M&PD Tasting: Bisato (Seattle, WA, USA): Didn't take any notes here. It was fine, a nice start, but sort of blown away by the Ulysse Collin served right after.
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Very lean and ginger snappy. Lots of spice / anise flavors. Acid driven but not fruit apparent. I’d probably keep my hands off any bottles for the time being to see where it goes.
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Decanted at a restaurant. Very young and tightly wound, but you can tell there is tons of complexity under the surface. Needs at least 4 more years IMO, and with sufficient age it could be magical.
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Beautiful nose with some floral notes, citrus, minerals, and toast. It's quite subtle but with good depth and complexity and there's a new flavor emerging every time you smell the wine. Nice acidity with lemon and orange flavors, minerals, and blossom on the palate. Long finish. Excellent Champagne that is still young but is starting to drink very well. 95+
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Boxing Day Tasting (Birch Road Cellar - Chicago IL): Tasting. Very Pinot centric flavors with rich berry nose and palate. Lots of power. The miniscule 1g dosage protrudes here, making this slightly too sharp. I know this is a culty wine, but I'm not in the cult even though I enjoy it.
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Quite lean and devoid of any fruit richness (or pleasure), and pales in comparison to the head-turning 2008 version of this wine. Not my style of Champagne at all.
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Sunday hangout at Domaine (Chicago, IL): Based on this, it's pretty difficult for me to figure out what made these so expensive all of a sudden. It's a bit lean, especially in the context of my previous Egly experience, and while there is nice concentration and intensity, I expected more breadth on the palate. Overall, there's good material here, but given what other Champagne you can get for the price of this, there is certainly no contest.
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At La Table de Pavie, St. Emilion. A fantastic showing, and one that the well-honed restaurant staff managed to cadence perfectly over the course of nearly four hours. This paired perfectly with everything, from vegetable and seafood dishes (eel!), to the most refined chocolate lava cake tart type thingy (just sliiiiightly different from the gummy brown mound you have to order 45 minutes before your Awesome Blossom at the local Outback Steakhouse). This 2012 Egly is a hair less spicy and flexing than the muscular 2008, with the 12 exhibiting slightly oxidative notes that complement the otherwise gorgeously built frame of red apple, grilled lemon, quince, and spice notes. Exquisitely balanced but not so “even” it isn’t without personality. Saturates the palate as well as invigorates it. Entering a solid drinking window now, but will keep for an easy decade+. Great Champagne.
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More ready than the 08. Acidity more in balance. Very delicate mousse. Cannot quite appreciate how much of a step up it is from the Egly VP when presumably the fruit sources, farming and winemaking are the same not to mention my stellar experiences with the latter. May be there is a gap in those vintage years that produced superior fruit and there was special selection? But then don't discount the blending talent of Francis Egly. What I take away from this bottle are the Egly wine-making trademarks applying uniformly to almost the entire product range starting with the oh-so-light touch in using oxidative notes, the near-perfect proportions, the vinosity, and intensely saline finish. I did not dwell on flavour descriptors but this is not relevant IMO. Wines/champagnes like this are in a league of their own because of structure and texture.
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Pale golden color. exotic fruits fresh toasted sunday brioche. very precise and mineral. full bodied with very fine bubbles from the 95 month on the lees. discgorged sept 21 dosage 1g/l
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Very different than the 13 Egly (so different that I wonder a little about bottle condition of the 12, but there seems to be agreement that the 13 is far superior). 12 was flatter and a bit backwards — lots of toast and mineral across a broad palate but no high notes. 13 was all exuberant powerful acidity on top of that broad plateau.
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Trait - d - Union tasting, by Pure Spirits (Warehouse assemblage): 70% pinot noir 30% chardonnay, 101 months on lees Very different in style again, its more spicy, fresh, sesame notes sweet notes, honey, decadent Palate is very fresh, more vibrant than the nose, very dry in style, mineral, tense, crunchy, pear, med body, still very youthful, long finish Slightly difficult to drink on it own due to brutal acidity but very interesting, needs food for sure The carbonation is more upfront like the acidity, give it some time
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Medium gold color. Nose showing orchard fruit, orange zest, and brioche. Palate showing pear(?), green apple, mineral notes. Fined bubbles, fruits persist through the mid palate. Crisp throughout, long finish.
