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 1979 Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame
(62% Pinot Noir, 38% Chardonnay; Disgorged ~ late 1980s; $190-300 US)
Well, the bottle is butt ugly. The Grande Dame bottle was changed in 1985
(both old and new bottles exist of the 1985 vintage) to the current
design, and just looking at this, you understand why. But, you don’t
judge a wine by its bottle…A rich yellow golden color and good bubble
action brings a smile to my face. This bottle looks like it has some
potential. The nose is wonderful with mature notes and an aroma that
reminds me of apple pie made with a crust that is crumbly and consists
of graham cracker, lots of butter, and brown sugar. Joining the apple pie on
the plate is a piece of chocolate and, for decoration, some lemon zest.
The palate is so young. It shows a striking acidity that reminds me of a
cross between grapefruit and cranberry; it is racy with yeastiness as
you would expect a much, much younger wine to be. Warm honeyed biscuits
with a slab or melted butter also join in the flavor parade. This is a
spectacular wine that shows nice maturity, but is still very young. It
is also quite dry. Although I note many sweeter flavors, the acidity
balances everything out very nicely. The finish shows spicy biscuits and
mouthwatering lemon ice water flavors that cleanse the palate and ready you for the next glass. This is in no danger of fading so drink up or continue cellaring. A wonderful
bottle that reminds me that Veuve can make great wine. One of the best
wines I have had in 2006 and I am glad I have more.
Grade of A (93-96 pts).
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 NV Henri Giraud Francois Hemart Brut
(70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay; Ay, Champagne, France; Aged in Argonne
Forest oak for 6 months; Disgorged ~2005; $50-60 US)
A big nose of nuts, lemon blossoms, baking spice, and a hint of oak
coated pear has me interested. A palate led by chewy-spiced almonds
joining yellow apples and pears has me captivated. It is very smooth on
the mouth, extremely well balanced in
acidity/sweetness/richness/elegance and has an every so slightly sweet
nuttiness on the creamy finish that leaves me swooning. This is a very
good NV and is a textbook course in balancing big oak laced flavors with
bright fruit flavors. In fact, I think it is one of the best. It isn’t
cheap in the NV world, but it is at the top of the class and can easily
give the best of them (some of which are in the 100 USD ballpark) a
challenge and win at least half the time (probably more). In that
regard, you could say it is under priced. I really liked the Rosé, but I
like this even more. Put it this way, if you open a bottle in my
presence, you better get your glass fast because I am going to grab the
bottle and pour it down the hatch before you realize what happened.
Henri Giraud is on a roll and if you
haven’t heard of him yet, you will
or at least you should make it a point to try a glass. You will not be
disappointed with any of their wines. Grade of A- (90-92 pts).
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 1985 Jacquesson DT
(40% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier; Disgorged April 17,
2001; $75-150 US)
The nose on this is a bit worrisome at first, as it is rather
bland and a bit off-putting; it seems to show characters of Lingenfelder
Satyr Sekt (some rubber, flint, lemon-lime petrol). Over time, it
improves and gains a buttery toast with a hint of caramel aroma. It is
nice and shows some promise, but the toast is a little too dried out for
my taste, which leads me to believe that this low dosage late release
Champagne is a bit past its prime time drinking window. A rather odd
initial slippery mouthfeel eventually dries out with time and
leads into flavors of minerals, flint, toast, a bit of earth, some
rubber, and a nice, rich, warm brown sugar and butter mixture. It
isn’t sweet, but the brown sugar aspect is unmistakable to me. The fruit
is quite young with plenty of lemon led citrus mingling with dry
peaches. Where this really loses it is on the finish, where it is rather short
and drying. I should have drunk this 2-3 years ago. Overall this isn’t a
bad wine, but it isn’t very good either. The rubber and Sekt notes do not
belong in Champagne, but would make this the best and most
Champagne-like Sekt I have ever had (which isn’t saying much). I also
don’t think the finish is worthy of any type of praise. Skip this 750
and go buy a magnum of the 1985. It is a Blanc de Blancs in that
bottling and I have heard it is much better. Grade of C+ (77-79), but
this disgorgement is past its prime and fading; that said, I can’t see
this ever being more than a B at its absolute peak (83-86 pts).
