2019 Base. I usually let my champagne sit a few weeks after shipping, but couldn’t help myself pulling this one immediately. Hailing from Celles-sur-Ource, Etienne and his wife Anne took over the family estate in 2006, but only started bottling anything on their own in 2014 (less than 1,000 bottles). Blend of 80% Pinot noir and 20% Pinot Blanc, disgorged 25Feb22 with 2 g/l dosage. The nose has lovely fruit to it, and the first sip Carrie’s a ton of green apple, with that slight tartness of acid that can accompany. There’s some other ripe orchard fruit on the outside of the mouth providing some sweetness of fruit, and some really nice spice notes from the Pinot Blanc. This is enjoyable but I think will be great with a few years of bottle age. A really good first showing.
DG 11/2017 Vintage 2014 Bottle opened ~15 minutes before serving. My initial impression was not very positive; it seemed like the type of aggressively mineral champagne that is not to my taste. It was slow to open up: overripe fruits such as apples, pears, a lot of bitter grapefruit, citrus fruits such as lemon and lime, and melon; very strong mineral presence with a lot of chalk, a mineral ‘stink’, and wet stones; it showed a herbal side as well, with cut grass and parsley. It was hard to enjoy this; it’s not my kind of champagne, I found it extremely austere and inexpressive, without much interest beyond its high minerality. It almost drinks like a sparkling chablis. Not sure if it’s worth storing; my impression of the fruit is that it was picked very ripe, and I’m not sure how the wine will age. Medium-high acidity, vinous on the palate. 82pt
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This is the 2015 bottling disgorged in May '18. Very similar impressions to Charlie C's note from 2/21/20. Lovely aromatics with yeast and cereals, plus some citrus fruit. The palate is bright and very light, surprisingly so for a wine with so much PN in the blend. To my palate, however, it is a little too delicate, coming across as a bit hollow on the midpalate. That said, it did begin to drink better as it warmed from fridge temp and got some air. So be sure to give it a bit of time after popping.
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Light citrus nose with pleasant yeasty notes. Very fine, plentiful bead. Crisp lemon/lime fruit, notes of thyme and brioche. Lovely mineral notes. Finishes long and clean, crisp, lemony. Disgorged May 25, 2018.
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Well now, something new and worth a plethora of excitement. This bottle was fantastic. Not perfect by any means, but a real eye-opener. Bright, elegant and mineral laced with obvious citrus elements, this puts a smile on your face. I would not say it is overly intellectual or thought stimulating, more just one that makes you want to shut up and drink it, perhaps seeking out an occasional scream of "wow, this is good stuff!". Simply married well with a number of various appetizers being munched on throughout the afternoon. FWIW, liked it best when popped and poured, and slightly on the cool side.
Celles-sur-Ource is in the heart of the Aube. 144 bottles to the U.S., or about 1000 made. 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Blanc - all 2014. Disgorged in fall '17 with a dosage of 3 grams per liter. Biodynamic viticulture. Caveau mentions that "for generations the Sandrins sold their grapes to the local cooperative, but by 2014 had decided to start bottling some of their production for themselves and some friends." Glad they did so, look forward to picking up more if and when ever available.
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A biodynamic Champagne from Aube, supposedly based on vintage 2014. A blend of Pinot Noir (80%) and Pinot Blanc (20%). Vinified in stainless steel. Total production approx. 1000 bottles. 12% alcohol, 3 g/l dosage. Tasted blind.
Neutral whitish-green color. Somewhat stuffy and slightly reductive nose with aromas of tart green apples, some yeasty autolysis, a little bit of sappy greenness, light pithy notes of lemon, a weird, dry hint of sawdust and a touch of Hubba-Bubba. The wine is ripe, steely and linear on the palate with medium body and bright flavors of chalky minerality, some ripe mealy apples, a little bit of crunchy white fruit, a hint of wet stones and a herbal touch of chamomile. The mousse feels light and smooth, but also very persistent. The finish is lively, crisp and medium-long with grapefruit-driven citrus fruits, some chalky bitterness, a little bit of tart green apple, light leesy yeast tones and a hint of steely minerality.
A nice, pure and refreshing but also somewhat linear and straightforward Champagne. The wine is surprisingly Chardonnay in style, since it doesn't show any of the typical weight, richness or oxidative tones typical of Pinot Noir and even the more exotic, peachy Pinot Blanc notes are relatively underplayed - although the do show once you know where to look. All in all, a fresh and crunchy Aube Champagne that probably will be very appreciated by the fans of steely, mineral Blanc de Blancs Champagnes; I, on the other hand, found the wine a bit one-dimensional, sappy and neutral. Perhaps a tad pricey at 45€.
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The first word that comes to mind is bright. If it was Burgundy it would be Chablis, if it was Sauvignon Blanc it would be New Zealand. Crisp flavors with a great finish. Shines with food, enjoy or let set for 3-5 years.
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7/21/2023 - PinotPaul Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely
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7/13/2023 - PinotPaul Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very nice.
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6/27/2023 - PinotPaul Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very nice.
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5/17/2023 - aChave Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excellent bottle. Purity of fruit with exceptionally bright and clean flavors, yet still some complexity beneath.