Stellar showing, this is a benchmark for me on grower champagne...will be interesting to how this ages. I have to get to know grower champagnes better...:)
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This is a powerful and unique vintage Champagne with a rather linear profile at this early stage but with incredibly deep flavors of ripe orchard fruits and honeyed spices. Big-boned and powerful with a searing intensity on the finish which remains a bit one dimensional but I think it's just holding back at this point. An incredibly interesting Champagne to put in the cellar. 94+
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Wowza. This is stunning. Immensely concentrated with riveting energy and power, 2012 Millésime is simply explosive, wafting from the glass with layers of rich orchard fruit, pastry crust, roasted nuts and drizzles of caramel. The palate is seamless and precise in its richness, with a chalky minerality and crazy long finish. One for the ages. ✨
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Salon Focofi Paris walkabout and dinner, so no detailed tasting notes. this has always been my favorite Champagne Pinot Noir grower. The 2012 is stellar, very aromatic, rich, yet composed. Best after 2030. 98-100
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Wow, what an amazing champagne. The bubbles were small and many - felt like a spritz in the mouth, not a large bubble soft drink. No hint of toastiness that some Champs have (which I do not like). The palate was fresh, giving no hint to its 10 years of age. Very French Chardonnay on the palate (ie very different to the Chardonnay in Australia due to the high heat that Australia gets in summer for harvest. Absolutely love this Champagne, my partner who just enjoys drinking wine, also thought it was the best Champagne they had ever had - proof for why we should avoid big mass produced brands.
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M&PD Tasting: 1990 (Seattle, WA, USA): Disgorged July 2021. Deep, yeasty, powerful nose, almost red fruited in profile. Energetic, powerful palate. Quite young and quite delicious.
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Drinking this bottle over the course of the night was like slowly watching a berry ripen over the night. Opening notes were pretty intense, slightly bitter -- emulating notes of cranberry, which slowly ripened over the evening, bringing some beautifully concentrated fruit notes. The toasty/yeast notes felt more wild than austere. Quite good.
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Pale lemon. Med+ intensity, citrus, lemon, lemon peel, grapefruit pith, green fruit, pear, crisp green apple, yeast, hoppy, bread dough, with some salinity and minerality. Great balance of autolysis and fruit notes. PnP with very foamy mousse, almost beer like which was also seen with my last experience with Egly Ouriet's Les Premices. A well-made champagne with a lot of pizzazz, worthy of the millesime title. High acid, long finish, great representation of the awesome 2012 vintage, has the stuffing for longer cellaring. I will definitely want to see this bottle aged a little, despite it being delicious right now. 94+ pts
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not blind One of the champagnes of Trait d'Union 2022. Not so massive as usually, not the oak note. Sublime, distinctive and precise finish. I would prefer the BdN Les Crayeres of him again but this time the differece is not that big. 96
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Lovely, bright nose of lemon drops, minerals, and citrus. Great acidity that drives your saliva with lots of lemon, chamomile, and just a hint of brioche on the palate. Long finish. Really excellent Champagne, still young, but this will be amazing with time. 95+
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5/10/2024 - Collector1855 wrote: 98 Points
High end Champagne 2012 vs 2013, tasted blind (Bad Ragaz): 1g dosage. Medium-dark yellow.. Rich, yet laser sharp. There is richness and freshness at the same time. Wonderful. Lots of finesse.
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5/3/2024 - aquacongas wrote: 97 Points
not blind
Nearly as strong as the 2013, maybe a touch less concentrated. At a great stage now. Not so oxidative style as in the past. 97
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4/28/2024 - Brolawa wrote:
H2. Was not familiar with this wine and didn’t blow me away. May have been a tiny bit of heat on this bottle. Big and round. MPD at Bisato.
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4/28/2024 - Eric wrote:
M&PD Tasting: Bisato (Seattle, WA, USA): Didn't take any notes here. It was fine, a nice start, but sort of blown away by the Ulysse Collin served right after.
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4/19/2024 - clayfu wrote:
Very lean and ginger snappy. Lots of spice / anise flavors. Acid driven but not fruit apparent. I’d probably keep my hands off any bottles for the time being to see where it goes.
