Heather Powell

9.5

Hermann MO — 4 years ago

Willie Carter

9.1

An immediately attractive light gold color in the glass. A fine, persistent mousse with a terrific amount of tiny bubbles. Very fresh aromas on the nose with honeysuckle, apricots, and plenty of chalk. Roasted nuts are dominant here after some time with fresh cut flowers joining in.

100% Chardonnay aged up to five years on lees. The 8 g/l does show itself but never in a cloying manner. The 40% of reserve wine from Mesnil sur Oger and Avize also clearly show. This is a very mature and earnest champagne. The minerality and exquisite tension set it apart from so many others.

Nice integration and structure here. The high acidity is balanced by the softness of the fruit and the more savory characteristics. The palate follows the nose closely with more toast, citrus, and nice chalk. Long finish that you really don’t want to end. — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Finally getting around to posting wines from my annual Napa trip from two weeks ago. Always goes by quick! Lots of fun new stops this year.

Third year in a row to hang out with @jesus g as he pours some amazing Schramsberg and JDavies wines for us. One of the best hosts in the entire valley! If you find yourself in Napa, don’t miss out on doing a tasting with him!

When pouring next to the Reserve, this always shows a much more brighter and tightly coiled profile (as expected with BdB). I’ve found that I enjoy the Reserve younger and the JSchram older (as it starts to channel similar Reserve tasting notes with more age). Lemon confit, buttered fresh biscuit, sea spray and grilled aromatics. The acid is almost racy, yet it still is amazingly commanding in how it evolves with complexity. — 6 years ago

Carlo Maiorano

9.2

O M G!! Slightly sweet! Smooth as the other side of the pillow. Incredibly delicious. Paired perfectly with raw clams and BBQ Octopus Salad. — 6 years ago

Ryan Vento

9.1

Composition: 44% Pinot Noir, 6% Meunier, 50% Chardonnay.

Harvest: 2011 and reserve wines.

On the Lees: 5 years

Disgorged: March 2017

Dosage: 0 g/l

On the nose pretty full bodied with nougat, copper, and overripe strawberries. On the palate it is far less rich and full as you would expect based on the nose. This is essentially an effervescent Provençal Rosé. Would pair perfectly with a summer salad. — 7 years ago

with Krystal

Mike R

9.7

This is up there in my top 5 this year - this is shooting at me 0 to 60 in a Porsche GTO or 3 seconds but finishing like the tortoise against the hare - a winner and in slow motion - but nice and smooth and long - wait now I am confused - am I drinking wine or getting ready for sex / oh wait - never mind - different story - but this is badass is a glass as my friend @Martin G Rivard would say

All smiles tonight — 8 years ago

Jordan Wardlaw

9.5

Tasted at a private seminar in SF with importer Terry Theise and it is showing amazingly well. Yet another example of the power of Riesling. This nearly 14-year-old Spätlese is still a toddler, not even approaching a tertiary stage any time soon. Golden straw color with great clarity, green reflections. Massive nose of smoke, slate, passion fruit, apricot and melon all coated in honey. The aromatics attack your palate from 8 inches away. 100 g/l RS, but impeccably balanced. This is what I adore about the great sweet Rieslings- the inherent sweetness lends wonderful body and texture and carries all the intensity of the fruit all the way through the finish which I find to be amazingly persistent. Loving the spice character in the mid palate and the lovely floral quality up front. This is a masterful Riesling from a top Nahe producer, and Meddersheimer is arguably one the top vineyards in this subregion. The mosaic of soil types here lend the wines a great deal of nuance and complexity and all different ripeness levels, but this is my favorite Spätlese from the Nahe at the present moment due to its outward and flamboyant nature. Very versatile food wine with great individual character. — 8 years ago

Willie Carter

9.1

It’s pretty rare that a House’s entry level bottle can challenge other House’s more prestigious offerings. A pale gold hue with truly a plethora of lively bubbles. Impressive perlage. The nose is powerful and engaging. Strong notes of honey and green apples with butterscotch and lemon peels. A smorgasbord of delightful citrus aromas and brioche bread really elevate this.

Almost equal parts of the three Champenois grapes with a dosage of 7 g/l. Disgorged on 7/20 and using 35% of reserve wines, there is a depth to the champagne that many others simply can not compare with. It starts off a bit angular but soon develops nicely in the glass. The acidity is bright, the body full, and the mouthfeel rich. Biodynamic without certification.

The palate is the definition of precise with crisp fruit and beautiful chalky minerality. Pears, grapefruits, and light red cherries shine. Toasted bread, nuts, and more autolytic touches. Marzipan and a little oak just for kicks. This is outstanding wine and can stand proudly next to some of the bigger boys out there. — 5 years ago

Sony

9.7

Wow wow wow and I would say O-M-G as well. Top 3 wines of all time. Definitely does not drink Like a Bordeaux. More like a Cabernet.

And thank you Ted who gave us this bottle and recommended to decant it and throw in the fridge 1/2 hour.

