Vanessa

9.2

Here we have the Benoit Lahaye ‘Blanc de Noirs’ – a non-vintage white bubbly made with 100% Pinot Noir, representing a blend of two parcels in Bouzy (Vaux-Bétins & Raies Tortues), each contributing a unique personality to the cuvée.

Harking back to more traditional winemaking methods, it was barrel-fermented naturally & bottled without filtration.

It has a pale gold hue w/ expressive aromas & flavors of baked red apple, cider, raspberry, fruit cake, lemon curd, cherry blossom, toast, clove, cinnamon, pastry, almond paste, and nougat next to chiseled mineral & wet stone notes.

With an ‘extra brut’ dosage (5g of sugar/L), this wine is bone dry, with a fine-beaded, creamy mousse, that is nicely balanced by a racy acidity. It has a kinetic energy & persistent finish. It’s absolutely delicious.

Who ever said you can’t sip bubbles on a Monday night?

I believe every day is worth celebrating in one form or another. Plus, this counts as studying for our WSG Champagne Masters class. Also, it’s Eiffel Tower Day!!

Cheers. — 4 months ago

with Deked1

Teresa Stepp

9.2

April 2023 WOTM — 2 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Tasted blind. Medium to dark gold. Nice weight. Old/leesy nose with notes of apricot, bruised apple, pineapple, apple cider. Muted acidity at first. But with 6 hours of air the zing of acidity powers up. I'm in the "it's not chardonnay" camp. After going through a mental list of "what it's not" I arrive at a guess of 95 Chave Blanc. This got better through the day. Surprisingly good for the hot vintage. — 3 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

Blend of Pinot Noir (66%), Chardonnay (35%) and Meunier (3%) Medium gold color. Aromas and flavors of citrus, apple cider, ripe pear, white flowers and freshly baked bread. Touch of oxidation. Large amount of soft mousse and consistent bubbles. Fruit forward and well structured. So light, crisp and refreshing. Cheers to Baby Amelia!!! — 8 months ago

Tom Garland

9.2

From mag

Pop and pour. A wondrous medium gold color. On the nose: Asian pear, oyster shells, lemon, floral, toasted nuts. Taste: great creamy-chalky mouthfeel with lemon, minerals, tart green apple, honey, cider. YUM! Still delicious at 27 years. — 2 years ago

with Brenda

Winton Sweum

8.9

Medium gold; nose subdued by a bit of oxidation but showing mineral, wood and a touch of honey; just medium bodied with enough cider-apple fruit and mineral to balance the brightish acidity, and finishing slightly saline. Romo, why not? — 3 years ago

with Laura

GV

9.4

Henney's is a modern cider with roots only back to the 1990s, but they very much make their drinks using g traditional methods of pressing the fruit and using local Herefordshire apples.

This is a delightful amber coloured cider with good apples aromas that show it is real cider with real apples. It is a [very] moreish medium sweet taste with the apples, a little caramel and just enough tartness to make this a real summer stunner.

Adam and Eve may have got in trouble with an apple but Henney's are the Gods of cider. — 3 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Light gold colour . Quite intense and mineral , touches of lemon peel , chalk dust , acacia . Good backbone on the palate , with lemon and mineral , quite linear and dry . Ok length drink now and over the next 5 -10 years , no rush — 2 years ago

Shay A

9.2

I’m between a 92-93 here. Second time with this champagne in the last year and it has stayed consistently delicious.

Slightly older disgorgement at July 2021. 100% Pinot noir. Extra year aging and fermentation in used barriques compared to all stainless for the Resonance cuvée.

Almost 6yrs on the lees and it shows with a leesy character alongside rich power (which can be hard to do with zero dosage champagnes, but the vintage and style help). Gold tinged in the glass. Spiced cider, oyster shell aromatically before a honeycrisp red apple, cranberry, red and black berry fruit and a mineral/limestone finish. I’d love to try this disgorgement a few years down the line, as I think it would be doing even better.

Happy Thanksgiving. — 2 years ago

Gene Buonviri

9.1

Born in Croatia, made its way to southern Italy where it was named Primitivo. Fortunately, the imperial nursery of Vienna catalogued specimens of the vine, which sourced a journey to New England in 1829. In the true American spirit, Zinfandel found it’s home in California during the Gold Rush of 1849.
This Dessert Wine is bold, lots of spice with a light peppery finish, rich smooth and jammy.
— 3 years ago