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3/20/2024 - Vas19 wrote: 93 Points
Decanted at a restaurant. Very young and tightly wound, but you can tell there is tons of complexity under the surface. Needs at least 4 more years IMO, and with sufficient age it could be magical.
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2/24/2024 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful nose with some floral notes, citrus, minerals, and toast. It's quite subtle but with good depth and complexity and there's a new flavor emerging every time you smell the wine. Nice acidity with lemon and orange flavors, minerals, and blossom on the palate. Long finish. Excellent Champagne that is still young but is starting to drink very well. 95+
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1/25/2024 - D!n@sh wrote: 93 Points
Felt a bit lean. Also lack of any fruit made me wonder if it’s closed.
I certainly wouldn’t pay this level of money for this champagne.
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12/26/2023 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Boxing Day Tasting (Birch Road Cellar - Chicago IL): Tasting. Very Pinot centric flavors with rich berry nose and palate. Lots of power. The miniscule 1g dosage protrudes here, making this slightly too sharp. I know this is a culty wine, but I'm not in the cult even though I enjoy it.
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12/26/2023 - Nanda wrote:
Quite lean and devoid of any fruit richness (or pleasure), and pales in comparison to the head-turning 2008 version of this wine. Not my style of Champagne at all.
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10/29/2023 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Sunday hangout at Domaine (Chicago, IL): Based on this, it's pretty difficult for me to figure out what made these so expensive all of a sudden. It's a bit lean, especially in the context of my previous Egly experience, and while there is nice concentration and intensity, I expected more breadth on the palate. Overall, there's good material here, but given what other Champagne you can get for the price of this, there is certainly no contest.
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10/16/2023 - csimm wrote: 97 Points
At La Table de Pavie, St. Emilion. A fantastic showing, and one that the well-honed restaurant staff managed to cadence perfectly over the course of nearly four hours. This paired perfectly with everything, from vegetable and seafood dishes (eel!), to the most refined chocolate lava cake tart type thingy (just sliiiiightly different from the gummy brown mound you have to order 45 minutes before your Awesome Blossom at the local Outback Steakhouse). This 2012 Egly is a hair less spicy and flexing than the muscular 2008, with the 12 exhibiting slightly oxidative notes that complement the otherwise gorgeously built frame of red apple, grilled lemon, quince, and spice notes. Exquisitely balanced but not so “even” it isn’t without personality. Saturates the palate as well as invigorates it. Entering a solid drinking window now, but will keep for an easy decade+. Great Champagne.
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9/21/2023 - palfr2 Likes this wine:
More ready than the 08. Acidity more in balance. Very delicate mousse. Cannot quite appreciate how much of a step up it is from the Egly VP when presumably the fruit sources, farming and winemaking are the same not to mention my stellar experiences with the latter. May be there is a gap in those vintage years that produced superior fruit and there was special selection? But then don't discount the blending talent of Francis Egly. What I take away from this bottle are the Egly wine-making trademarks applying uniformly to almost the entire product range starting with the oh-so-light touch in using oxidative notes, the near-perfect proportions, the vinosity, and intensely saline finish. I did not dwell on flavour descriptors but this is not relevant IMO. Wines/champagnes like this are in a league of their own because of structure and texture.
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7/10/2023 - The_Cat wrote: 96 Points
Pale golden color. exotic fruits fresh toasted sunday brioche. very precise and mineral. full bodied with very fine bubbles from the 95 month on the lees. discgorged sept 21 dosage 1g/l
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6/24/2023 - sh6k Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very different than the 13 Egly (so different that I wonder a little about bottle condition of the 12, but there seems to be agreement that the 13 is far superior). 12 was flatter and a bit backwards — lots of toast and mineral across a broad palate but no high notes. 13 was all exuberant powerful acidity on top of that broad plateau.