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1995 Bollinger Grande Annee
(61% Pinot Noir, 39% Chardonnay; Disgorged ~2001; $65-90 US)
This shows a nose of powerful citrus mixed with a wild dough and yeast
mixture; some apples and a touch of floral peach also join in. On the
palate, it isn't quite as expressive, but shows good acidity and plenty
of young biscuit dough and yeast to mix with lemons, apples, and pears.
A nice creamy, nutty, slightly spicy oak kick comes in towards the end
and opens the door for a rather long finish. I really enjoyed this wine
and it is very well built. I wish the fruit on the palate was a bit more
expressive, but it is still quite young. You can drink it now, though I
think it will age gracefully and improve. A lot of the critics have
really fallen for this wine, while most I know who have tasted it have
enjoyed it very much, but not seen greatness in it (this is how I feel).
Grade of A- (90-92 pts) for today with a shot at Low A (93 pts)
potential over time.
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1995 Bollinger RD (Recently Disgorged)
(63% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay; 82% Grand Crus; 18% Premier Crus; First
fermentation in oak; No malolactic; ~3-4 g/L dosage; Disgorged June 10,
2005; $140-200 US)
This wine takes on a nice light golden color in the glass, but is rather
shut down on the cork pop. It takes it about an hour for the nose to
wake up, but when it does, warm and browned biscuits mix with spicy
lemon blossoms and a hint of white peach. It is quite intriguing. The
white peach is deep down in there, but when you find it and lock in on
it, it really lifts the wine up synergistically. After such a wonderful
nose, the palate is a let down. After such a thrilling, complex, and
balanced nose, I can’t help buy find a bit of an off-focus and
unbalanced cuvee here. Dry biscuits lead the way and mix with some juicy
pears, but the acidity and dryness is rather overpowering. The finish is
a bit bitter and full of bland nuts and dry cream that ruin a nice
fluffy lemon-peach flavor. For many wines, these shortcomings aren’t
defects, but just a sign that they need some time to blossom into
adulthood. However with an 11 year old Extra Brut, things get worrisome.
For a late disgorged, 11-year-old Extra Brut, you pretty much get to the
point of “never had it, never will”. If I were Bollinger, I would not
have released this for another 5 years. I mean, really, do you need to
have an RD out at only 10-12 years old. Do something special and at
least wait for 15 years. With this vintage I think waiting would have
helped to mellow some of the acidity without costing the wine its
“freshness”. The RDs aren’t going to last and develop for very long so
they have to be ready to go. The peak drinking window is only 2-5 years.
If you don’t time the disgorgements well and dose correctly, you can
lose the top of the peak. This is why I have almost always preferred
the Grande Annee over RD. I love the biscuity/dark toast notes of the RD,
but it doesn’t ever seem to hit the same highs as a well-cellared Grande
Anne. 1990 is the only time I really felt the RDs outclassed the Grande Annees. For 1995 (and most vintages), my advice would be to buy
well-cellared Grande Annees for 50-65% of the price of the RDs and cellar
them. They will taste a bit different, but in my experience, the Grande Annee will be the more complete wine. You could also wait ~5 years for a
future disgorgement of the 1995 RD. I think there will be more potential
then. I know others have loved this, but I don’t. I know I have really
focused on the negatives and not the positives, but for the price I
think that is appropriate. 1995 Bollinger RD is a good wine, but I don’t
think it is worth the money for the current disgorgements and it is
rather disappointing. Grade of B+ (87-89 pts).
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 2000 Deutz
Brut Rosé
(100% Pinot Noir with 80 % from Montagne de Reims and 20% from Vallee de
la Marne; Red Wine Addition of 9% from vieilles vignes de Ay; Disgorged
late 2004; $50-60 USD )
Pale pink salmon in color with a beautiful young mousse. Light aromas of
strawberries, cream, clove, and light orange zest highlight the nose.
