Base vintage 2016, 50% reserve wines from 2015, disgorged March 2020 with a dosage of 2.4 gr/l, bottle No. 3990 from 18,500 bottles produced, 12.5% ABV. Made with 100% Pinot Noir from a single vineyard in the Côteaux du Sézannais. Full yellow colour with ruddy cheeks; impressive and expressive nose, not the usual red apple fruit but rather stone fruits (plum, peach) and tangerine, with notes of honey and frangipane, spicy depty; full-bodied and mouth-coating palate, very precise for a wine so richly laden with ripe fruit, resting on a firm foundation of racy acidity and minerality, creamy mousse; excellent resonance and length, peach liqueur. In a beautiful place right now, the 4 years of post-disgorgement ageing have served it well. For my palate, this is at perfect peak. At Maison François, London, UK.
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Excellent bottle. Forward and intense, with some earthy elements and orchard fruit, no red fruits to me, but instead savory and a little salty. This is aging beautifully and I’ll try to pull my next bottle in 2 years or so.
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very elegant, fine bubbles, really masterfully crafted. Long finish with discrete sandal wood notes, biscuit, very fine bubbles, sublimely delineated. Wonderful!
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The wine was enjoyed on my 7 year wedding anniversary.
Decanted for approximately 45 minutes in a Zalto Carafe 67 designed to decant champagne and consumed over an additional 1.5 hrs. Grassl Mineralite stems were used and the serving temperature approximately 50°F.
The wine is based on the 2016 vintage and it was disgorged on 3/2020.
Tasting notes are very similar to my last note on 10/25/22 but this time the wine was better balanced and showed extremely well in the Mineralite stem The color was a paler salmon. The nose was of ocean sea breeze, white flowers, slightly citrusy and red fruits. There was lazer-like precision with very fine and lively mousse. The palate was of red apple, light red cherry, nuts and brioche with good salinity and high acidity that made tou want to keep coming back for more. The wine was medium bodied
This was a true joy to drink. I loved it! I'm fairly new to decanting champagne but this wine definitely benefited from the relatively short decantIt's one of the top champagnes I've drank in the past several years.
My score 95+
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Rich and complex notes of strawberries, baked apple, toasted hazelnuts, brioche and lemon oil. Great acidity with chalky minerality and an impressively long finish. A delicious champagne which paired well with a range of different dishes. Base 2016 disgorged March 2020.
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Medium gold with a salmon tinge. Pronounced, complex nose right off the bat, showing pink rose, apple, pear, mandarin, apricot, cranberry, honey, bread dough, and herbs. So much tension between the savory notes and fruit core on the palate. Bubbles are full of energy yet still creamy. High acidity and a long, saline finish. Pretty incredible Champagne.
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Decanted the wine in a newly shaped Zalto Carafe 67 designed to decant champage with a slim silhouette, longer neck, and glass ball closure.
I used 2 different style glasses, the Zalto Champagne stem and the Grassl Liberte. I prefered the Grassl for this wine but considerably more mousse in the Zalto, if you prefer your champagnes with bubbles.
The wine was paired with sashimi and spicy honey chicken.
The wine is based on the 2016 vintage and it was disgorged on 3/2020.
The color was a pale salmon. The nose was of ocean sea breeze and white flowers. There was lazer-like precision with very fine and lively mousse. There was a presence of light red fruits and almonds with good salinity and high acidity that kept your mouth watering.
This was a very enjoyable champagne!
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From memory. Reddish tinge to the colour. I remember finding tomatoes as well as strawberries in the nose. Firm, very dry but well-balanced and complex taste. Long aftertaste with citrus and a hint of iron. Great stuff.
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Definitely wish I had more than one small pour of this on PnP. Rich and round, but not distinctive or very energetic. Wouldn't have guessed this as a top level grower. Even though this was generously opened by Charlie near the end of the night, this was finished way too quickly.
Explosion on the nose of fruit and sweetness. On the palate it was also quite fruity, bordering on the sweeter side, but very, very enjoyable. I am surprised that this is considered and Extra Brut. The pinot comes shining through at the moment. I suspect this will benefit from a couple more years in the cellar, but I have been fooled before on this type of Champagne.
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Deep and penetrating, with tart red berry fruit and real mid-palate concentration. Well made and really very impressive, although I'm not sure it's leaps and bounds above other top growers, as recent pricing would suggest.
