More aggressive mousse on opening and leaned more into citrus before air, but really came into its own in the glass. More rich apple and orchard fruit, some minerality, but benefited from the dosage. I remember not being so impressed with some of the newer entry-level NV bottlings from Moussé, but this was clearly a step up and I'll be on the lookout for more.
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10/17 disgorgement. A bit surprised this is 95% P Meunier. Maybe that is just me wrapping my head around someone labeling this Blanc de Noirs. Technically true of course but its almost always been P Noir traditionally. Tart leaning apple nose with some stone fruit notes. Pure fruit expression without the ort of yeast or autolytic notes you might expect. Very clean and lean feeling. Strong sweet-tart note. Strong apple flavors in some deceptively dense fruit. A tasty drink if something outside of what most would think of as Champagne. The freshness of the fruit is notable. The dosage is well integrated up until the finish. This is a wine that might be better served as a still wine. At least its something to think about. The bubbles did fade some overnight which doesn't happen much in young Champagne. There is some distance from disgorgement here to complicate that but I found the character of this wine wasn't necessarily better with bubbles than without.
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Blind Tasting with the guys (Maison Cafe in Dana Point, CA): Disgorged October 2017. Dosage 5 g/l, with 95% PM and 5% PN. Aroma of mint. This bottle has the same richness as the bottle back in 2019, composed pf golden apple, pear/apple tart and a vivid pineapple. The core of the wine remains zesty but moreso juicy. My buddy sitting next to me called the wine 'layered', which I thought was a great comment. There is a decadence here but the wine remains in balance. To me, this is drinking very well right now and given the richness and flavors, I'd rather consume these short-term then age them further.
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More on the vinous side of champagne, lots of bruised apple, some yeasty notes and rich texture. Although on the friendlier side, this was not flabby, it still had good acidity, just not piercing, enamel erasing acidity. You can really tell the pinot fruit characteristics as the wine had a richness typical of pinot based champagne.
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Dinner with the wine group (Millbrae, CA): 100% Pinot Meunier. Light golden; aromatic, slight brioche and yeast; medium bodied, nice and tart lemon-lime, excellent mousse, slight apple and pear; medium finish. Lovely champagne. 91 On retaste over the next few hours, largely unchanged but definitely shows that bit of apple that likely comes from Pinot Meunier.
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Opened with a Vilmart Grand Reserve and Cédric Bouchard Champagne Millésimé Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules and this was the wine of the night. Just an ever lasting finish. Better when warm. One of my favorites!
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Drank this during a virtual Zoom tasting with Cedric host by Wine Berserkers. The wine is really firing on all cylinders; crushed apple, a hint of brioche on the nose, some chalk as well. On the palate, more of the same as well as some super bright acidity. The finish is long a pleasant. Disgorged 5.30.2016. 5g/l Dosage. Drink or hold.
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My first bottle. 95% Pinot Meunier and 5% Pinot Noir grown in a green clay soil mixed with copper. Disgorged 2/2017. 5 g/l dosage. Very youthful and loaded with pear notes. Finishes with a fine minerality. 94 points.
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Second time with this wine and same impression. Strong, aggressive bubbles, dominate baked apple. and real depth to the wine. I enjoy PM in the sparkling form.
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Disgorge date has changed since my last bottle, with this one being June 2017. Dosage and composition the same: 5 g/l, with 95% PM and 5% PN. This disgorgement seems creamier and more berry-intense, the aromatics more floral and lifting, too. Some apple pie, strawberry, lime peel and a refreshing mineral ting to the finish. I know in a past TN I used the term 'liquefied apple pie' and that still seems to be true here. The dosage seems to convey this quality to the wine. Overall, this is creamier and more lime-candied than I remember, too. For an acid and intensity dork like me, this wine is pushing out of those rails but as I live on the edges of things, this is going to appeal more broadly.
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Suntacular (Frank Murray's Casa): Happy to get a preview as I bought this wine on reputation. This came off as tight and reserved for the most part. Some berry candy peaking out but I'm going to let my bottle chill for a couple more years.
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Still needs a bit of time to fill out but it will as it has great acidity, a fine bead, complexity, and a long finish. Can definitely taste the Meunier.
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Very good. Still tightly would but you can feel the 2012 concentration and fruit. Crisp and minerally for a menuier and PN. Will be great to follow as this opens up!