The clove is especially nice as it gives this wine a nice warming
dimension that is a perfect fit for a winter’s night. The palate is full
of big, slightly meaty and slightly tart ruby red grapefruit, fluffy
cream flavored with a touch of strawberry and a dough that shows a hint
of baking spice (mix of cinnamon, allspice, and/or clove). The finish is
rather effervescent and has a mineral aspect that leaves the mouth
waiting for another taste. This wine doesn’t blow you away, but it is
well made and brings a nice mix of elegance and some bolder flavors.
Much better than past vintages of this Rosé have been on release; I like
this. Grade of High B+ (88-90 pts).
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 1996 Moet and Chandon Cuvee Dom Perignon
(Approximately 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay; Full malolactic;$110-175
US)
It has been a year since I last had this wine. I have always enjoyed it,
but have yet to be blown away with it. As it is young, that doesn’t
bother me. This has always shown excellent potential. What has always
left me scratching my head is that Moet has never really found this
vintage of Dom to be anything special. In fact they have gone out of
their way to point this out. The critics and general public love it
though, so it has really started to increase in value since its release
price of $99. I figured it was due for a check in so we popped and
poured a bottle. It is light and bright pale hay in color and gives off
loads of fruit on the nose. Aromas of peaches, pears, apples, oranges,
lemons, and limes mix with soft pink flowers and honey kissed dough.
Given 1-2 hours to breathe, this wine really opens up. A light but not
too light body gains some weight with air time and develops a wonderful
spicy richness that mixes with lemon and lime zest to form the backbone
of the palate. Light biscuit dough, orange pulp, allspice, and floral
spiked mineral water close out the flavors and lead into a rich orange
and mineral driven finish, and it just keeps getting better. I would
have guessed that it would be starting to sleep right now, but it is
even more open than ever. As with all Dom vintages, it goes down way too
easy, but give it some air and watch out. This is great stuff. The Moet
basic vintage brut from 1996 is also very nice and was only $40-$50 on
release. If you can find a bottle, it is worth it. Also, if you can find
the 1996 Dom at current release prices ($110-$120), I would pick it up.
This wine is already wonderful and it is going to be very, very good. I
have always liked it, but didn’t think it would be this good so soon and
show this much potential. I’ve put my wallet where my mouth is and
continue to stock up on it. Grade of Low A (92-94 pts) for today with
definite High A potential (94-97 pts) in 10-20 years.
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NV Jean Laurent Brut Rose
(Celles-sur-Ource; 100% Pinot Noir; 5 years aging on the lees; disgorged
in Aug/Sept 2005; $35-45 US)
This is always a brilliant wine and didn’t disappoint this time either.
The nose showed scents of big, red, giant, bubbly strawberries mixed
with yeasty biscuits. It is big and exhilarating. The palate shows a
nice meatiness mixed with sweet strawberry fruit, bold biscuits, and a
red citrus tangy zip. This is always a treat and I loved it. A great
value. Grade of High B+ (88-90 pts).
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NV Pierre Moncuit Cuvee Pierre Moncuit-Delos Grand Cru Blanc de
Blancs
(100% Chardonnay; Le Mesnil-sur-Oger; Disgorged Sept. 2005; $30-40 US)
Pierrer Moncuit has been on a huge upswing lately. Their wines just keep
getting better and better, but the prices have remained low. That makes
me like ‘em all the more. The nose shows toasty pears and a hint of
smoky minerals. It is quite expressive and elegant, but with a dose of
smoky oomph to let you know it has arrived. A young palate is
highlighted by tart citrus and a toasty streak that runs its way through
a crowd of flint and fresh young pears. After some air time, a gang of
citrus moves from the back to the front. This is quite refreshing and a
wonderful wine to relax with. Grade of Low B+ (86-88 pts).
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NV Alfred Gratien Cuvee Paradis
(Approximately 75% Chardonnay; 15% Pinot Noir, 10% Pinot Meunier; Oak
fermentation; 12% alc; Bottle number 17196; $75-100 US)
This bottle has been hanging around my cellar for about 4 years and I’m
told it dates back to the late 90s so it had some age on it. The nose
showed it as aromas of nuts and sherry dominated the spicy citrus notes.
