Andrew McIntyre

9.6

Very impressive showing. Mature but still holding lots of fruit. Best red wine of an amazing evening! — 7 months ago

Vino Joe

9.3

Excellent. Crisp savory and rolls across the tongue. Layers here and it is a great compliment to the special evening. — 4 years 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

Junaid Mohiuddin

9.4

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

Ned Gray Creed

9.1

Up against some serious competition tonight. — 8 years ago

with Mark

Jusden Aumand

9.3

Herbal, savory, Sage, scorched earth and orange peel rind. Delicate and very pretty. — 8 years ago

Ericsson

9.3

What a beautiful Pinot. One of the best I’ve tried from Oregon. Elegance. Balance. Depth. Just lovely. — 7 months ago

MaJ CappS

9.0

Open for just an hour is all that is needed.

Carefully decanted, this has a nose of raspberry cedars.
Big boned, substantial, raspberry, blueberry, cedar stave, eucalyptus, classic Napa flavors here. A great showcase of the evening. — 4 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Monthly WTF wine group night. Our theme was American oak vs French oak. All wines tasted blind. We started off with two bottles of bubbly and finished with two non-themed reds.

My contribution for the evening. I’m posting my previous review of this wine below as it’s been consistent the few times I’ve had it over the last 12-18 months. Love these wines!

Youthful. Icredibly perfumed with typical sweet dill and coconut American oak on the nose. Gosh, I could smell this stuff all day. Aside from needing time away, it needs roughly an hour of decanting to hit stride. Tobacco, cherry tart, and great herbal nuances on the finish. — 6 years ago

with Jack, Ryan and 4 others

Velma Cooper

9.2

Velma had this 7 years ago

Doctor No

9.5

An evening of Lynch-Bages with Stephen Bolger. Included 04 Dom Rose and a 95 Heidsieck Millenaires, ‘16 LB Blanc and the. A beautiful cascade of wines including 1961, 1970, 1975, 1986, 1989, 1996, 2000 and 2005. I would say the 1989 was surprisingly closed and primary and everything after, while still having a beautiful perfume, needed much time. Everything showed beautifully and my personal favorite was actually the 1975 because it was such a tough-as-nails vintage and yet showed a beautiful delicacy. Splitting hairs to pick a favorite. One of my favorite estates just jumped even higher in my estimation! — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Can’t think of many better starters to an evening than with Billecart-Salmon Rosé. 🌹 Nose of; ripe strawberries, cherries, raspberries, tangerine, orange rhine, black cherries, bread, soft chalkiness & minerals with pink rose petals. The palate fruits seem richer & riper tonight. Strawberries, cherries, raspberries, tangerine, orange rhine, black cherries, watermelon near the rhine, razor soft chalkiness, baguette crust, sea spray, volcanic minerals, red & pink rose petals, beautiful acidity and long, rich, well polished finish. 375ml. Photos of; their beautiful Estate, a dark cellar I’d love to raid and one of their grand cru vineyards. @severngoodwin I guess I do have it on tap. 🤔 — 8 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Part of a Chateau Mouton Rothschild vertical from 1988-1990. Early on, this was a probably my favorite of the three Moutons and showed well throughout the course of the evening. Expressive red and dark forest fruits with tobacco, leather, earth and baking spices. The structure was still showing its tensile strength. This has a long life ahead. Drink now through 2040. — 8 months ago

Blair Campomizzi

9.1

Dark and rich. Red berry and cherry pop with some dried herd nots in the back ground. — 4 years ago

with Marilea

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

Neil Kudler

9.1

90% dark chocolate, black plum, long finish. Opens up with 20-30 minutes in the glass. — 7 years ago

Randy Stilley

9.5

Very youthful for a ‘94. Awesome wine. Perfect for dinner on a cold evening. — 7 years ago

T Hammond

9.0

Gift from Abigail and Nicholas — 8 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

From an auction bottle that had a low fill and might have had some seepage in its past. Light amber color. Thin and translucent in the glass. At the start there is a huge sweetness from the nose of the bottle to the first pour in the glass. An exotic bouquet developed over the afternoon and evening as this gained weight from the air it took on. At the 5 hour mark it was rich in the mouth to go with the amazing complex bouquet it was giving off. Notes of sweet cherries, Asian spice, dry dirt and a little molasses. Was still riding high late into the evening, and everyone's views of the wine kept improving until the last pour. The next day the empty bottle still has the sweet complexity it had when opened. — 8 years ago