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4 pairs of top notch wines; 9/26/2021-9/27/2021 (Tøyen, Oslo): Warm summer breeze. Pineapple and yellow apples on the nose. Broad mouthfeel, dryness of wood. Quite floral, also mineral. Long, citrusy finish. Just a proper Champagne, surprised that a Blanc de noir did not bring more red fruits to the forefront. Grand wine! No idea how this will age, score only reflects current drinking.
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This was a banging wine to start a Cantonese dinner with. Poured golden in the glass with persistent bubbles throughout the whole dinner. Complex on the nose with aromas of brioche, baked yellow apple, lemon rind and some sea salt. Subtle & elegant like John Legend. Really good acid to brighten up the structure as well. Love it.
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Day 1: Popped and poured. Initially, moderate+ aromas apparent from a couple feet away that settled with air. Aromas/flavors of almond, hazelnut, nutmeg, with faint hints of vanilla and oyster shell. Fresh. More precise than 2014 and fewer red fruits (although the red cherry appeared with air). Medium+ body. Moderate+ complexity and a long racy finish. Disgorged 3/20. 93-95. Day 2: stopper used. Freshness/complexity fell off a bit. A bit more citrus today. 91-92.
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Meget saftig, næsten fersken-agtig næse, lidt appelsin-skal, lidt salt, frisk, man fornemmer lidt fad, men det er rart for det giver god dybde og kompleksitet. Super saftig mund, tør, masser af syre, men virkelig moden, blød frugt. Balancerer på kanten af det tutti-frutti og lidt for modne og tunge men syren balancerer det. Åbner en del med luft
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Poured blind. I didn't log notes or the disgorge date but I am certain this was the 2016. Was served from decanter, reflecting a lightly peachy color. In tasting this, my initial reaction was Vilmart Rubis, as it conveyed a red berry quality that I remember about Rubis. Of course, that quality can be in any BdN based wine, and sometimes the guess is more intuitive and hard to know where the inspiration is coming from. Ultimately, I was wrong, and as I think back to last night, this Maillons didn't have the more overt and rambunctious acidity of the Rubis. Instead, it was more gentle in the glass, balanced. There didn't seem to be anything out of place, just really put together, more elegant, weightless? I wish I had more to taste but it was finished at the table.
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Tried a short decant and it didn't seem to help, probably took away some needed freshness. Either way, wouldn't look to buy this, greatly preferred the coiled energy of the Les Pierrieres.
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A sense of place and terroir much like a Burgundy.
Pale rosy hay color. Brown butter and lemon curd bouquet. Sharp acid tempered with mellowing creamy mouthfeel. Brioche and baking spices-allspice, cinnamon, clove, and earl gray tea-linger on the finish which lasts upwards of 60 seconds.
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SLDS March 2021: Earthy, roses and strawberry on the nose. Good body to the palate, with fruit weight but also texture and crunchy acidity. Really flows well.
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What a great bottle of bubbles - as always. I can’t think of better champagne to serve with food. Golden color with a hint of pink. The nose is deep and full of red fruit and toast. The palate is incredibly deep and penetrating. Again, red berry fruit with a wonderful viscosity. Deep and long. Unique and simply wonderful. (95)
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The champagne you should be drinking Collin is always impressive, from his Saignee to his BDN and only a matter of time until you can't buy these anymore This "Les Maillons" is lemon and mineral driven with oyster shell and a slightly smoky nose. The palate is almost perfectly weighted with a pillowy soft center and citrus edges that lift and envelope All very nice stuff.
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Nyfiken från min sida var stor stor inför mitt första möte med denna BdN från Olivier Collin. Denna legendar som fick sin inspiration som vinodlare av Anselme Selosse efter en kortare jobbperiod där 2001 som senare gjorde att han därefter tog över en del av familjens vingårdar som de vid det tillfället leasade ut!
Åhhhh vilken fantastisk champagne... ahhhh bara att låta huvudet falla bakåt och njuta! Stor, full av intryck och med en lång eftersmak...
Som bonus att få sitta uppkrupen i soffan med min fru och att det är fredag em... ❤️
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I just love this stuff. Rich, full, complex and long. This bottle (disgorged in March 18) is a bit more restrained than past bottles. Not to suggest this is a wimpy wine - it certainly is not! Lots of yellow plum. This can use a few years. (93+)
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Very tight, showing a lovely brassy minerality but quite dry and austere at present. Revisiting the leftovers on day 3, this now features a lovely spiced red apple profile, very pure and linear in the Olivier style. This 2016 might not be at the level of the 2015, but should be very good in time.