While the Cuvee Paradis always shows some sherry and oxidation, this was
showing more than usual. The palate was much better than the nose as it
filled my mouth up with nutty and creamy notes, clean citrus, some
baking spice, and a wonderful oxidative, sherry note that lifts the wine
up. The aging on this bottle has done it well as the younger base wine
and older reserve wines have meshed nicely. The finish is long and
spiked with lovely nutty sherry notes. While I enjoyed this wine, the
fruit is missing and the sherry and oxidative notes are out of balance a
bit because of this. Gratien is known as being a poor man’s Krug. If
they would use better fruit, I think this wine would move up a notch,
but for now it is a good wine, but not a good value. I think you can
cellar the basic NV Alfred Gratien Brut for 4-5 years and get a similar
experience at 33-40% of the price. Grade of B+ (87-89 pts).
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NV Laurent-Perrier Demi-Sec
(45% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, 15% Pinot Meunier,10-20% reserve wines;
45 g/L dosage; $30-40 US)
The sushi we had this with was very good, but as for the wine, well, it
was rather lacking. The nose started off clumsy with peaches and pears
mixing with fluffy and somewhat overbearing aromas of fake confection
sugar. The palate is similar and overall this wine comes off too sweet
and fake for me and it ruins some of the nice, crisp green apple flavors
that would be attractive if they weren’t dressed up with so much
powdered sugar. The sugar turns this wine into a green apple jolly
rancher and I don’t like it. Oh yeah, I didn’t mention a finish, because
this wine doesn’t have one. I love the Grand Siecle and NV Brut from
Laurent-Perrier, but not this one. Grade of Low C- (69-71 pts).
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NV Taittinger Prestige Rosé
(Approximately 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier; 12-15% Red Wine
Addition; Disgorged 2002; $50-60 US)
Orange-pink salmon in color with a nice fizz. Aromas of strawberry-lemon
sherbet mixed with a zippy floral spice and touch of chalk and minerals
make up the nose. The chalk, mineral and spice mixture can lead to some
jagged bitterness, but other than that the nose is quite nice. As for
the palate, it shows a good dense body with a dose of ruby red
grapefruit, some strawberry, lemon, and a good dose of toasty, peachy,
earthiness. Over time, some biscuitiness also works its way in. This
shows an excellent creaminess and while good alone, can handle and
compliment almost any dish you can throw at it. It finishes up with a
sherbety, creamy, red citrus flavor that lingers on for quite a while
and leaves the mouth watering. This is very balanced and one of the few
wines that seems to handle such a high dose of Pinot Meunier so well and
in fact may be all the better for it. This wine has 4-5 years of
post-disgorgement aging and every day has made it all the better. While
it is enjoyable on purchase, this is so damn good now that you need to
make it a point to age not only this wine, but all of your NV Champagnes
-- at least for a couple years. You will be much happier for it. I
guarantee it. This is oh so close to A- territory, but a
High B+ and 89
points for this wine.
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1996 Thienot Brut Millesime
(Approximately 50% Chardonnay from Avize & Mesnil-sur-Oger, ~50% Pinot
Noir from Ay, Rilly la Montagne, & Hautvillers; $40-50 US)
Dry, baking spice laced, yeasty biscuit aromas mix with a subdued
combination of empty lemon-lime and pears. Together they don’t exactly
form an attractive nose where each aroma is complimentary to the other.
Overall the aromatics are a bit thin and don’t exactly pull me in. It isn’t
horrible, but it is not only subdued, it also has a disturbing aspect
to it that I can’t put my finger on.
It gets better over a few hours, but never completely loses the
disturbing character. The palate shows excellent acidity, but it is a
bit bitter and overly dry. It starts with a nice dose of lime-laced zestiness, but this quickly disappears and is replaced by a thin acidic
void. Combine this void acidity with some under ripe pears and rather
nice yeasty notes and I think you have the hallmark of a young wine
maturing with a fruit component that cannot and will not match the
acidity; the fruit is just too weak. It finishes up quite nice with a
creamy lemon-lime/Sprite biscuit dough note, but that cannot make up for
the lack of fruit through the palate. Overall, this is a disappointing
1996, as the fruit just isn’t there. On release it showed great acidity
and some decent tart apple and pear notes, but those notes are fading
fast into a nice biscuit component, but without the fruit, there is
nothing to balance the acidity evolution. This is a wine that makes a
good case for when malolactic should be done (I have no clue as to this
house’s malo regime, but it doesn’t taste like it saw any or at least
not much more than a touch) as I think it is a wine whose fruit called
for it to be fully mature and peaking between 10 and 15 years old.
