Explodes at you with aromas and flavors of pears, citrus, creamy bread
dough, and minerals. It just keeps coming at you with more flavors.
Throw in some floral spice and nuts and you have it. I really like the
spicy creamy kick the finish gives you. Age this one with no worries. A
big trend I picked up on is that I really like the way the floral,
mineral, and fruit notes come out of the D-V BdB wines when they are
allowed to breathe a bit and warm up past the 50 deg F (10 deg C) mark.
Grade of high B+ with low A- potential (88-91
pts) Find this wine
2002 Diebolt-Vallois Blanc de Blanc
(100% Chardonnay; Cote de Blancs;
Disgorged spring 2006; $55-65 US)
Very young. Too young in my opinion. The 2002s are here already? This
could have really used some more lees aging IMO. Still, it does show
nice pear notes that mix with doughy bread and flowers. The acidity
really comes to the fore with lemon and orange blossoms occasionally
overpowering the other flavors. I would let this sit for 2-3 years so
everything will mesh better. I only wish they would have delayed the
release. Grade of B (84-86 pts) Find this wine
NV Pierre Peters Brut Grand Cru
(100% Chardonnay; 67% Le-Mesnil-sur-Oger,
33% other Grand Crus; 80% from 2001 with the remainder 2001 and maybe
2000?; 10 g/L dosage; Disgorged ~early 2006; $35-50 US)
Always a favorite of mine. This showed doughy and toasty as it always
does and brought along some apples and peach to spread on the toast and
mix in with the dough. Always well made, this is one of the best NV
wines out there year after year. Grade of B+
(87-89 pts) Find this wine
NV Guy Larmandier Brut Premier Cru
(Almost all Chardonnay, but with a
small amount of Pinot Noir; Vertus, Cramant and Chouilly; Disgorged ~
early 2006; $35-45 US)
A wine for fans of pears. It shows lots of them to go with yellow
apples, a chewy body and citrus zest kick. Too young for me right now;
this should mellow with age, but I can’t see it being anything special.
Grade of B (83-85 pts) Find this wine
NV Guy Larmandier Brut Grand Cru
(100% Chardonnay; Cramant; Disgorged ~
early 2006; $45-60 US)
Lots of dough and minerals greet you with this wine. Then some zesty
cream and a nice baking spice kick join in to take you on a ride. It
finishes up nice and smooth and has a much more refined pear and apple
palate when compared to the premier cru above. A pretty nice tipple.
Grade of low B+ (86-88 pts) Find this wine
1999 Guy Larmandier Cuvee Prestige
(100% Chardonnay; Cramant; Disgorged ~
early 2006; $50-65 US)
Smooth and creamy tartness mesh with spicy green apples and young dough
to form the core flavors. It is quite tart, but even through the
tartness (and after it fades) this doesn’t move me. It is easy to drink,
but I expect more from a vintage wine vs. a non-vintage.
Grade of high B (85-87 pts) Find this wine
NV Varniere-Fanniere Brut Rosé
(All Grand Cru Chardonnay with 15%
Pinot Noir from Ay Red Wine Addition; 50% 2003, 50% 2004; Avize; Full
Malo; 10 g/L Dosage; Disgorged ~early 2006; $40-55 US)
Creamy, slightly sweet and full of strawberry and cherry-citrus flavors.
This is a flavor packed rosé that all can enjoy. Joining in the fruit
parade is a hint of biscuit. The malo is very well integrated here and
beneficial as the creaminess adds to the wine. I wouldn’t age it very
long, but who cares as it is good now. Grade of
high B (85-87 pts) Find this wine
NV Gaston Chiquet Carte Verte Tradition Brut
(45% Pinot Meunier, 35% Chardonnay,
20% Pinot Noir; Marne; 80% 2001, 20% 2000; 8.8 g/L dosage; Disgorged
July 2005; $35-45 US)
A bit better than this same disgorgement was last year as the aging has
done it some good. Still this is not a winner in my book. It shows lots
of flinty pears, but nothing pops out at me. It is inoffensive and
better than some big names at the same price point, but has always been
a shoulder shrugger to me. Grade of B- (80-81
pts) Find this wine
1997 Gaston Chiquet Special Club
(70% Chardonnay from Dizy, 30% Pinot
Noir from Mareuil-sur-Ay; Marne; Disgorged July 2006; $50-70 US)
A year more of lees aging from when I last tasted it. It is different,
but just as good. This disgorgement shows lots of toast and bright
citrus and pears on the nose. The palate also shows this same fruit
explosion and tartness as the July 2005 disgorgement, but the dough has
turned toasty and the spice kick has mellowed out. A very good 1997 that
still has some developing to do. Grade of
strong B+ (88-89 pts) Find this wine
NV Roger Coulon Brut Tradition Premier Cru
(50% Pinot Meunier, 25% Pinot Noir,
25% Chardonnay; Montagne de Reims; 10 g/L dosage; Disgorged ~ early
2006; $35-45 US)
Biscuits and earth mix with pears and a touch of peach to form a very
expressive wine. The Pinot Meunier really exerts itself here as this
wine stands out from the others at the tasting. I’m not normally a Pinot
Meunier fan, but I like this. Grade of strong B
(85-86 pts) Find this wine
2000 Roger Coulon
(50% Pinot Meunier, 50% Chardonnay;
Montagne de Reims; Disgorged ~ early 2006; $45-60 US)
A big, spicy nose rises up at you and then gives you a burst of citrus.
