Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Est. in 1987, belongs to Champagne Taittinger (personal favorite) considered the concept in 1947 in the mind of Claude Taittinger. 138 acre estate is situated in the Carneros appellation of CA. A blend (changes ea year) of 35% Chard, 62% Pinot Noir & 3% Pinot Gris, aged 3 1/2 years in the bottle. Aromas of stone fruit and toasty spice. Raspberry and peach flavors, complex, with citrus notes in a fine mousse with good bubble flow. Well structured, vibrant lingering finish ending with mineral tones. Will benefit from some aging. — 7 years ago

Hector Escaton

9.4

Hard candy and Valencia orange cut with a laser beam of pine and juniper. Crisp and not at all syrupy despite 8% ABV. Fantastic. — 8 years ago

Steve Bozich

9.2

Hearty! 13.8 ABV, but tastes "heavier", in a good way. 72% Merlot, 16% Cab Sauv, and some Cab Franc and Petit Verdon - brilliant mix! Chewy, berry, strawberry, stone, leather and all kinds of masculine flavors -brought to you by Carolyn Lakewold. One of the few WA wines I bought, interested to see what they do now that they have dropped the "collaboration" concept. 9.2, and loved it. — 9 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.7

Ruby with clear purple edge,
Youth coming out from every corner, brilliant freshness balancing the texture of the tannicity (!?!?) still very complex and pleasant
A monument to what Australia can do . 96 is a great vintage in South Australia and this sample reinforces the concept.
Why don't we all drink these wines at once?? The world might change....give me more😵🤣 — 9 years ago

Nick Davis

9.2

Very neat concept. Andean Malbec transported by ship to Caymus... — 9 years ago

Jennifer Derke

9.7

Love the concept and the wine. Marine sediment through and through. Velvety, deep thoughts, mmmh... — 10 years ago

Justin Hansohn

9.2

Truly the name of the wine says it all. Drank the whole thing in an hour of paddling around a lake in a swan on a beautiful day in Copenhagen. It's not worth giving a description of the wine as I continuously find that in the concept of set and setting sometimes wines are just the magic wand in the middle of a beautiful storm. If you make this your wine, make it a great moment, it's worth it. — 10 years ago

with Taylor

Andrew Berge

9.2

2012 - flawless execution of an excellent concept. — 11 years ago

Bob Halifax

9.1

Takes my concept of Greek whites to a new level & gives me a new grape for Wine Century Club tally. — 11 years ago

Michael Walsh

9.1

Interesting concept and and interesting wine. Well balanced and complex. — 12 years ago

Matt K

9.6

Album released on beer. Beer good. Album even better. — 12 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.0

Straightforward, tasty sparkling Chenin. Creamy texture for a sub $20 bottle with good acidity & complex yeasty flavors. Nose is a tad muted, but no big deal. Drank while listening to the brand new Cate Le Bon album which could end up as one of the best releases of 2019. — 7 years ago

Mark A Neighbord

9.4

Last bottle of a case I bought many years ago. One of my favorite blends of Cabernet Sauvignon 69%, Merlot 22%, Cabernet Franc 9%. Open and drink immediately. — 7 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.2

If I have to Let it Bleed, I’d like to bleed Tissot Poulsard. Wine is deceptively light colored as it boasts powerful red berries & some grippy tannins. This album grips you from start to finish. Perfect Saturday night. — 8 years ago

Jason Lee

9.2

Love this jus! Dirty cherry gulpable with just enough compost to let you know it's natural. This would be a beautiful every day wine. Love how the concept for this wine is climate change — 9 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.8

Where do I start with this wine? Perhaps what I didn't like about it. Palate seems unresolved as of now and it didn't deliver as much satisfaction as the nose, but that's just nitpicking. Also a touch too oxidative - hints of sherry notes. However, in a way, this adds complexity to what was already a rich, layered array of aromas. Tasting the Sapience, I think of a warm mille feuille, with baked apples and spices in one layer, salted caramel with nuts in another, chamomile cream with fresh mandarin pieces in the last. This had complexity of the highest order and probably the best champagne I've tasted this year.

Notes: Better to serve it in a bigger format glass. Like Bouchard and Selosse, bubbles dissipates quickly here. The ample use of oak and richness of the wine does make it somewhat table-like. Also, CJ noted that's this could have pulled off as a Selosse Millesime, which I have yet to taste. Mixed info about the wine so will list them all.