Unfortunately, since the acidity was not balanced with the fruit, I do
not think this will happen and this wine is not getting better. I have
not had the complete line from Thienot, but among the NV, Vintage Brut,
and Vintage Rosé, the only one I have had success with across vintages
has been the vintage Rosé. As I mentioned earlier, this wine improves
quite a bit with time to breathe, and even more when you let it warm up
(as the acidity is mellowed), but even then, it only
gets up to a Grade of C+ (76-78 pts).
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NV Henri Billiot Brut Reserve
(80% Pinot Noir. 20% Chardonnay; 50% 2001, 25% 2000, 25% 1999; Grand Cru
from Ambonnay; Disgorged late 2005; $40-50 US)
A nose of ripe tangerines and mandarin oranges mixes with sparkling
mineral water and a few doughy notes to form a nose that could only be
Billiot. A bright and young tangelo (just seeing how many orange-like
fruits I could find in this wine) flavor leads the palate into other
flavors of tart peaches and light pears. This is literally a mountain of
bright, young, tart fruit. There is some creamy, slightly sweetened dough
hiding way in the back too, but this is all fruit right now. I swear, I
even find some slight minty sage notes in this wine!?! With time, a
wonderful spicy and yeasty toast note emerges. Finding a
toasty note in such a highly Pinot Noir content wine is not common, but
I always seem to find it in Billiot’s NV Brut Tradition and Reserve
cuvee. This is not to say that these wines do not taste of Pinot, they do,
but they have a toasty element that is not always found in the company
of those Pinot flavors. A medium length bitter cream and slightly drying
finish closes the wine out on a harsh note, but bottle age should mellow
it out. This is a very unique wine, as are all of Billiot’s cuvees. You
really just have to try Billiot’s wines to understand this, but I have
never had anything that tastes similar to the Billiot range. They are
ripe, they are bright, and they are unique. My personal favorite is the
Rosé, but the whole range is good and well priced. They are dosed very
low, but you would never know, as the fruit is so bright and succulent.
Grade of High B (85-87 pts).
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1998 Veuve Clicquot Vintage Reserve
(59% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay, 8% Pinot Meunier; Mix of premier and
grand crus; Disgorged 2004; $40-60 US)
This shows a fresh citrus spritzer nose that mixes with raw biscuit
dough, some apricots, and a scent that reminds me of brewers yeast. They
form a strange mix that while not very attractive, does make me want to
taste the wine. It shows a good acidity and has a fresh zesty
streak of slightly spicy orange and bright peach that runs through it,
but it also has way too much dry, yeasty, biscuit flavor and comes
off starchy. The finish is creamy, but quickly becomes chalky, as the
annoying starch element turns into an eraser pounding chalk powder fest.
Cleaning erasers was fun in elementary school, but it isn’t very
enjoyable in my wine. This one has some very good points and shows much
of the early drinking character of the 1998 vintage, but it just doesn’t
pull it together. The citrus acidity and starchiness/chalkiness combine
to form a harsh and slightly soapy character that just shows through the
back of the palate as a defect to me. It does seem to go better with
food so up this a couple points to a low B if you are having it with
turkey and stuffing. The 98 VC Rosé knocked my socks off, but this keeps
them on. It does not have the quality that I expect from a vintage wine;
however this would not be so bad if it was bottled as their NV.
Grade of High B- (81-83 pts) with the possibility of a more Low B (83-85 pts) if
you enjoy it with food.
