were excellent.
#1 2013 Ultramarine Blanc de Noirs
#2 2004 Scarecrow
#3 1989 Montrose
#4 2002 Lokoya Diamond Mountain
#5 2014 Maybach Materium
#6 2010 Colgin Syrah
#7 2009 Scarecrow M Etain
#8 2014 Altamura
#9 2013 Carte Blanche
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3/27/2019 - kosdogger Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is the best Ultramarine I have had. Served at a wine tasting and universally liked. Great balance, fruit, and many guessed Champagne served blind.
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3/2/2019 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 94 Points
Medium golden yellow and lovely tiny bubbles. Layered nose with notes of brioche, chalk, citrus, green apples, creamy and a touch floral. Moderate acidity (6.5/10) and medium plus bodied. Rich palate and smoother than the prior tasting. Very creamy throughout with layers of lemon curd, custard and yeast. Long and lingering finish. Drink 2026.
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1/20/2019 - csimm wrote: 94 Points
It has been over a year since I last had this wine. Much less funky and yeasty than I remember (thankfully), with the sea foam and saline notes orchestrating much more seamlessly with the rock and wood/earth elements; the poached pear, red apple skin, and bruised lemon rind core is elevated by the peripheral sea and land notes rather than being drawn away and distracted by them (as I noticed occurring on the previous bottle a year ago). Some time in bottle seems to have done this well. The finish is especially nice; long and salty.
Served side by side with a 2012 Laherte Champagne, which was similar in profile, but with the Laherte coming off a little more serious and focused overall compared to the Ultramarine. The Laherte offered a few extra layers of complexity, even though the Ultramarine seemed a little more advanced age-wise in its development. The funk of the Ultramarine was heightened when sampled next to the more chiseled Laherte.
Drink the Ultramarine now and over the next 3-5 years.
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1/2/2019 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Lots of cherry and stone fruit, fleshy, no subtlety, too much dosage--it's Extra Dry not Brut, hazelnut nose. It's okay, but I don't get the hype.
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11/13/2018 - 10centpower wrote:
PnP. As others noted, there's residual sweetness here, and to my palate not enough acidity to cut it. Smooth mousse with a long finish. Maybe the BdN just isn't my style but I think it's a 90 a best.
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11/6/2018 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Med yellow color. Concentrated fruit on the nose and palate that leans closer to Extra Dry than Brut. Not a flaw, just not my favorite thing. What did stand out was texture: superfine effervescence and cashmere-creamy on the tongue.
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11/3/2018 - David J Cooper wrote: 92 Points
Clear light red. Fresh floral nose, spice, yeast,cinnamon, and vanilla. Very nice yeast apple skin flavours. Seems quite dry but in reality it is a bit richer then but .Chsmpagne
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10/26/2018 - ccotton8 Likes this wine:
I second the sweetness,I eventually settled on strawberries as the predominant flavor. Super delicious, but different from other vintages.
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10/13/2018 - Rieslingfan wrote:
First thing - I really like the Ultramarine wines. I have also enjoyed this specific wine in the past.
OK, with that out of the way, this bottle was weird. On first sip, it was decidedly sweet. I have been so conditioned to the resolute dryness of Ultramarine wines, that it was quite jarring. Once I got used to it, the sweetness did not bother me nearly so much, and the other folks at the table did not notice it at all, even when I brought it up. Ultimately the wine was a seamless match with some palak chaat and lasooni gobi, so it was all good, but definitely not a typical showing for this wine.
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10/6/2018 - Rich S Likes this wine: 93 Points
Served at closer to cellar temp than chilled. Such an interesting bouquet on the nose of red apple and pear, hints of red berry fruit, some floral notes. Very fresh and different. Similar flavors on the palate with orchard fruits, citrus and good acidity and a delicate mousse on the mouthfeel. Really impressive and so interesting.
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8/30/2018 - eoinhharkins wrote: 92 Points
Checking in ahead of the upcoming release another enjoyable showing lots of baked apple, spice with hint of red berries, really elegant mousse and medium plus acidity generates a really fresh and persistent experience.
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8/8/2018 - Timothy Sung Likes this wine: 95 Points
One of the most shocking wines that I had this year so far.
Definitely not champagne, but this wine is not inferior to any champagne in any sense.
Great palate that is just like a white wine, but with distinct BdN profiles.
Wow, this is a stunner.
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7/21/2018 - decaturwinedude wrote: 93 Points
Dark, honeyed-rich yellow color. Very lively. Has broadened some since my last bottle. There are apple notes and a bready element as it opens. There's an appealing richness and really energetic acidity and lift. Young. Wish i could leave my hands off those for a few years, but they come in, and I just get to drinking.