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5/2/2023 - kostaslonis Likes this wine:
Trait - d - Union tasting, by Pure Spirits (Warehouse assemblage): 70% pinot noir 30% chardonnay, 101 months on lees
Very different in style again, its more spicy, fresh, sesame notes sweet notes, honey, decadent
Palate is very fresh, more vibrant than the nose, very dry in style, mineral, tense, crunchy, pear, med body, still very youthful, long finish
Slightly difficult to drink on it own due to brutal acidity but very interesting, needs food for sure
The carbonation is more upfront like the acidity, give it some time
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4/22/2023 - walkerjfw wrote: 97 Points
Zurich Supper Club (London Finale) CVA/Christine/Andrew/Po Lin/Valerie, special guest Ethan! (67 Pall Mall - London, UK): A generous contribution from CVA, spectacular start to a big night. No prior experience with this grower champagne. Chilled, PnP, drank over ~20 minutes and revisited later.
Medium gold color. Nose showing orchard fruit, orange zest, and brioche. Palate showing pear(?), green apple, mineral notes. Fined bubbles, fruits persist through the mid palate. Crisp throughout, long finish.
Stellar showing, this is a benchmark for me on grower champagne...will be interesting to how this ages. I have to get to know grower champagnes better...:)
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4/16/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is a powerful and unique vintage Champagne with a rather linear profile at this early stage but with incredibly deep flavors of ripe orchard fruits and honeyed spices. Big-boned and powerful with a searing intensity on the finish which remains a bit one dimensional but I think it's just holding back at this point. An incredibly interesting Champagne to put in the cellar. 94+
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2/4/2023 - steinersing wrote: 97 Points
Spectacular - the gap between their NV and this is huge. Very open.
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12/30/2022 - finediningnyc Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wowza. This is stunning. Immensely concentrated with riveting energy and power, 2012 Millésime is simply explosive, wafting from the glass with layers of rich orchard fruit, pastry crust, roasted nuts and drizzles of caramel. The palate is seamless and precise in its richness, with a chalky minerality and crazy long finish. One for the ages. ✨
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12/7/2022 - Collector1855 wrote: 99 Points
Salon Focofi Paris walkabout and dinner, so no detailed tasting notes. this has always been my favorite Champagne Pinot Noir grower. The 2012 is stellar, very aromatic, rich, yet composed. Best after 2030. 98-100
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9/30/2022 - mmilgate Likes this wine:
Wow, what an amazing champagne. The bubbles were small and many - felt like a spritz in the mouth, not a large bubble soft drink.
No hint of toastiness that some Champs have (which I do not like).
The palate was fresh, giving no hint to its 10 years of age.
Very French Chardonnay on the palate (ie very different to the Chardonnay in Australia due to the high heat that Australia gets in summer for harvest.
Absolutely love this Champagne, my partner who just enjoys drinking wine, also thought it was the best Champagne they had ever had - proof for why we should avoid big mass produced brands.
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9/14/2022 - Eric wrote:
M&PD Tasting: 1990 (Seattle, WA, USA): Disgorged July 2021. Deep, yeasty, powerful nose, almost red fruited in profile. Energetic, powerful palate. Quite young and quite delicious.
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8/20/2022 - wjl88 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking this bottle over the course of the night was like slowly watching a berry ripen over the night. Opening notes were pretty intense, slightly bitter -- emulating notes of cranberry, which slowly ripened over the evening, bringing some beautifully concentrated fruit notes. The toasty/yeast notes felt more wild than austere. Quite good.
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6/10/2022 - Michael Hung Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pale lemon. Med+ intensity, citrus, lemon, lemon peel, grapefruit pith, green fruit, pear, crisp green apple, yeast, hoppy, bread dough, with some salinity and minerality. Great balance of autolysis and fruit notes. PnP with very foamy mousse, almost beer like which was also seen with my last experience with Egly Ouriet's Les Premices. A well-made champagne with a lot of pizzazz, worthy of the millesime title. High acid, long finish, great representation of the awesome 2012 vintage, has the stuffing for longer cellaring. I will definitely want to see this bottle aged a little, despite it being delicious right now. 94+ pts
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5/6/2022 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 96 Points
not blind
One of the champagnes of Trait d'Union 2022. Not so massive as usually, not the oak note. Sublime, distinctive and precise finish. I would prefer the BdN Les Crayeres of him again but this time the differece is not that big. 96
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12/24/2021 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lovely, bright nose of lemon drops, minerals, and citrus. Great acidity that drives your saliva with lots of lemon, chamomile, and just a hint of brioche on the palate. Long finish. Really excellent Champagne, still young, but this will be amazing with time. 95+
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