Colleen Greene

9.2

Had at dinner with a warm bacon salad and a medium filet medallion.
Drinks nice by itself too - subtle sweetness — 7 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

When TRB started this label, I thought a primarily Cabernet Winemaker is going to make Pinot Noir? I wondered how his first vintage would be and while it wasn’t bad by any means, it wasn’t what this 2014 Silver Eagle is at this point. TRB has/is honed/honing his craft. This 2014 will likely continue to improve a bit going forward over the next three years for sure & maybe five. This 14 Silver Eagle is definitely hitting its stride. The nose shows the blue & purple fruits I enjoy on the Pinots I prefer to drink.

The nose reveals nicely ripe blackberries, black raspberries, plum, baked cherries & strawberries, blueberries, mulberries, dry cranberry & raspberries hues on the glass edges. Mid berry cola/licorice, soft baking spices-clove, some nutmeg & vanillin, dark, Asian/Indian spice mix, light mix of fresh & dry herbs, dark rich soil w/ dry leaves, limestone, dry top soil with fresh & withering dark, red, blue florals framed in a fresh violet field.

The palate shows good mouthfeel & wire to wire consistency. Juicy, ripe; blackberries, black raspberries, plum, baked cherries & strawberries, blueberry & mulberry tones, pomegranate, cranberry & raspberries hues. Mid berry cola/licorice, soft baking spices-clove, some nutmeg & vanillin, warm caramel, toast, steeped fruit tea, dark, Asian/Indian spice mix with deep palate penetration & heat, light mix of fresh & dry herbs, dark rich soil w/ dry leaves, dry brush, sandalwood, grey volcanics. wet clay, sandstone & limestone powder, dry top soil with fresh & withering dark, red, blue florals framed in a fresh violet field. The acidity is excellent with a long, elegant, well; balanced, tensioned & structured finish that lasts minutes and lands nicely on dark spice as it sets.

I really enjoy this vineyard and some of the Winemakers that make Pinot from it.

Plenty of life left in this one. 8-10 years well stored.

Photos of, Rivers-Marie facility (2), Owner/Winemaker-Thomas Rivers Brown & beautiful prime Pinot clusters ready for harvest. — 8 months ago

Vanessa

9.4

**If interested, I’ve posted more pics of this visit and trip on my Instagram account - check me out @sips_ensemble**

We also had the pleasure to visit Champagne Paul Bara, another family-owned and -managed winery with only 8 employees! 💪 💪

It is a small but high-quality operation, producing approximately 100,000 bottles per year made exclusively from the free run juice. ✨✨✨ Thanks to the likes of @kermitlynchwine , the U.S. is a major exporting market for this wine. 🙌🙌

Paul Bara’s wines are sustainably farmed on numerous vineyard plots located throughout Bouzy, a Grand Cru village within the Montagne de Reims region of Champagne. 🏔 🏔

Bouzy is known especially for its Pinot Noir-driven Champagnes and also for its still red wines, a specialty of the region, called Coteaux Champenois. 🍇🍇

Paul Bara uses mostly stainless steel vessels for its vinification, designed to accentuate the purity of the fruit. They also use subterranean concrete vessels for the Pinot Noir used in rosé blends and for the Coteaux Champenois (still reds). 🥂

On our tour it was fascinating to see bottles being disgorged, dosaged, corked, capped, and caged on a machine in seconds — these are some of the last stages of the Méthode Champenoise. 🤓

We also learned that Paul Bara is a member of the ‘Club Trésors de Champagne’ an association of 28 vignerons formed to promote quality wine growing and winemaking practices and to highlight the beauty of terroir, demonstrating the excellence achievable outside of the major houses whose names are globally renown such as Veuve Cliquot and Moët & Chandon. 👏

Our favorite wine of the tasting was the 2010 Brut Comtesse Marie de France 🇫🇷 made exclusively from Pinot Noir grapes 🍇 It had a richness and abundance of orchard fruit, including baked yellow apple, also toast, bread dough, yeast, and dried white blossom notes, still offering finesse and precision, retaining incredible vibrancy.