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Great champagne to celebrate a special day. The richest, most mouth coating bubbles out there. Yet still full of vibrancy and juicy acidity. I can drink this all day. Incredible length. Love it. (94+)
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Disgorged February 2016. Light salmon / copper color. Winey, Pinot fruit nose that shows strawberry and some yeast. Full, powerful and full of dry extract. This is glorious and absolutely one of my favorite Champagne producers. Consistently terrific. Could use a few years to round out. (94+)
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3/31/2024 - Mag357 wrote:
Not overtly complex, fine for its level, not so long and a tad sweet.
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2/27/2024 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 95 Points
Base vintage 2016, 50% reserve wines from 2015, disgorged March 2020 with a dosage of 2.4 gr/l, bottle No. 3990 from 18,500 bottles produced, 12.5% ABV. Made with 100% Pinot Noir from a single vineyard in the Côteaux du Sézannais. Full yellow colour with ruddy cheeks; impressive and expressive nose, not the usual red apple fruit but rather stone fruits (plum, peach) and tangerine, with notes of honey and frangipane, spicy depty; full-bodied and mouth-coating palate, very precise for a wine so richly laden with ripe fruit, resting on a firm foundation of racy acidity and minerality, creamy mousse; excellent resonance and length, peach liqueur. In a beautiful place right now, the 4 years of post-disgorgement ageing have served it well. For my palate, this is at perfect peak. At Maison François, London, UK.
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12/2/2023 - jviz wrote: 94 Points
Excellent bottle. Forward and intense, with some earthy elements and orchard fruit, no red fruits to me, but instead savory and a little salty. This is aging beautifully and I’ll try to pull my next bottle in 2 years or so.
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9/8/2023 - JAMES LAI Likes this wine: 90 Points
very elegant, fine bubbles, really masterfully crafted. Long finish with discrete sandal wood notes, biscuit, very fine bubbles, sublimely delineated. Wonderful!
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5/29/2023 - JustBreathe680 Likes this wine: 95 Points
The wine was enjoyed on my 7 year wedding anniversary.
Decanted for approximately 45 minutes in a Zalto Carafe 67 designed to decant champagne and consumed over an additional 1.5 hrs. Grassl Mineralite stems were used and the serving temperature approximately 50°F.
The wine is based on the 2016 vintage and it was disgorged on 3/2020.
Tasting notes are very similar to my last note on 10/25/22 but this time the wine was better balanced and showed extremely well in the Mineralite stem
The color was a paler salmon. The nose was of ocean sea breeze, white flowers, slightly citrusy and red fruits. There was lazer-like precision with very fine and lively mousse. The palate was of red apple, light red cherry, nuts and brioche with good salinity and high acidity that made tou want to keep coming back for more. The wine was medium bodied
This was a true joy to drink. I loved it! I'm fairly new to decanting champagne but this wine definitely benefited from the relatively short decantIt's one of the top champagnes I've drank in the past several years.
My score 95+
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4/16/2023 - Matt3568 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rich and complex notes of strawberries, baked apple, toasted hazelnuts, brioche and lemon oil. Great acidity with chalky minerality and an impressively long finish. A delicious champagne which paired well with a range of different dishes. Base 2016 disgorged March 2020.
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4/15/2023 - hprphf wrote: 93 Points
Much better than the 2017, at least not sweet, yoghurt, creamy, vanilla, rich. 93
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12/22/2022 - Alex Barbera Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sehr gut
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11/26/2022 - canan wrote: 94 Points
Christmas BYO (Michaels House): Creamy and plenty of red apples with a touch of minerality. Great depth and I simply loved it!
Disgorged 2019.
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10/28/2022 - billyloveswine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Medium gold with a salmon tinge. Pronounced, complex nose right off the bat, showing pink rose, apple, pear, mandarin, apricot, cranberry, honey, bread dough, and herbs. So much tension between the savory notes and fruit core on the palate. Bubbles are full of energy yet still creamy. High acidity and a long, saline finish. Pretty incredible Champagne.
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10/25/2022 - JustBreathe680 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted the wine in a newly shaped Zalto Carafe 67 designed to decant champage with a slim silhouette, longer neck, and glass ball closure.