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1995 Nicolas Feuillatte Cuvee Speciale
(40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier; Mix of premier and
grand crus; Disgorged ~ 2004; $45-60 US)
Lots of peaches along with creamy, slightly racy biscuit dough and
sugar cookies greet your nose. These aromas lead into a slightly chewy
body that shows flavors of peach, lime-led citrus, dough and sweet
cream. Some clean mineral and shortbread cookie flavors also weave in
and out of the wine. It finishes up with a bit of meatiness that mixes
with a kick of clean lime zest, a touch of cream and a fresh linen
character. A very well put together wine. It certainly will not knock
you out, but it is a good-sized step up from Feuillatte’s NV range. It
shows good body and some nice and lively flavors, but the Pinot Meunier
is a bit too rustic for the too clean and correct Chardonnay and Pinot
Noir. It just doesn’t all come together and while good, this never seems
to take it to that next level. Feuillatte’s wines always seem to almost
get there, but almost doesn’t count. Grade of solid B (85-87 pts).
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NV Mumm Cordon Rouge
(45% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Meunier; 10 g/L dosage;
Disgorged early 2006; $25-35 US)
I am the first to admit that I am biased. I don’t want to like Mumm’s
wines. Most of them that date from the '80s and early '90s were
horrible. In fact, if I were to put together a list of the worst
Champagnes I have tasted, Mumm would be victorious as the leading loser.
This house was once so good prior to the '80s, but they really stunk it
up after the '79 vintage IMO. That said, I have enjoyed their Mumm de
Cramant that dates from the mid '90s and have heard that their vintage
wines are quite good again. I have often sampled fresh bottles of Mumm’s
NV Cordon Rouge and I have always found it clumsy and sometimes
off-putting. But, I’ve recently heard some good things about how the
bottles have turned out with a few years of age on them. I figured I
should buy a bottle and give it a chance. I decided to pop a bottle and
drink it over a couple nights. I didn’t like this wine much with the
first glass. It was too earthy, and bitter, and fluffy, and just not
very good. I tried a second glass 5 hours later and it had put on some
weight and started to fill out, but it still wasn’t great. I then found
out that this shows much better with some time to open up… like an
entire day. Even on day 2, the nose never became a favorite of mine. It
is way too earthy and shows that fluffy dirty peach aroma that screams
low class Pinot Meunier to me. However, the palate shows nice weight and
a good mix of light earthiness, lively citrus, cream, young dough, and
orange laced peaches. It somehow managed to show a nice weighty body and
stay light and a bit fluffy at the same time. A nice mouthwatering
creamy flavor that brings to mind a river laced with slightly sweet
orange cream running over rocks that are speckled with earthy spots
makes up the finish. I know it is a strange descriptor, but this isn’t
half bad on day 2 and it does make me go back for a second glass. Now, I
am not going to claim this is a great wine, but I think if you let these
bottles age, you will be pleasantly surprised. I really think they will
turn out okay. Mumm made some very nice wines once Dominique Demarville
began making them in 1995. Now that he has left to join Veuve
Clicquot (who I think can really use his help), I wonder where this
house will go. I hope its improvement continues. So what do you do with
this wine? My advice would be to cellar it for a few years and make sure
you keep it chilled when you serve it. Warmth doesn’t compliment this
wine. It needs to be kept at a nice 50-54 deg F (10-12 deg C). I can’t
believe I am saying this, but I don’t dislike this wine. It isn’t my
favorite, but it is better than I expected and you can do much worse for
$30. I will locate an aged bottle of this and see what I think and I now
also plan on trying a Carte Classique…and if I like that one then maybe
the sky is falling. Grade of Low B (82-84 pts), but it only got a low C
(73-74 points) for the first couple hours after opening.
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Panciu Romanian Legacy Grand Premier Brut Rose
(I have no clue what grapes went into this bottle; Romania; Methode
Champenoise; $10-15 US)
It hits the glass with a deep red salmon color and has me interested.
The nose is like nothing else I have ever come across. It is almost like
Angostura bitters mixed with spoiled dough, and red grapefruit; it is
very odd. As for how it tastes, ha ha ha ha ha… Well, it has some dry
biscuity notes that are mixed with soap, creamy chalk, gravel, dried out
old grapefruit, and a bit of black pepper. The finish is creamy, but
shows a harsh and bitter aspect to it. Overall, you can sum this wine up
as a red grapefruit that you left in the fridge a month too long. It is
all dried out and doesn’t taste very good. This isn’t the worst wine I
have ever had, but it isn’t good and I would never buy it again nor
accept a glass of it. If this is all the legacy that Romania has to
offer….Grade of F (less than 59 points).