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Confirmed - i love this wine, and it's a great value. Fruit forward and fun, a very fine texture for an entry level wine, and a long finish. Glad to have one more and might pick up a few more bottles.
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Fried Chicken and Champagne Event: Perhaps I loved Mousse’s Rosé too much and I came in with too many expectations, but this bottle just didn’t do it for me. There wasn’t much funk (at least, compared to what I’d expect) and while the body was fairly rich with that salinity I love with Mousse, it just wasn’t anything special. This bottle was fairly pedestrian in the sea of Champagnes we had. Disappointing, I had much higher hopes for this, especially given the praised vintage.
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I find this bottle today more energized than the one last month. Disgorged 07/2017, 5 g/l with base of 2012. Lemon, pear, light saline and a touch of cinnamon. The latter was subtle but cool. Good bottle.
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Light yeasty nose and an interesting color, almost orange but clearly not a yellow of gold tone. Apple dominates the flavors. The mouthfeel is controlled by the aggressive carbonation. There's a Motts apple sauce flavor which is good if you like apple sauce.
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Some wines with friends (My House In The South OC): Poured blind, was single blind for me as this bottle (and the Mon Village non-dose I paired with it) were both from my cellar, but I didn't know which bag held which wine. Knowing that this Terre d'Illite was 5 g/l and the Mon Village is non-dose, it made the distinction easy to identify the bottles. Disgorged 07/2017. Light brioche, black cherry, apple (Brig called it apple-sauce), lemon-lime with finishing with a stony note. I then just left the bottle out overnight, uncorked and at room temp of about 70f, re-tasting again with the last few ounces that are now still, no bubbles left. Aromatics of golden apple and crushed rock. The palate is squarely yellow apple at this point, and with a spiciness that it reflects too, along with the brioche quality, I can almost think about a liquefied apple pie. Finishes with a tangy, intense raspberry quality and the same stoniness of last night. Having now revisited this and seeing it revealed with this kind of air and uncloaked with the room temp, I really like this bottle. Will source a few more as it's pleasing, not as austere as the Mon Village, which should make the wine a good choice for those who aren't into the energy and edge of the Mon Village.
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Disgorged 10/2017, using 95% PM and 5% PN. 5 g/l dosage. Grapes all come from the various Cuisles parcels near the winery. Named after the green clay that is the sub-soil of the village. Shows a good punch of intensity, with lemon peel, citrus, black cherry and terrific length. Lovely.
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The nose showed white pit fruits and minerals. It was zesty on the palate with great energy and mineral-infused pear and apple fruits. It finished long with hints of young strawberry and wild herbs.
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1/29/2024 - beegnat Likes this wine:
More aggressive mousse on opening and leaned more into citrus before air, but really came into its own in the glass. More rich apple and orchard fruit, some minerality, but benefited from the dosage. I remember not being so impressed with some of the newer entry-level NV bottlings from Moussé, but this was clearly a step up and I'll be on the lookout for more.
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10/3/2023 - Vino Me wrote: 91 Points
The last of my 6 bottles. Still fresh and lithe. Pale straw color. Very solid acidity with notes of stone fruit and citrus. 91 points.
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3/30/2022 - Periko Likes this wine: 92 Points
Last bottle and the best one. Oopened rigth after dinner... rich, vinous, tammed acidity. Just wonderful Meunier, this time without food.
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1/10/2022 - WetRock wrote:
10/17 disgorgement. A bit surprised this is 95% P Meunier. Maybe that is just me wrapping my head around someone labeling this Blanc de Noirs. Technically true of course but its almost always been P Noir traditionally. Tart leaning apple nose with some stone fruit notes. Pure fruit expression without the ort of yeast or autolytic notes you might expect. Very clean and lean feeling. Strong sweet-tart note. Strong apple flavors in some deceptively dense fruit. A tasty drink if something outside of what most would think of as Champagne. The freshness of the fruit is notable. The dosage is well integrated up until the finish. This is a wine that might be better served as a still wine. At least its something to think about. The bubbles did fade some overnight which doesn't happen much in young Champagne. There is some distance from disgorgement here to complicate that but I found the character of this wine wasn't necessarily better with bubbles than without.
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7/10/2021 - brigcampbell wrote:
Blind by FMIII (Maison - Dana Point): Blind: couldn't really get a handle on this one wasn't sure so I went with some blend.
The fruit is ripe and it has a round feel to the mouth. The back end is citrus and is strong pineapple flavor. Finishes with a tart chalky note.
