Bob McDonald

9.6

My first 1911 and it will not be the last. 100% Pinot Noir. Pale Gold with a fine persistent bead. A powerful concentrated Champagne straight out of the Wine Fridge at 12 degrees Celsius. Notes of burnt orange and mineral and the palate has an oxidative solera type quality. Interestingly the next day coming out of the regular fridge and being a bit colder green apple notes were more pronounced. I love Blanc de Noirs after the Egly Ouriet blew me away earlier in the year. Ridiculously Good QPR for a wine of this quality with a production of only 1911 bottles. — 8 years ago

Ben de Vin

9.3

Getting ready for NYE with this stunning wine, drinking it slowly and letting the bubbles dissipate allows it to truly express itself. Before exploring a few grower Champagnes recently I really had no interest in bubbles as I'd only experienced the large houses. Wines like Egly and Vouette are enlightening and make me want explore growers more, the Fidele is the entry level but by no means a simple wine, incredibly complex and intriguing, most importantly delicious! Disgorged Jan 2015. — 9 years ago

Jeff Rothrock

9.4

Fantastic. On a completely different level than Egly-Ouriet's Les Vignes de Vrigny, my only other great experience with 100% Pinot Meunier. Lightly oxidative, loads of passion fruit and lemongrass flavors on the palate. Toasty nose and the prettiest rose-gold hue. — 10 years ago

Rubychick

8.9

17yrs on lees, Russian River, in the realm of Egly Ouriet — 11 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.5

Exceptional balance. Rich, but so fresh. Pears, orange, flowers, lemon curd, cream, brioche, nut. Long, powerful palate, underlined by a driving acidity.

Some thoughts: In my eyes, RMs tend to fall into "extreme" categories e.g. Laherte - austere, Egly - rich (lees), Agrapart - rich (oak), Selosse - oxidative; but this wine doesn't fit here. NM-like, but not (I think of Chartogne-Taillet when I say this). Compare to Krug's Grand Cuvee, the Grands Vintages is definitely richer and broader (fair comparison, given how both wines are constructed).

From Chain Bridge Cellars:
As the name suggests, Eric Rodez’s Grand Vintages is a rich, powerful and very much “grand” wine in the tradition of Krug (where Eric learned his craft). This year's release is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from seven great vintages going back to vintage 2000. Eric ages all of these base wines in used oak and blocks malolactic fermentation to maximize freshness and vibrancy. Then the carefully crafted blend spends 8 full years on the lees before being disgorged this October. The dosage is ultra-low - 2 or 3 g/l - so this could be labeled "Extra Brut," but there's so much richness and depth here that "Brut" seems more appropriate to Eric.

Past releases have earned plenty of critical praise, including 17.5/20 points from Jancis Robinson, 93 from Vinous, and 92 from Wine Advocate. This year’s release is explosive on the nose and palate, pumping out big notes of lemon curd, caramel, toasted nuts, baking bread, crushed chalk, and more. The flavors just balloon out to fill your entire palate and finish with layer upon layer of mouthwatering pie crust, lemon curd, hazelnut, crushed stone and salty caramel flavor. Try holding some for even more richness! — 9 years ago

BurgundyFan

9.5

Schwarzriesling "R" QbA - also known as Pinot Meunier. Yummy, berries and cherries. Präzise und reintönig; Achtung: streng limitiert, less than 0,2 hectares, maximun production per year 100 botlles. It has reminded us of Coteaux Champenois from Egly-Ouriet — 10 years ago

Michael Knisley

9.5

This is MARGUET - NOT Egly-Ouriet — 10 years ago

Toni Zablocki

8.9

Aubrey says "cured meats" on the nose - I say "Nay! Fruit cobbler, maple syrup-drenched french toast, and hotel continental breakfast." But maybe a hint of meat. The palate is soft and flatter than the Egly, but - it's also *much* cheaper. Golden apple textured finish. — 9 years ago

with Aubrey and Tim

Morgan Wang

9.1

Had this poured into a cantaloupe for dessert 😂 — 9 years ago

with Darren

Shona Claremont

9.3

The best grower producer there is at the moment — 10 years ago

Yoon Ha

Master Sommelier/Wine Director Benu

8.9

A nicely priced ambonnay in the style of egly. — 11 years ago