Conrad Green

9.3

Rounded and plush. Hints of cherry, bread, stone. A little lacking in vivacity in the mid palate. Rounded. — 5 months ago

Tobin Spratte

9.5

Lemon tart (butter, pie crust, ripe lemon) backed by chalk. Outstanding Chard blended with Grachetto.

Critics rating this 98 points. — 9 months ago

Alexandre Czesnat

9.1

Green apple, citrus pear, honey, pineapple, outstanding aromas, vanilla, little butter, well balanced, bold and medium acidity, great wine — a year ago

Fredrik Finn

9.2

Fine intensity of developed aromas with a defined ripe and autolytic complexity. Primary red apples, raspberries, lemon and orange fruit drops, secondary aromas of nougat, hazelnuts, butter, toast and a chalky, oyster shell minerality.
High acidity, medium - body. A creamy, peristant mousse and linear acidity drives the palate. Intense presence on the mid palate with characters of red apples, fruit drops, coffee beans and chalk. Medium + lenght finish that lacks some dimension and lenght to compete with the best. — 5 years ago

Pablo Cetlinski

9.4

Beautiful balanced tropical notes, touch of butter and acidity — 5 years ago

Karl Nichols

9.3

Wow! Carbonation is fading, but the creamy rich tart taste is amazing. Typical yeast, apples, pear, butter, mmmmmmmm for the late harvest wine. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Four day weekend. Gotta get it off to a good start. Been awhile since we had our 375ml of Ruinart.

The nose shows, ripe, slightly candied; black cherries, strawberries, kirsch cherries, rich, summertime watermelon, touch of orange citrus family blend, pomegranate juice, hints of fruit roll up & haunting apricots. Sea fossils & spray, a little bread dough, grey volcanics, chalky powder, orange, spring flowers with fresh & withering, red & pink rose pedals.

The palate is full & touch gummy/candied. Fruits are well extracted, deep, ruby; black cherries, blackberries, strawberries, kirsch cherries, rich, summertime watermelon, touch of orange citrus family blend, pomegranate juice, hints of fruit roll up & haunting apricots. Ghostly, not quite fruit brandy or fruit liqueur character, sea fossils & spray, a little bread dough, not quite medium, white spice with hints of palate heat, grainy, grey volcanics, chalky powder, orange, spring flowers with fresh & withering, red & pink rose pedals. The acidity lively and crisp. The round, well balanced & polish finish is always consistently satisfying and lingers for minutes.

Photos of; the House of Ruinart, Dom Thierry Ruinart, nicely light caves and rolling, hillside, Grand Cru Vineyard.

Not quite sure where “D” gets $83 when you can buy this all day at just under $65. — 6 years ago

Jan A

9.5

Rich, dense, tropical hints and a good dollop of butter — 5 months ago

James Scurlock

8.9

Pretty good with fish — 7 months ago

Mark

8.9

Really good Chardonnay, strong flavor of green apple and hints of lemon. Well balanced with oak. No butter flavor which leaves this very crisp. — 9 months ago

Graham

9.1

First time - I like. Bread, yeast, apples a hint of cinnamon. Would buy again. — 4 years ago

Jeremy.Buss

9.2

Wonderful butter, pear, and slight apple that paired excellent with our apple spice brined turkey. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

The nose reveals slightly sour & bruised fruits. Bruised golden apple & pear, overripe pineapple, lemon meringue, green apple, lime zest/candy, melted, salted caramel, honeysuckle, white & yellow peach, brown butter, caramelized brown sugar, hints of mint, sea fossils, grey volcanics, whiff of white spice, vanillin, bread dough, yellow lilies, spring flowers with mixed floral greens.

The palate is rich, lush, round, a touch gluey & full. Nice mousse, micro-oxygenation, slightly sour & bruised fruits Bruised golden apple & pear, overripe pineapple, lemon meringue, green apple, lime zest/candy, melted, salted caramel, honeysuckle/honey comb, white & yellow peach, inside banana peel, brown butter, caramelized brown sugar, nougat, hints of mint, sea fossils, gritty, penetrating chalkiness, grey volcanics, some white spice with nice lighter heat, vanillin, bread dough, yellow lilies, spring flowers with mixed floral greens. Excellent acidy. The long, even, fresh, well balanced finish persists nicely and is delicious.