I used 2 different style glasses, the Zalto Champagne stem and the Grassl Liberte. I prefered the Grassl for this wine but considerably more mousse in the Zalto, if you prefer your champagnes with bubbles.
The wine was paired with sashimi and spicy honey chicken.
The wine is based on the 2016 vintage and it was disgorged on 3/2020.
The color was a pale salmon. The nose was of ocean sea breeze and white flowers. There was lazer-like precision with very fine and lively mousse. There was a presence of light red fruits and almonds with good salinity and high acidity that kept your mouth watering.
This was a very enjoyable champagne!
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10/20/2022 - DK Amateur Likes this wine:
From memory. Reddish tinge to the colour. I remember finding tomatoes as well as strawberries in the nose. Firm, very dry but well-balanced and complex taste. Long aftertaste with citrus and a hint of iron. Great stuff.
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7/22/2022 - Satoshi Nakamoto wrote:
2019 disgorgement, 2016 vintage base.
Definitely wish I had more than one small pour of this on PnP. Rich and round, but not distinctive or very energetic. Wouldn't have guessed this as a top level grower. Even though this was generously opened by Charlie near the end of the night, this was finished way too quickly.
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7/19/2022 - Alex Barbera Likes this wine: 95 Points
Einer der Höhepunkte der Probe in Beverly
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7/1/2022 - Neecies Likes this wine:
WT's. Pale yellowish pink color. Coconut ginger, nutmeg and apricot: fascinating, exceptional.
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6/19/2022 - WST Likes this wine:
Citrus , ginger, peach. Nice wine, needs time
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6/5/2022 - Highlander wrote:
Explosion on the nose of fruit and sweetness. On the palate it was also quite fruity, bordering on the sweeter side, but very, very enjoyable. I am surprised that this is considered and Extra Brut. The pinot comes shining through at the moment. I suspect this will benefit from a couple more years in the cellar, but I have been fooled before on this type of Champagne.
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4/29/2022 - mchern02 wrote: 93 Points
Very fresh with deep red berry fruit, good citrus notes, classy, elegant and youthful. Upside from here but ripping and singing today.
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3/31/2022 - rc@ughey wrote: 92 Points
Deep and penetrating, with tart red berry fruit and real mid-palate concentration. Well made and really very impressive, although I'm not sure it's leaps and bounds above other top growers, as recent pricing would suggest.
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2/5/2022 - AWBryce wrote:
Nose is grapefruit, lemon peel, palate is high acid, high toned fruit,fine bubbles. Med finish
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1/17/2022 - Darjeeling Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent, fresh and lifted.
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9/26/2021 - Hugo Hilde Likes this wine: 94 Points
4 pairs of top notch wines; 9/26/2021-9/27/2021 (Tøyen, Oslo): Warm summer breeze. Pineapple and yellow apples on the nose.
Broad mouthfeel, dryness of wood. Quite floral, also mineral.
Long, citrusy finish.
Just a proper Champagne, surprised that a Blanc de noir did not bring more red fruits to the forefront. Grand wine!
No idea how this will age, score only reflects current drinking.
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9/3/2021 - grapenomad wrote: 92 Points
This was a banging wine to start a Cantonese dinner with. Poured golden in the glass with persistent bubbles throughout the whole dinner. Complex on the nose with aromas of brioche, baked yellow apple, lemon rind and some sea salt. Subtle & elegant like John Legend. Really good acid to brighten up the structure as well. Love it.
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7/17/2021 - Bathtub58 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Day 1: Popped and poured. Initially, moderate+ aromas apparent from a couple feet away that settled with air. Aromas/flavors of almond, hazelnut, nutmeg, with faint hints of vanilla and oyster shell. Fresh. More precise than 2014 and fewer red fruits (although the red cherry appeared with air). Medium+ body. Moderate+ complexity and a long racy finish. Disgorged 3/20. 93-95.
Day 2: stopper used. Freshness/complexity fell off a bit. A bit more citrus today. 91-92.