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1996 Henri Giraud Fut de Chene
(70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay; Ay, Champagne, France; Vinified in
Argonne Forest oak; Bottle 04650; Disgorged ~2005; $130-170 US)
Lovely scents of peaches and lemon-lime zest mix with creamy oak laced
biscuits to form a nose that grabs you. The palate grips you even
tighter with flavors of spicy, nutty and lightly sherry laced oak,
lemon-lime, yellow apples, peaches, tangerines, and biscuits. This is a
big wine with big flavor and I love it. Everything is well balanced and
it clearly has the acidity to age for a good while. The finish is creamy
and shows a good dose of oak, but it also has a spicy sherry laced
aspect to it that I enjoy. This is just plain tasty and terrific. It
goes down as my second favorite 1996 to date. If you long big, flavor
packed Pinot dominated, oak aged Champagne, you need to try this.
Grade
of A (94-96 pts).
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NV Henri Giraud Francois Hemart Brut Rosé
(90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay; Red wine addition; Ay, Champagne,
France; Aged in Argonne Forest oak for 6 months; Disgorged ~2005; $30-65
US)
This wine shows biscuits, a touch of oak, some deep strawberry and dark
cherry on the nose. This isn’t a light or fun and fruity rose, but
rather it is serious and masculine. I really like the biscuity, creamy,
oaky body on this wine and think that the acidity is very well matched
to the strawberry and cherry flavors. It has a very creamy and oaky
finish, yet remains mouthwatering, with subtle hints of dark red
cherry that dance in and out. It isn’t a fruit bomb by any definition; it is a wine that is perfect with meals and can handle robust flavors
with ease. I think some time will only improve this, but I don’t know if
I would take it more than 5-6 years past release as the fruit may fade
behind some of the biscuit and oak flavors. I very much enjoyed this
Rosé, and when you can find it on sale (like at Costco for $29.99) it is
a great wine to stock up on. Grade of B+ (87-89 pts).
Find this wine
 1995
Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame Rosé
(62.5% Pinot Noir from the Vallee de Marne & Montagne de Reims, 37.5%
Chardonnay from the Cote de Blancs; 15% red wine addition from Bouzy;
Grand Cru; Disgorged March/April 2003; $170-230 US)
I have always been a fan of Veuve's vintage Rosés and I’m an even bigger
fan of the Grande Dame Rosé. The 1988-90 vintages of the Grande Dame Rosé
were some of the best made in those years and instantly made the
Grande Dame Rosé a contender for best Rosé Champagne in my book. I
finally decided to pop a bottle of the 95 and was awaiting a similar
experience. I should have known better. This wine has a nice pink/orange
salmon color in the glass, and the nose shows that typical spicy, biscuity Veuve trademark. Joining these aromas are some strawberry and
citrus notes. While the nose may not be earth shattering,
it is still quite nice, but not as powerful or enticing as I was
expecting. However, it is the palate that really
disappoints me; it is a bit thin, bland, and plain for a wine of this
stature and just not up to the task. It gives off flavors of
watery strawberry juice, doughy biscuits, baking spice, light citrus,
and bland cream. The acidity is such that it can age and improve a bit,
but the fruit and body are just lacking too much for me. The finish is
medium in length and leaves with a light lemon note and more bland
cream. This is a huge disappointment. I have no clue what Veuve
missed, but along with the Pommery Louise Rosé from 1995, this is a
disappointing Rosé for the money. I actually prefer the basic Veuve 1995
Rosé over this, and I cannot imagine anyone thinking this is a very
good Rosé, let alone a prestigious, best-in-class example. As it has not been
made for very long, maybe the 1988-90 run are not representative of this
wine, but what a shame that would be. The 1995 Grande Dame Rosé is just
not a special or very good wine. In fact for $35-$45, I can pick out a
better Rosé. Shame on you Veuve; I want my money back!
Grade of B (84-86 pts) with Low B+ (86-88 pts) potential in 5-10 years.
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1996 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs
NV Thorn-Clarke Brut Reserve