From FORCEBERRY on Cellartracker:
This is a brainchild of Benoît Marguet: the world's first "prestige cuvée" by Champagne small growers. Despite labeled under Marguet's name, this wine is not made with Marguet grapes; instead the grapes come from organic producer Georges Laval, who supplied Pienot Meunier (2/3 of the wine) and biodynamic producer David Léclapart, who supplied Chardonnay (1/3 of the wine), all grapes from minimum 1er Cru-level vineyards. The wine is vinified by Benoît Maguet and Hervé Jestin, a man best known as the cellar master of Duval-leroy. The wine is fermented and aged in old barriques for 6 months, after which the wine is bottled and left to age in Marguet's cellars for a minimum of 5 years. This wine is disgorged in September 2012 with a dosage of 3 g/l.

From Planetwine:
Sapience is a collaboration between Benoit Marguet, Benoit Lahaye, Vincent Laval, and David Leclapart. The concept is to craft a Champagne using extreme biodynamic methods. This rendition of Sapience comprises Chardonnay from David Leclapart, and Pinot Meunier from Vincent Laval. The next version will have Pinot Noir from Benoit Lahaye. The wine is made in the cellar of Benoit Marguet, who is one of the most passionate biodynamic winemakers we've encountered. The base wine spends two years aging in Bordeaux barrels before the second fermentation in bottle. More Chardy in blend.

From Pillariwine:

Benoit Marguet partnered with Herve Jestin to create this wine, the first ever certified organic prestige Champagne blended from across the region. They release the same wine with two different labels. One is Sapience/Marguet the other one is Champagne Jestin. Grapes are from the fellows of Hervé Jestin, Vincent Laval(Cumières, PN&PM, Biologic) and David Leclappart(Trépail, CH, Biodynamie). — 9 years ago

with Michelle

Joe Lucca

9.3

Super complex and layered. Espresso roast, unsweetened chocolate, toffee, burnt caramel. The deep, dark flavors are balanced by a subtle sweetness; buckwheat honey. Finishes with a campfire smokiness. Really good..... But not as good as the album itself. — 10 years ago

with Diana

Mark Bright

Partner/Wine Director Saison Restaurant

9.1

Refreshing in this Tokyo heat — 11 years ago

Jayme Henderson-Steese

9.8

Perfectly paired evening. Brooding music, brooding and thought-provoking cuisine, and an identical turnout in this wine. I have tasted this bottling three or four separate times. Evolving interestingly, consistently delicious, and rich & savory. Wet forest floor, morel mushroom, candied cherries, rich Indian spices, savory finish. My over-again favorite red Burg from 2009 during the last year. Damnnnnnnn. Drink this whilst listening to Dead Can Dance's latest album. You'll die. 😜👊🍷 — 12 years ago

with Steve

Anthony Lombardi

9.2

CAVU Rose from Barbera and an album which needs@no description. Washington State Barbera is pretty amazing. This has beautiful acidity & positively shimmers once it opens up a bit. Juicy and invigorating all at once. I’ll definitely be revisiting this and their traditional Barbera bottling. This feels great to drink with an all to familiar soundtrack, everything seems to be spring. — 7 years ago

Ryan Vento

9.1

Houston’s very own Del Frisco’s Grille is sadly shutting down. So, as it was with their fine steakhouse concept ‘Sullivan’s’ when it closed down, they’re doing a 50% off promotion for ALL alcohol. Needless to say...we have a few dinners lined up with our Supper Club and other friends before they shutter their doors for good on 9/16.

This is about as good as New World entry-level Chardonnay gets. — 8 years ago

with Krystal

Anthony Lombardi

9.0

2015 Gautheron Chablis & The Joshua Tree. New Chablis producer for me showing a good entry level high acid, fresh example. The album is a timeless classic. A little old & a little new. — 8 years ago

Sim Salzman

9.2

Very tasty and toothy. Great fruit forward and fantastic value. Drink now. — 9 years ago

Chris White

9.0

Good for James Brown's Soul on Top album — 9 years ago

Jeff Shapiro

8.9

First day back to work after 10 days off. Had to pour something special.
I like the concept of the Solera Technique.....
Honey and root beer on the nose with a vanilla, cinnamon and rye on the moth followed by some heat.
Quick caramel finish that doesn't last.
— 9 years ago

Stephanie Losee

9.1

Such a great everyday bubble--elevates the concept — 10 years ago

John Needham CSW

9.2

Very Cool concept, same grapes different AVA. The wine was good, classic Napa Sauv Blanc with a little more depth and character. Can't wait to try the Knights Valley Wines — 11 years ago

India Goodridge

9.1

Yummmmmmm tgif! Great with the new Drake album — 11 years ago

Steve Cotton

9.2

Funny bottle concept — 12 years ago

Nicole Dodson

9.4

Stunning, pre-bret Cain! — 12 years ago