Nice bottle and well priced at $38 w/ deluxe gift box.

Photos of; House of Roederer, caves with A-Frames for the hand Riddlers, walk through tunnel and marquee Grand Cru vineyard. — 6 years ago

Carter White

9.2

Solid champagne, has those yeasty notes like most sparkling wine, but more like wheat in the field than baked bread. — 7 years ago

Jane Folske

8.9

Jane had with Dad and Nancy. Solid, good, drinkable, meets expectations for a Pinot, but not magical. — 7 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Tasted from 1/2 bottle. They come in handy for dinner for two in many cases, but especially at a restaurant that allows corkage. Most do in California. It is even harder to find vintage champagne in 375ml’s.

The 2018 vintage was good to very good. You need to taste and or read up for its best offerings.

A note, I tasted at the Billecart-Salmon property in later October 2022 with Mathieu Roland-Billecart. As insightful as that was, he was asked other than Billecart Salmon champagnes, what was one of his favorite champagnes? His reply was surprisingly an older vintage Paul Bara he had recently. That’s a producer question that gets asked often. Normally generates a pause with some minor angst to answer.

The nose shows; lemon chiffon/meringue, bruised apple to slightly cider, bruised pear, yellow & white stone fruits, just ripe pineapple, orange citrus blend, lime pulp, tropical melons, whipped, white cream, white spice-ginger, yeasty bread dough, saline, crushed limestone pulp, crumbled chalk, sea fossils, white spring flowers set in yellow lilies.

The palate is round & soft. The mousse is delicate w/ micro oxidation. Ripe; lemon chiffon/meringue, white & yellow stone fruit, slightly bruised apple & Bosc pear, lime pulp, orange citrus rind, some tropical melons, cream, ginger white spice, yeasty bread dough, sea spray, saline, sea fossils, dry crumbled chalkiness, caramel notes, heather honey, warm perfectly toasted toast, graham cracker, nougat w/ nuts, yellow flowers set in a field of white spring flowers, excellent acidity with a nicely; balanced, structured, tensioned, polished finish that lasts a minute and falls on limestone laced with soft, dry, powdery chalkiness.

Photos of; the house of Paul Bara, chalky caves w/ riddling racks, old wood basket press & a vineyard picking party. — 9 months ago

AEL

9.0

A classy, subtle champagne with well defined notes of bread, vanilla, stone and dried fruit. At Narragansett, the bottle Nate gave me when I was confirmed in 2017. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Starting the long Labor Day weekend in Big Sur the right way with a little N/V Krug Grande Cuvée. @Nepenthe

Happy Labor Day weekend all! 🍾🥂

Noses reveals; heavy bruised red apple, Bosc pear, overripe pineapple, lemon meringue, tropical melons, lime zest, white spice, sea fossils, deep crisp chalkiness, grey volcanics, yeast & bread dough, nougat, baguette crust, limestone, caramel notes, cream, vanillin framed in yellow lilies, white & spring flowers & mixed greens.

The palate is, ripe, lush, fresh and lively. The mouthfeel all Krug beautiful. Bruised red & golden apple with hints of cider, Bosc pear, overripe pineapple, lemon meringue, tropical melons, white stone fruits, lime zest/candy, white spice, sea fossils, crisp chalkiness, grey volcanics, yeast & bread dough, nougat, baguette crust, limestone, caramel notes, cream, cream soda, vanillin framed in yellow lilies, spring flowers & mixed greens. The acidity is near perfect. The long, elegant, well knitted & balanced finish is gentle until the long set when you get a full presence of white spice and minerality that persists for minutes.

This bottle was composed around 2011 and is made from over 120 different wines that span over 10 years. It is 47% Pinot Noir, 36% Chardonnay & 17% Pinot Meunier. — 5 years ago

Big Wave Dave

9.3

Complex nose. Bread, nuts, lemon merengue, slate, and a reductive smokey note. On the palate, the wine is stuffed with substance but is yet to unfurl and bubbles are quite pronounced which distracts from the flavour profile. Slightly disappointing but full if potential. — 6 years ago

with Racquel

Juliana Leite

10

Celebrating life! — 7 years ago