You will not be disappointed even at a $65 price tag. Smoky with definite oak and black currents, it’s simply remarkable.... and even though it’s “alcoholy” from the nose to the finish, it is so complex and dry that it compliments a cab lovers palate! — 6 years ago

Jason Guyett

9.6

Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec Champagne. My first time trying Demi-Sec after getting a promotion at work! My first impression is kind of what I expected: a slightly sweeter champagne. It still has a slight dry after taste, but generally does have a sweeter taste to it. Aromas of ripe apples. Tastes a bit more of Pinot Noir than Chardonnay which makes sense as the website lists it as a Structure of 40-45% Pinot Noir, Fruitiness of 30-35* Meunier, Freshness of Chardonnay 20-25%, Reserve Wines of Blend 30-45% and Dosage of Demi-sec 45 G/L. It also says the serving temperature should be 8-10 degrees celsius, and has an aging potential of up to 3 years.
In short, for my taste buds it’s the perfect sweetness of not too sweet, but sweet enough to really enjoy it (even for non-wine drinkers). Might have to grab another bottle of this for Thanksgiving. Will absolutely be purchasing more Demi-sec in the future. — 6 years ago

Erik Wochna

9.1

14’ vintage — 6 years ago

Michael Gustafson

9.0

Bold. Good reserve.. G liked it — 7 years ago

with Guisela

Mike R

9.6

What a special amazing brand new wine -!everything to love - I am going there in April - can't wait - this is even better because my man and friend @Martin G Rivard gifted this bad boy - thank you sir - all smiles tonight — 8 years ago

Rae Kingfield

9.6

Good g-d this is great! Mangoes and river rock — 8 years ago

Willie Carter

9.0

A pale gold hue leads to some nice effervescence and tons of small bubbles initially. A fine mousse and highly aromatic on the nose with an abundance of wet stone minerality and fresh pears. The fruit is ripe and expressive with citrus aromas being dominant with the more autolytic notes serving as backup. After some time and air, that nice yeast and floral aspects come to the fore in the form of delicate little white flowers.

100% Chardonnay with 7 g/l that only adds a little softness to the acidity of the champagne. With 30% of the blend coming from reserve wines there is a distinct elegance and refinement happening here. The fruit comes from Grand and Premier Crus from Avize and Cramant.

This is most certainly a pop and pour champagne, it’s ready to go. A silky mouthfeel with crisp acidity which leads to crisp fruit on the palate. Baked apple pie, brioche buns, and mandarin oranges shine. Decidedly lush and fun. Fruity, elegant, and versatile. — 5 years ago

Tracy Hall

9.3

Smooth. White peach and ripe lemon curd. 2016 (70%) reserve wines (30%) Dosage 6 g/L Disgorged 11/19. TBL — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Finally getting around to posting wines from my annual Napa trip from two weeks ago. Always goes by quick! Lots of fun new stops this year.

Third year in a row to hang out with @jesus g as he pours some amazing Schramsberg and JDavies wines for us. One of the best hosts in the entire valley! If you find yourself in Napa, don’t miss out on doing a tasting with him!

This is always my favorite sparkler for enjoyment now. My notes on the ‘08 and ‘09 below won’t look much different than my note on this ‘10. Maybe a touch more gently oxidative with classical nuttiness, ripe strawberries and cream on the nose with toasted cranberry scone and a rich and powerful profile on the palate. Always so consistent. — 6 years ago

Andrew Chen

9.5

Blend: 65% 2013 / 35% Reserve wines
Disgorged: Summer 2018
Dosage: 5 g/l
Lot: 18-02-210 — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.3

Day 4 in Napa in the books! Running a day behind on notes...Napa time runs slow AND fast!

Another year, another insane meet up with @jesus g ! We had the pleasure of hanging out with him twice this time, once at the Davies tasting room and a second time when he gave us an awesome private, VIP like experience at the Schramsberg caves!

This ‘09 JSchram, which is their more Blanc de Blanc style, is young bit delicious. Lemon bar, apple crisp, cashew, meringue and and just beginning to show some honeycomb/honeyed melon notes. I decided I like the JSchram with more age and enjoy the Reserve at a younger age. — 7 years ago

with jesus

Shay A

9.5

Another 4th Friday for the books, and one of the best of the year!

I can’t remember if I got this at my winery visit last year or if this was another gift from the man himself, @Martin G Rivard , but I do know that I only know about Beau Vigne because of Martin! Either way, thank you!

If I had smelled and tasted this blind, I would have called this a Bevan Cabernet. It is an iron fist in a velvet glove. It’s explosive out of the glass with baked blackberry pie, blueberry, sandalwood and chocolate shavings. Expansive on the palate and you think it’s going to overpower you, but it tones everything down for a silky and velvet textured finish. The palate goes more dark red fruit and black fruit with toasted oak. This is a BIG wine, but it’s no doubt very delicious. — 7 years ago

with Weston, Trent and 1 other