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6/9/2018 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Apple, cherry and orange fruit tones are layered atop a fresh, invigorating base. It’s an energetic wine that is easy to sip, and has plenty of depth to stand with a meal. It drinks very well now. Very satisfying.
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4/8/2018 - R.H. Likes this wine:
corkage at legacy records
ripe aromas of berry fruit and apricot. creamy and a bit forward. I'd say it took 30min - 1hr to strike a balance. A handful of tastings of the 2012 and 2013 wines continues to suggest that the '13s are wines for now, and '12s are for later.
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3/17/2018 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 92 Points
Golden yellow and lovely tiny bubbles. Layered nose with notes of brioche, chalk, citrus, green apples, a little creamy and a touch floral. Moderate acidity (6.5/10) and medium to medium plus bodied. Rich palate with creamy elements of lemon curd, and yeast. A touch sweet as well. Looking forward to trying this with a few more years in the bottle. Long and lingering finish. Drink 2026.
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2/25/2018 - yossarian.livez wrote: 91 Points
Solid. Gala apple notes, notes of yeasty toast. With air it gets a slightly salty and savory almost caramel notes to go with blood orange. Both those last ones were more pronounced in the Rose bottling. Last glass was the best 12 hours after opening. Brisk acid. Very good, but not the gregarious offering that was the Rose though a half step more complex than the 2012.
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2/14/2018 - mark2eye wrote: 94 Points
On the nose we got apples, floral notes, elderflower, biscuit, and unripened strawberries.
On the palate we found medium acid and biscuity richness. We were struck by the lack of bitter mineral notes we're accustomed to getting with sparklers.
The finish is lush and rich. Thoroughly enjoyed and enjoyable. Glad we got another in the cellar because it makes me smile. This has a nice long life ahead of it, and only wish I could have stockpiled more.
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2/1/2018 - CruConnexion wrote:
Golden hue. Flowery nose, slight sultana. Lots of peach, apricot on the palate. A very Gewurztraminer-like character, as has been mentioned in other notes. Have to admit, it’s not a style I’m fond of. Open to re-evaluate.
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1/25/2018 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 94 Points
My first UM...starts off with a intriguing floral, lychee ala Gewurtz, red apple skin, cherry nose...and also a faint liqueur, like from a dosage, but this is zero dos? Creamy and quite rich in the mouth, but with fresh citrus acid...crisp ginger ale, sour apple. Lot of delicate red fruit character, with a super creamy ginger, lemon/apricot chiffon mousse. The texture is more to the fleshy side, yet has an elegance to it. Love the florals and spices, and the interesting flavors and textures you don't find in Champagne. I think it's a tremendous drink!
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1/17/2018 - Shouzen Likes this wine: 89 Points
Acidic on the palate, with small bubbles. Still needs some time to mellow out - will return to it in a year or two.
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1/15/2018 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened this early to see what the fuzz is about (my first Ultramarine). Baked apples, peach, and meyer lemon notes on the nose. Creamy texture with more apple and sweet fruit notes on the palate. Overall, I was a bit surprised by the amount of sweetness, I expected this to be drier. Good finish. Will be interesting in a couple of years. So far, I’m not super impressed, but will buy again to see how this evolves over time. Nevertheless a good wine!
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1/13/2018 - csimm wrote: 92 Points
Livermore AVA + Wente Dinner with a ton of other wines: Baked pear, apple pie crust, fried plantain, brioche, sea foam, and gray slate notes. A little ripe and heavy mid-palate, with a more voluptuous mouthfeel overall; somewhat funky on the finish, carrying additional notes of bread dough and ripe banana. There was enough cut and effervescence here to provide lift to the core fruit, and a saline note also added interest.
I’m more than fine declaring that I liked it, yet, there was indeed a “but” with this wine... It was interesting, unique, and I’d hope to think crafted with quality in mind, BUT its funkaliciousness could be a little off-putting for some. In fact, it was off-putting for some at the table. It was distracting at times, and took away from what would otherwise be a purer form of what this wine might or could have been.
91-92? points for me. In the end I’d revisit this wine, but I don’t know if I would travel to the ends of the earth for what has become its cult persona. I more preferred a NV Launois Champagne (served side-by-side) over this Ultramarine.
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12/25/2017 - eoinhharkins wrote:
Somewhat more generous fruit on the nose than I recall previous vintage, green baked apple notes fill the nose and palate slight hint of fresh bread, medium acidity, refined effervescent texture and medium length
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12/22/2017 - decaturwinedude wrote:
Early look as these just landed, disgorged about a month ago. Kind of a burnt -rich yellow color. Wine is tight right now. Needs some time to unwind. Fine bead, very clean on the palate. There's a richness to the palate that fleshes out as it warms a bit. Baked apple and hints of mousse. Picks up where we left off.
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