We are grateful for our visit to Paul Bara and we look forward to visiting again the future! 🙏❤️ — 4 years ago

with Deked1

Fred Han

9.5

2009 vintage. Been waiting to try this one for awhile.... Fine bubbles with yellow gold color. Nose of ripe apples. Palate of ripe apple preserves with suave luxurious texture that carries through to a crisp and refreshing finish. Can’t get enough of this.... — 5 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.2

Nose has maraschino cherry, sliced pear, wet chalk, mashed raspberry and dry minerals.

Palate has chalky ripe cherry, granite pebbles, fresh blood orange pith, fresh raspberry and light strawberry-raspberry jam. Wow, long finish, we're both smiling a lot on this bottle.

More cherry fruit than most Crémant de Bourgogne rosés we have enjoyed, just amazed! At $32, it's hard to find a better saignee of Pinot Noir brut rosé than what is in this glass, QPR delivered! — 6 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.3

2022 vintage. Dark red, much deeper colour than usual for this estate. Marie-Laure Lurton seems to have gone for a bit more extraction in this exceptional vintage. More powerful than usual, with a fresh black fruit personality,embedded in a tight, ripe tannic structure. Serious length too. Decanting recommended,as it showed better the next day. Ab. 14%. — 7 months ago

Severn Goodwin

9.1

NV | Champagne
(100% Pinot Noir)
Marie Demets; Tradition
Extra Brut-Blanc de Noirs
Côte des Bar; Gyé-sur-Seine, France
Tirage 5 March 2022 / Disgorged 7 June 2023
Lot No. T-22/2
(90-92; Drink 2024-30)

On the Lawn at Tanglewood this afternoon with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra (the overly talented youth!). Our conductor Andris Nelsons is leading IVES (Three Places in New England, Orchestral Set No. 1), BEETHOVEN (Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Opus 37) and STRAUSS (Also sprach Zarathustra, Opus 30...aka 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick❤️).

One of our local treasures, Emanuel Ax on piano for the Beethoven Concerto! — 9 months ago

Alexandre Pagliano

9.1

Medium dark rubi robe, nose of flowers and spices with a hint of wild cherries. Medium bodied with supple tannins but strong spine buried under this great acidity and balance. Feels like modern winemaking but has no excess and is impeccable wine that drinks great now but should benefit of 3 to 5 years in the cellar. Will gain complexity. We loved it. — 3 years ago

with Adriana

Al Doyle

9.1

Very fine mousse almost no bubbles once it settles, maybe just a little short right now… — 4 years ago

Aaron Rankin

9.2

Lemon kissed butterscotch. Rich butterscotch on the round palette. A drinker’s cali chard. — 4 years ago

Peter Keohan

9.3

Beautiful bottle great acidity giving it backbone balanced with a long finish — 5 years ago

Aaron Rankin

9.1

Nose is spicy and complex. Palette is taught and vibrant. A beautiful wine but I expected a rounder showing. — 5 years ago

Pooneet K

9.1

Nice Beaujolais. Great ripe fruit balanced with some earth. Only thing keeping this from being higher is a slight bit of heat on the finish, perhaps due to the 14.5%. — 7 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Added to my previous note 41 weeks ago in October 2023. A bit too expensive at $465 for what it is. Garrigue. — 9 months ago

Brad Jensen

9.0

Surprisingly deep red to purple coloration, with a prominent nose of blueberry, Concorde grape, with hints of fresh cut orange and almost vegetable like notes, and rose petal deeep in the background. The palate is very dark fruit forward and jammy, with subtle Sandy tannin, and a vegetal-like, slightly bitter finish, with a swallow of like… black olives maybe? Very complex and interesting. Heck of a value for 18 bucks. — 2 years ago

Charles Garrison

9.2

Lush, succulent Pinot…dark ruby on pour, dark fruits rise out of the glass setting the stage for an enjoyable first sip…no noticeable tannins…lingering finish…this vintage is in a really good place today — 3 years ago

Sam T

9.3

Delicious. Perfect wine for a Happy Thanksgiving! — 4 years ago

Andy Watson

9.0

No doubt drinking this way too soon. Tried the next day with a bit more generous results but quite a bit more time is what this needs. Big berry fruit with orange zest and sandalwood on the nose. Dark and rich flavors, but pretty monolithic at this point. Follows on the medium-long finish. — 5 years ago

Dave Schneider

9.3

A real gem. Lots of fruit but well balanced and harmonious! Definitely not too old and drinking quite well — 5 years ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.3

In a great spot. Or just a great bottle. — 6 years ago