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7/9/2021 - Kepr wrote:
Meget saftig, næsten fersken-agtig næse, lidt appelsin-skal, lidt salt, frisk, man fornemmer lidt fad, men det er rart for det giver god dybde og kompleksitet. Super saftig mund, tør, masser af syre, men virkelig moden, blød frugt. Balancerer på kanten af det tutti-frutti og lidt for modne og tunge men syren balancerer det. Åbner en del med luft
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4/29/2021 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Poured blind. I didn't log notes or the disgorge date but I am certain this was the 2016. Was served from decanter, reflecting a lightly peachy color. In tasting this, my initial reaction was Vilmart Rubis, as it conveyed a red berry quality that I remember about Rubis. Of course, that quality can be in any BdN based wine, and sometimes the guess is more intuitive and hard to know where the inspiration is coming from. Ultimately, I was wrong, and as I think back to last night, this Maillons didn't have the more overt and rambunctious acidity of the Rubis. Instead, it was more gentle in the glass, balanced. There didn't seem to be anything out of place, just really put together, more elegant, weightless? I wish I had more to taste but it was finished at the table.
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4/17/2021 - Robert Pavlovich wrote:
Tried a short decant and it didn't seem to help, probably took away some needed freshness. Either way, wouldn't look to buy this, greatly preferred the coiled energy of the Les Pierrieres.
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3/24/2021 - Pimelles Likes this wine: 95 Points
A sense of place and terroir much like a Burgundy.
Pale rosy hay color. Brown butter and lemon curd bouquet. Sharp acid tempered with mellowing creamy mouthfeel. Brioche and baking spices-allspice, cinnamon, clove, and earl gray tea-linger on the finish which lasts upwards of 60 seconds.
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3/17/2021 - CamWheeler wrote: 92 Points
SLDS March 2021: Earthy, roses and strawberry on the nose. Good body to the palate, with fruit weight but also texture and crunchy acidity. Really flows well.
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2/28/2021 - R.H. Likes this wine:
pours a rose gold hue. just a smoking bottle of champagne. loved this (even more than I usually love maillons). disg 3/2020
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2/13/2021 - dbkitc wrote: 95 Points
What a great bottle of bubbles - as always. I can’t think of better champagne to serve with food. Golden color with a hint of pink. The nose is deep and full of red fruit and toast. The palate is incredibly deep and penetrating. Again, red berry fruit with a wonderful viscosity. Deep and long. Unique and simply wonderful. (95)
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2/10/2021 - nynrgtrader@gmail.com Likes this wine:
The champagne you should be drinking
Collin is always impressive, from his Saignee to his BDN and only a matter of time until you can't buy these anymore
This "Les Maillons" is lemon and mineral driven with oyster shell and a slightly smoky nose. The palate is almost perfectly weighted with a pillowy soft center and citrus edges that lift and envelope
All very nice stuff.
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1/8/2021 - 1W2T Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nyfiken från min sida var stor stor inför mitt första möte med denna BdN från Olivier Collin. Denna legendar som fick sin inspiration som vinodlare av Anselme Selosse efter en kortare jobbperiod där 2001 som senare gjorde att han därefter tog över en del av familjens vingårdar som de vid det tillfället leasade ut!
Åhhhh vilken fantastisk champagne... ahhhh bara att låta huvudet falla bakåt och njuta! Stor, full av intryck och med en lång eftersmak...
Som bonus att få sitta uppkrupen i soffan med min fru och att det är fredag em... ❤️
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11/26/2020 - dbkitc wrote: 93 Points
I just love this stuff. Rich, full, complex and long. This bottle (disgorged in March 18) is a bit more restrained than past bottles. Not to suggest this is a wimpy wine - it certainly is not! Lots of yellow plum. This can use a few years. (93+)
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11/20/2020 - 5laton wrote:
Very tight, showing a lovely brassy minerality but quite dry and austere at present.
Revisiting the leftovers on day 3, this now features a lovely spiced red apple profile, very pure and linear in the Olivier style.
This 2016 might not be at the level of the 2015, but should be very good in time.
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9/28/2020 - dbkitc wrote: 94 Points
Great champagne to celebrate a special day. The richest, most mouth coating bubbles out there. Yet still full of vibrancy and juicy acidity. I can drink this all day. Incredible length. Love it. (94+)
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7/24/2020 - heegaard Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fantastic
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1/2/2019 - dbkitc wrote: 94 Points
Disgorged February 2016. Light salmon / copper color. Winey, Pinot fruit nose that shows strawberry and some yeast. Full, powerful and full of dry extract. This is glorious and absolutely one of my favorite Champagne producers. Consistently terrific. Could use a few years to round out. (94+)
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