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1/11/2023 - adnorthup wrote:
2019 Base. I usually let my champagne sit a few weeks after shipping, but couldn’t help myself pulling this one immediately. Hailing from Celles-sur-Ource, Etienne and his wife Anne took over the family estate in 2006, but only started bottling anything on their own in 2014 (less than 1,000 bottles). Blend of 80% Pinot noir and 20% Pinot Blanc, disgorged 25Feb22 with 2 g/l dosage. The nose has lovely fruit to it, and the first sip Carrie’s a ton of green apple, with that slight tartness of acid that can accompany. There’s some other ripe orchard fruit on the outside of the mouth providing some sweetness of fruit, and some really nice spice notes from the Pinot Blanc. This is enjoyable but I think will be great with a few years of bottle age. A really good first showing.
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5/21/2022 - PinotPaul Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very nice.
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5/21/2022 - PinotPaul Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely, bright Champagne.
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3/18/2022 - PinotPaul Likes this wine: 90 Points
Excellent Champagne. Not particularly rich, but very nice.
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12/31/2021 - PinotPaul Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice Champagne.
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11/30/2020 - julen789 Does not like this wine: 82 Points
DG 11/2017 Vintage 2014
Bottle opened ~15 minutes before serving. My initial impression was not very positive; it seemed like the type of aggressively mineral champagne that is not to my taste. It was slow to open up: overripe fruits such as apples, pears, a lot of bitter grapefruit, citrus fruits such as lemon and lime, and melon; very strong mineral presence with a lot of chalk, a mineral ‘stink’, and wet stones; it showed a herbal side as well, with cut grass and parsley.
It was hard to enjoy this; it’s not my kind of champagne, I found it extremely austere and inexpressive, without much interest beyond its high minerality. It almost drinks like a sparkling chablis. Not sure if it’s worth storing; my impression of the fruit is that it was picked very ripe, and I’m not sure how the wine will age. Medium-high acidity, vinous on the palate.
82pt
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2/22/2020 - jlm wrote:
This is the 2015 bottling disgorged in May '18. Very similar impressions to Charlie C's note from 2/21/20. Lovely aromatics with yeast and cereals, plus some citrus fruit. The palate is bright and very light, surprisingly so for a wine with so much PN in the blend. To my palate, however, it is a little too delicate, coming across as a bit hollow on the midpalate. That said, it did begin to drink better as it warmed from fridge temp and got some air. So be sure to give it a bit of time after popping.
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2/21/2020 - Charlie C Likes this wine: 92 Points
Light citrus nose with pleasant yeasty notes. Very fine, plentiful bead. Crisp lemon/lime fruit, notes of thyme and brioche. Lovely mineral notes. Finishes long and clean, crisp, lemony. Disgorged May 25, 2018.
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1/23/2019 - cadamson Likes this wine:
Well now, something new and worth a plethora of excitement. This bottle was fantastic. Not perfect by any means, but a real eye-opener. Bright, elegant and mineral laced with obvious citrus elements, this puts a smile on your face. I would not say it is overly intellectual or thought stimulating, more just one that makes you want to shut up and drink it, perhaps seeking out an occasional scream of "wow, this is good stuff!". Simply married well with a number of various appetizers being munched on throughout the afternoon. FWIW, liked it best when popped and poured, and slightly on the cool side.
Celles-sur-Ource is in the heart of the Aube. 144 bottles to the U.S., or about 1000 made. 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Blanc - all 2014. Disgorged in fall '17 with a dosage of 3 grams per liter. Biodynamic viticulture. Caveau mentions that "for generations the Sandrins sold their grapes to the local cooperative, but by 2014 had decided to start bottling some of their production for themselves and some friends." Glad they did so, look forward to picking up more if and when ever available.
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1/10/2019 - forceberry wrote: 89 Points
A biodynamic Champagne from Aube, supposedly based on vintage 2014. A blend of Pinot Noir (80%) and Pinot Blanc (20%). Vinified in stainless steel. Total production approx. 1000 bottles. 12% alcohol, 3 g/l dosage. Tasted blind.
Neutral whitish-green color. Somewhat stuffy and slightly reductive nose with aromas of tart green apples, some yeasty autolysis, a little bit of sappy greenness, light pithy notes of lemon, a weird, dry hint of sawdust and a touch of Hubba-Bubba. The wine is ripe, steely and linear on the palate with medium body and bright flavors of chalky minerality, some ripe mealy apples, a little bit of crunchy white fruit, a hint of wet stones and a herbal touch of chamomile. The mousse feels light and smooth, but also very persistent. The finish is lively, crisp and medium-long with grapefruit-driven citrus fruits, some chalky bitterness, a little bit of tart green apple, light leesy yeast tones and a hint of steely minerality.
A nice, pure and refreshing but also somewhat linear and straightforward Champagne. The wine is surprisingly Chardonnay in style, since it doesn't show any of the typical weight, richness or oxidative tones typical of Pinot Noir and even the more exotic, peachy Pinot Blanc notes are relatively underplayed - although the do show once you know where to look. All in all, a fresh and crunchy Aube Champagne that probably will be very appreciated by the fans of steely, mineral Blanc de Blancs Champagnes; I, on the other hand, found the wine a bit one-dimensional, sappy and neutral. Perhaps a tad pricey at 45€.
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7/11/2018 - SteveVermeer Likes this wine: 90 Points
The first word that comes to mind is bright. If it was Burgundy it would be Chablis, if it was Sauvignon Blanc it would be New Zealand. Crisp flavors with a great finish. Shines with food, enjoy or let set for 3-5 years.
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