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7/8/2021 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Blind Tasting with the guys (Maison Cafe in Dana Point, CA): Disgorged October 2017. Dosage 5 g/l, with 95% PM and 5% PN. Aroma of mint. This bottle has the same richness as the bottle back in 2019, composed pf golden apple, pear/apple tart and a vivid pineapple. The core of the wine remains zesty but moreso juicy. My buddy sitting next to me called the wine 'layered', which I thought was a great comment. There is a decadence here but the wine remains in balance. To me, this is drinking very well right now and given the richness and flavors, I'd rather consume these short-term then age them further.
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6/27/2021 - angryphoton Likes this wine: 90 Points
More on the vinous side of champagne, lots of bruised apple, some yeasty notes and rich texture. Although on the friendlier side, this was not flabby, it still had good acidity, just not piercing, enamel erasing acidity. You can really tell the pinot fruit characteristics as the wine had a richness typical of pinot based champagne.
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6/26/2021 - aagrawal wrote: 91 Points
Dinner with the wine group (Millbrae, CA): 100% Pinot Meunier. Light golden; aromatic, slight brioche and yeast; medium bodied, nice and tart lemon-lime, excellent mousse, slight apple and pear; medium finish. Lovely champagne. 91
On retaste over the next few hours, largely unchanged but definitely shows that bit of apple that likely comes from Pinot Meunier.
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11/7/2020 - mercurius wrote: 95 Points
Opened with a Vilmart Grand Reserve and Cédric Bouchard Champagne Millésimé Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules and this was the wine of the night. Just an ever lasting finish. Better when warm. One of my favorites!
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4/25/2020 - tastark Likes this wine:
Drank this during a virtual Zoom tasting with Cedric host by Wine Berserkers. The wine is really firing on all cylinders; crushed apple, a hint of brioche on the nose, some chalk as well. On the palate, more of the same as well as some super bright acidity. The finish is long a pleasant. Disgorged 5.30.2016. 5g/l Dosage. Drink or hold.
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1/10/2020 - Andyofoto wrote:
Shy on the nose. Short in the mouth. But it’s delicious and the price is right.
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12/24/2019 - Periko wrote: 91 Points
More on the rich side with decent acidity. Baked apple in a slightly oxidative style. A gastronomic sparkling.
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11/28/2019 - Vino Me wrote: 94 Points
My first bottle. 95% Pinot Meunier and 5% Pinot Noir grown in a green clay soil mixed with copper. Disgorged 2/2017. 5 g/l dosage. Very youthful and loaded with pear notes. Finishes with a fine minerality. 94 points.
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11/26/2019 - brigcampbell wrote:
Second time with this wine and same impression. Strong, aggressive bubbles, dominate baked apple. and real depth to the wine. I enjoy PM in the sparkling form.
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11/25/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Disgorge date has changed since my last bottle, with this one being June 2017. Dosage and composition the same: 5 g/l, with 95% PM and 5% PN. This disgorgement seems creamier and more berry-intense, the aromatics more floral and lifting, too. Some apple pie, strawberry, lime peel and a refreshing mineral ting to the finish. I know in a past TN I used the term 'liquefied apple pie' and that still seems to be true here. The dosage seems to convey this quality to the wine. Overall, this is creamier and more lime-candied than I remember, too. For an acid and intensity dork like me, this wine is pushing out of those rails but as I live on the edges of things, this is going to appeal more broadly.
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8/25/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:
2019 Suntacular--Champagne Tasting to raise money for Laura's House: Disgorged 02/17, 95% PM / 5% PN. 5 g/l dosage. Red berry, tangy, baked apple, good energy. I love the berry profile on this, and it's deceiving as the wine is clear.
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8/24/2019 - WetRock wrote:
Suntacular (Frank Murray's Casa): Happy to get a preview as I bought this wine on reputation. This came off as tight and reserved for the most part. Some berry candy peaking out but I'm going to let my bottle chill for a couple more years.
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8/9/2019 - mercurius wrote: 94 Points
Still needs a bit of time to fill out but it will as it has great acidity, a fine bead, complexity, and a long finish. Can definitely taste the Meunier.
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7/25/2019 - drwine2001 wrote:
The Wine Club Tour de France (San Francisco): Hay aromas. Off dry with some early oxidative notes, caramel.