On the palate this shows big, biscuity citrus and boiled collard greens.
A bit of spiced nuts and toast also sneak in. This is full of flavor and
is a ride to drink. Another glass, please.
Grade of B with B+ potential (86-89 pts) Find this wine
NV Chartogne-Taillet Cuvee Saint Anne
(~ 45-50% Pinot Noir, 40-50%
Chardonnay, 0-10% Pinot Meunier; 90% 2002, 10% 2001; Montagne de Reims;
Disgorged April 2006; $30-40 US)
Pears and tart citrus. This is rather one
dimensional. I know it is a popular wine at a lower price point, but it
leaves me scratching my head. As far as growers go, this is not what I
would put out there to explain why you should choose a small grower over
a big house. I prefer many of the big bad guy house NV wines over this.
Grade of low B- (79-80 pts) Find this wine
NV Jean Lallement Brut
(80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay; 90%
2002, 10% 2000; Montagne de Reims; Disgorged ~ early 2006; 6 g/L dosage;
$40-50 US)
Bright focused fruit with a slight trace of honeysuckle. Who cares that
this is dosed low, it has plenty of intrinsic sweetness. It shows plenty
of acidity and a few notes of biscuit dough. This will age very well.
I’m a fan; give me more please. Grade of high B
with B+ potential after a couple years of bottle age (86-89 pts) Find this wine
NV A. Margaine Cuvee Traditionelle Brut
(90% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Noir; 35%
2003 with approximately 13% each of 2002 ,2001, 2000, 1999, 1996;
Villers-Marmery; 7 g/L dosage; Disgorged ~ early 2006; $35-45 US)
This is a lighter styled wine, but shows good body and flavor for such a
high amount of Chardonnay. Honeysuckle notes mix with a very nice
acidity and tart citrus element. Dough and ripe juicy pear notes also
join in on the fun. Margaine has really been bringing “it” lately. They
seem to be improving more and more with each release.
Grade of high B (85-87 pts) Find this wine
1998 A. Margaine Special Club
(100% Chardonnay; Villers-Marmery;
Disgorged ~ early 2006; $50-60 US)
Man, this is a good wine. Full of fresh citrus, toast, and floral spice.
It has a creaminess to its mouth feel, but at the same time the bubbles
are bursting off of your tongue to create an oxymoron that lifts it up even more. A spectacular wine that really shows how the
Chardonnay village of Villers-Marmery can shine in the vast Pinot region
of Montagne de Reims. Grade of A- (90-92 pts) Find this wine
I’m also going to include a bottle of this wine that I had a week before
this tasting. I haven't posted a note on it yet so I'll just patch it in
below. The only difference was that the bottle below was disgorged in
late 2005.
A golden hay appearance with a nice rolling fizz makes for a beauty of a
wine and leads into an open nose. Aromas of lightly toasted white bread,
gentle citrus blossoms, and a gentle kiss of sweetness fill the air
around the glass. The flavors are led by a wonderful orange citrus
backbone. Joining this backbone are juicy peaches squeezed onto toast
which is then left out on the counter during a late spring afternoon so
that it gains an exotic edge without going over to
the rancid side. Tart and creamy minerals with hints of bread and stones
close the wine out in medium-long fashion. This will probably age
fine and hold its quality, but it is so good to drink now. Go ahead and
pop and pour. Grade of A- (91-92 pts)
NV A. Margaine Demi-Sec
(90% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Noir; 35%
2003 with approximately 13% each of 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1996;
Villers-Marmery; 33 g/L dosage; Disgorged ~ early 2006; $35-45 US)
This wine is identical to the NV Traditionelle Brut and I have written
before about how much I have enjoyed it. It is full of fluffy, sweet
peaches and pears. Citrus laced biscuits and light earth notes weave
there way around the wine and everything finishes out with a puff of
powder sugar. One of the best Demi-Secs out there in my opinion and just
as high in quality as last years release. Grade
of B+ (86-88 pts) Find this wine
NV A. Margaine Rose
(78% Chardonnay, 22% Pinot Noir; 88%
2003, 12% 2003; Red wine addition; Villers-Marmery; some oak
fermentation; Disgorged ~ early 2006; $40-50 US)
This shows a fresh strawberry, citrus, and biscuit nose. The palate
shows a striking acidity that covers up some of the other flavors. There
is some nice red citrus and biscuit dough notes, but I would have
preferred more body, balance, and red flavors. It is nice, but doesn’t
seem quite balanced as it could be. Past blends of this have been more
fruit filled and flavorful. Maybe this is the 2003 vintage effect?
Grade of B (83-85 pts) Find this wine
1997 Vilmart Cuvee Creation
(70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir from
25 yr old vines; 100% Oak aging with a good portion of it new (I don't
know how much); Disgorged mid-2005; 70-90 US)
Ahhh… another bottle of this winning cuvee. It shows big citrus with
creamy oranges, some nuts, and a nice kick of oak laced chocolate. The
finish is perfection. This wine just oozes concentrated oranges and
cream. This is a wine to retire with to a quiet room and just sip all
night long. I love it. The class of the 97 vintage so far.
Grade of strong A- with A potential (92-95 pts)
Find this wine
Cheers!
Brad Baker
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