David Koenen

9.5

Birth year tastings, evening 4.
Polished leather, nuts, ecoline, grilled red pepper, tomato leaf, gingerbread, pepper, salty savoriness, tannins still present, still youthful, lots of future. Muscular! Beautiful. — 8 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Well...this was one hell of a week. There is only one way to wind it down. Reach for an excellent bottle of vintage Champagne.

My first thoughts are how delicate this is on the palate. Further, how unbelievable it will be with another 8-10 years in bottle.

The nose shows; slightly sour lemon, the good parts of lemon Pledge, lemon meringue, white stone fruits, pineapple fresh with lots of juice, grapefruit, lime pulp, honeysuckle, soft, haunting caramel, brioche, limestone & slightly, dirty, grey volcanics, saline, sea fossils, sea spray, bread dough, vanilla, white spices-light ginger with spring flowers, mixed floral greens & lilies.

The body is light on its feet and dances on the palate. Delicacy abounds. Its soft, gorgeous mousse right there with the best money can buy. Slightly sour lemon, lemon meringue, green & with more bruised golden apple, white stone fruits, pineapple fresh with lots of juice, grapefruit, lime pulp, touch of apple cider, honeysuckle, soft, haunting caramel, ginger ale into cream soda, brioche, nougat, toffee notes, lighter nuts without skin, limestone & slightly, dirty, grey volcanics, saline, sea fossils, sea spray, bread dough, vanillin, marzipan, white spices-light ginger with spring flowers, mixed floral greens & lilies. The acidity is mellow yet lively, gorgeous and as good as it gets. The finish is all luxury. So well knitted & balanced, elegant, rich but not overpowering and gently persisting several minutes.

Photos of; The House of Taittinger, their caves so chalky white and built on the famous Crayères Cellars of Reims: 2.5 miles of tunnels (they own 1/4 to 1/3 of it) cut out of chalk by the Romans, the portrait of Thibaud IV who was a king, lord, manager, singer, conqueror, explorer & 11th century Crusader all rolled into one from which, this Cuvée was the catalyst creation and part of the 600 plus hectares they own in Champange.

Some producer notes; Taittinger's history can be traced back to 1734, when it was originally known as Forest-Fourneaux, founded by Jacques Fourneaux who worked closely with local Benedictine monks to learn how to produce wine. They were just the 3rd Champange house.

The estate was bought by the Taittingers – a family of wine merchants – in 1932, and thanks to the great depression and subsequent low land prices, the family also picked up huge swathes of vineyard. From 1945-1960, Francois Taittinger established the cellars in the Abbey of Saint-Nicaise, and after his death in 1960 his brother Claude took over, pushing the estate into a Champagne house of world renown. Such was the status of the label that the Taittinger family soon expanded its business into other luxury goods. However, this eventually led to financial difficulties, and in 2005 the Taittinger brand – including the Champagne house – was sold to the American owned Starwood Hotel Group. The sale was badly received by the Champagne industry, with many fearing the new owners – unfamiliar with the culture of Champagne – would put profit ahead of quality.

Just one year later, Claude’s nephew, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, who had always been opposed to the sale, negotiated a €660m deal with the Starwood Group, and the Taittinger family resumed ownership of the company.

In 2017, Taittinger planted its first vines in England, near a village in Kent, for its venture into English sparkling wine. The first bottle will be ready in 2023.

1/8/21 — 5 years ago

John Van Trijp

10

Oh boy......what can i say....is this a turning point in my life....???.....i hate pinot noir.....there is missing something all the time....and now...this evening....in Düsseldorf Gernany...everything blind.....wooow....out of this world....that colour...no please....help....it can’t be......demasqué.....f..ck! It is.....pinot noir....Burgundy....perfect score.....it happened..... — 7 years ago

Velma Cooper

9.2

Velma had this 8 years ago

Junaid Mohiuddin

9.4

Classic Pinot. Soft on the tongue but full of flavor. — 8 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

Dark gold, high pitched. Noptes of apricot, tan spice, sauteed pears. RIch and long in the mouth. Outstanding finish to the evening. — 3 years ago

Blair Campomizzi

9.1

Dark and rich. Red berry and cherry pop with some dried herd nots in the back ground. — 5 years ago

with Marilea

Carter Pelham

9.5

Insane.

Muted fruits throughout but it didn't really matter...incredibly expressive wine throughout the evening.
Earthiness from the nose throughout to the unending finish with that hint of copper, intricate spice, soft tannins and bright balancing acidity.

Initially this showed so much tension and energy I was worried we had opened too early but after 45 minutes it was completely relaxed...beautiful throughout. — 5 years ago

with Linh

Zach Reeves

9.2

One of my favorite Pinots — 6 years ago

Pooneet K

9.2

Very nice Pinot noir. Beautiful aromatics, very crunchy cherry texture. Delicious long finish with perfect acid. Ton of respect for the producer and for what they have done here. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Heck of a hosting by @Weston Eidson last night for the City Club wine group. All wines were tasted blind.

Wonderful finish to the evening. It didn’t have as much sweetness to it as I normally think Graham’s does. Mixed berry compote, graham cracker, nutty, and cherry liqueur infused fig. My guess here was late 80s/early 90s port. — 7 years ago

with joe, Dan and 2 others

Neil Kudler

9.1

90% dark chocolate, black plum, long finish. Opens up with 20-30 minutes in the glass. — 8 years ago

Jusden Aumand

9.3

Herbal, savory, Sage, scorched earth and orange peel rind. Delicate and very pretty. — 9 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.2

Always a nice way to finish the evening — 4 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.6

Tasted blind. Tawny color with light rims. Old wine nose. Notes of raspberry, cola, old cedar desk, some tobacco and a little menthol. Rich and long in the mouth. Lighter than the 59 next to it. Also tighter, but opens up over the evening. Really good but not as good as the 59. — 4 years ago

Eric

9.3

Masking up and scanning your menu sucks but washing it down with a nice Pinot makes it better. — 6 years ago

John Ferguson

9.7

Special night this evening. Excelsior! “Ever Upward!” One of the best collaborations in wine history. Baron Philippe De Rothschild and the great Robert Mondavi. Beautiful wine!!! — 6 years ago

Evan Bienstock

9.4

Bad picture, great wine. Great way to start an evening. Love 2008 🥂🥂🥂... — 7 years ago

Kurt Peterson

10

Excellent stuff — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Jack & Arden put together a wonderful evening of delicious food and great wines, and a few of us attendees contributed some bottles to enjoy as well. Great night!

Served blind. I actually thought this was older than the previous wine (it wasn’t) and that this could be older Napa. Color wise, there was more translucence and bricking. Bing cherry, bay leaf, and herbal notes. Saddle leather, pipe tobacco, black cherry on the palate. A favorite producer of mine. Thanks for bringing @Jack Thompson — 7 years ago

with Arden, Jack and 3 others