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7/11/2019 - jwsmith wrote: 93 Points
Very well balanced elegant champagne. Excellent
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4/21/2019 - vr.bart Likes this wine: 93 Points
95% meunier. Grown on clay. Soft fruity and mineral nose. On the palette it’s rich and refined. very persistent with long aftertaste.
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1/2/2019 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Got that heavy meunier flavor to it but still darn interesting. Need to explore more and lay down more.
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11/16/2018 - mklein86 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good. Still tightly would but you can feel the 2012 concentration and fruit. Crisp and minerally for a menuier and PN. Will be great to follow as this opens up!
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11/1/2018 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Tons of salty minerality on the nose. Crisp and super crunchy. It’s compacted and there. Needs a bit of time.
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10/25/2018 - christyler Likes this wine: 92 Points
Confirmed - i love this wine, and it's a great value. Fruit forward and fun, a very fine texture for an entry level wine, and a long finish. Glad to have one more and might pick up a few more bottles.
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10/20/2018 - Satoshi Nakamoto wrote: 87 Points
Fried Chicken and Champagne Event: Perhaps I loved Mousse’s Rosé too much and I came in with too many expectations, but this bottle just didn’t do it for me. There wasn’t much funk (at least, compared to what I’d expect) and while the body was fairly rich with that salinity I love with Mousse, it just wasn’t anything special. This bottle was fairly pedestrian in the sea of Champagnes we had. Disappointing, I had much higher hopes for this, especially given the praised vintage.
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10/19/2018 - peternelson wrote:
Good fruity champers. No notes. Mostly PM. Lisa's Champ and Chick party
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8/31/2018 - Frank Murray III wrote:
I find this bottle today more energized than the one last month. Disgorged 07/2017, 5 g/l with base of 2012. Lemon, pear, light saline and a touch of cinnamon. The latter was subtle but cool. Good bottle.
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8/2/2018 - Bakerbd Likes this wine: 92 Points
Better with 1-2 hrs air... lemon curd, pears, hazelnut, Meunier funk
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7/23/2018 - brigcampbell wrote:
Book Club - Grand Finale (FMIII in the OC): Blind: correctly guessed Pinot Meunier. For some reason this grape jumps out at me in a sparkler. No idea on the producer.
Light yeasty nose and an interesting color, almost orange but clearly not a yellow of gold tone. Apple dominates the flavors. The mouthfeel is controlled by the aggressive carbonation. There's a Motts apple sauce flavor which is good if you like apple sauce.
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7/21/2018 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Some wines with friends (My House In The South OC): Poured blind, was single blind for me as this bottle (and the Mon Village non-dose I paired with it) were both from my cellar, but I didn't know which bag held which wine. Knowing that this Terre d'Illite was 5 g/l and the Mon Village is non-dose, it made the distinction easy to identify the bottles. Disgorged 07/2017. Light brioche, black cherry, apple (Brig called it apple-sauce), lemon-lime with finishing with a stony note. I then just left the bottle out overnight, uncorked and at room temp of about 70f, re-tasting again with the last few ounces that are now still, no bubbles left. Aromatics of golden apple and crushed rock. The palate is squarely yellow apple at this point, and with a spiciness that it reflects too, along with the brioche quality, I can almost think about a liquefied apple pie. Finishes with a tangy, intense raspberry quality and the same stoniness of last night. Having now revisited this and seeing it revealed with this kind of air and uncloaked with the room temp, I really like this bottle. Will source a few more as it's pleasing, not as austere as the Mon Village, which should make the wine a good choice for those who aren't into the energy and edge of the Mon Village.
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5/16/2018 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Disgorged 10/2017, using 95% PM and 5% PN. 5 g/l dosage. Grapes all come from the various Cuisles parcels near the winery. Named after the green clay that is the sub-soil of the village. Shows a good punch of intensity, with lemon peel, citrus, black cherry and terrific length. Lovely.
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3/12/2018 - christyler Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great texture and mouthfeel. Very classy and a joy to drink. Seemed to have a more chardonnay driven profile for me, but it's all Meunier.
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10/31/2017 - Motz wrote: 94 Points
Very similar to the Les Vignes de Mon Village, but showing just a little more of everything, including precision. Strikingly good! 93-94.
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8/12/2017 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 91 Points
The nose showed white pit fruits and minerals. It was zesty on the palate with great energy and mineral-infused pear and apple fruits. It finished long with hints of young strawberry and wild herbs.
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