Vanessa

9.4

Depth & personality abound as this wine gives a sensory voice to the left bank (‘rive gauche’, south side) of the Marne River, which meanders its way through the Vallée de la Marne region of Champagne…

It’s not very common to find a mono cru (single village) from this part of Champagne, so it was exciting to sip & explore it with intention🥂

It was made exclusively from Meunier (the king of the Marne Valley), grown on old vines (54+ years in age) in the village of Mareuil le Port, made into a blend of the ‘Maisoncelle’ & ‘La Côte aux Châtaigners’ vineyards, in particular.

As a vintage wine, it aged 36 months (disgorged by hand in November 2023), adopting quintessential autolytic notes of pastry, graham cracker pie crust, bread dough, almond paste, nougat, and toasted hazelnut.

The aromas & flavors have notably autumnal characteristics resembling apple cider, cinnamon apple crumble, red apple skin, baked pear, nutmeg, cardamom, white blossom, lemon zest, fruit cake, & cherry preserves. These are balanced by a chalky, mineral spine of wet stones, saline, & oyster shell.

Despite its confectionery qualities, this wine is totally dry; it’s extra brut with only 2 g/l of dosage (added sugar) with a mouth-watering acidity, adding lift, cutting through the creamy mousse, with a persistent & polished finish, performing a series of pirouettes before its final plié.

Cheers to wines with soul & authenticity! — 19 days ago

with Deked1

Louis Martin

8.9

Nice blend, semi-sweet, hint of cherry, paired well with duck. — 6 months ago

Ira Schwartz

9.4

50/50 Pinot Noir / Chardonnay blend disgorged Oct 2022. This a champagne where the grapes of the blend each had the opportunity to strut their stuff. Scents of almonds , croissant, baked apple and lemons put a smile on my face. On the palate berries show up to fight the citrus. Young , with the acid levels I like. If I had to bet, this is a champagne that will benefit from age and gain in complexity. — 7 months ago

David Carter

9.0

At Mirabelle with neighbors. W and I liked a lot. Well balanced, long &complex, some tart but not too much. Says spice notes, W agreed. She compared with Cali Wente, much different. — 18 days ago

Daron Watson

9.3

aromas of luxardo cherry, damson plum, licorice, peonies, thyme, flat leaf parsley, bluestone…and chargrilled quail! a pop of juicy fruits w lively acids and dissolving rich tannins…SO MUCH YUM 🍷😋🤘#BoJo — 2 months ago

Vino Joe

9.4

Crisp and very new world. Mild modern for Chardonnay. Apricot and hazelnut. Very good. — 2 months ago

Diane M. Napolitano

9.7

From Chambers Street Wines. Dry Cherry Coke, some liquorice and vanilla peeking in ⛄️ — 7 months ago

Alvaro Bustillos

9.2

Caviar con andrea y benjamkn — 8 months ago

Erica Cessna

9.4

Pa liquor store — 20 days ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

I only own a few Hall wines. But I find the amount of wine(s) they produce while maintaining high quality, especially in their higher end wines…fascinating as I commented on @Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego post a number of weeks ago. I generally taste them younger vs cellared. So, when I saw this lower spectrum Hall Cabernet on the secondary market, I bought it because it’s a 2013 and only $35. I couldn’t pass it up as 2013 is a grand vintage and most of what I taste from Hall is upon release.

I corvined this last weekend and unsure how that fact affects opening it tonight. You could make a case for 92 here, but I won’t based on the fact it is a week coravined.

The nose shows a core of dark currants. Ripe, lush and a bit jammy; blackberries, the darkest cherries, black plum, plum, boysenberries, baked strawberries, raspberry hues with shades of blueberries. Melted dark chocolate, fudge, dark spice, anise to black licorice, mid to dark berry cola, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanillin, dry tobacco, old leather, hints of dry herbs, dry crushed rocks, limestone, dry top soil, hints of moist clay, cedar to sandalwood, touch of peppercorn, fresh & withering; dark, red flowers framed in lavender & violets.

The palate is smooth, round, lush & elegant. The M+ tannins nicely rounded & velvety. Somewhat softer but still big at this stage of evolution compared to most 13’s I’ve had to date. Coravining might have helped. Nearly identical twins the nose & the palate. There’s core of dark currants. Ripe, lush and just a touch jammy; blackberries, the darkest cherries, black plum, plum, baked strawberries, raspberry hues with shades of blueberries. The fruits perhaps picked a little late-slightly overripe…a deliberate decision or lack of timely harvesters. Melted dark chocolate, fudge/pudding, caramel, dark spice w/ medium heat, anise to black licorice, mid to dark berry cola, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanillin, dry tobacco, old leather, stronger dry herbs-bay leaf/sage than the nose, dry crushed rocks, limestone, dry riverbed stones, dry top soil, hints of moist clay, softer cedar notes that transition into sandalwood, graphite, touch of peppercorn, fresh & withering; dark, red flowers framed in lavender & violets, very pleasant, round acidity with a well balanced, nicely structured/tensioned, elegant, lush, smartly polished finish that lands on soften earth, spice, herbs and lasts 90 seconds.

Despite its minor flaws, delicious and as it opens, settles in, there is a strong case for a 92.

Photos of; Hall’s huge tasting patio in Rutherford, Rutherford estate vineyard, barrel room and cellar where they hold some fabulous events in a grand environment. They have two locations, Rutherford & St. Helena. — 2 months ago