Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

SMV has been growing SB since 1993, as well as its stellar blends, visited not long ago, beautiful place not to be missed. Sur-lie aged for 6 months in neutral French oak, regular batonnage. Pale lemon with aromas of ripe stone and tropical fruits with citrus and floral notes, wonderful phenolics. On the palate fresh fruit flavors of melon, apricot and ripe apple with lemon citrus and vanilla wrapped in lively acidity, medium+ length ending with creamy citrus texture and slight yeasty notes. Wow! Very Nice! — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Love half bottles of good Blanc Champagne at Costco for $18. Sure makes it feel like Christmas come early.

I’m dreaming of a wine Christmas. What’s on your list?

Really nice cuvée from Laurent-Perrier and even better price point.

Bruised apple & Bosc pear, pineapple juice, nougat with nuts, ginger ale, vanillin, white spice, sea spray, soft volcanics, easy, powdery chalkiness, bread dough to baguette, withering lilies and spring flowers. Lively acidity and well balanced, rich, elegant finish that persists minutes landing on minerals & spice.

Happy Holiday Season! 🎄🎅❄️⛄️🎁 🌟 — 5 years ago

Kirk F

9.2

Excellent right off the bat, nicely integrated flavors and smooth mouthfeel. Great blend that time will serve well. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Champagne is for celebrating, not that I need a celebratory reason to open a bottle as I am hooked on champagne. 💉

However, after installing 27 solar panels and waiting an additional seven weeks for my Tesla, I/we have almost erased our carbon footprint. Finally picked it up today. I believe we all need to do our part to save the glorious vines that bring so much happiness to our lives. 🍷🥂👍

As for the Baron Fuentes, the is a very good Champange and is perhaps the best QPR out of Champagne at $24.99.

Bright lemon, lime, grapefruit w/ sugar, bruised red apple & pear, touch of ginger & cider, bread dough, baguette crust, sea spray, white spice with some palate heat, sea fossils, grey volcanic minerals, spring flowers, lilacs and yellow lilies. The acidity is bright, crisp and lively. The finish is smartly polished, well balanced and persistent for minutes.

Whoo hoo! So close to carbon free! 🍾🥂 — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.3

It was 19 in TX Tues, hailed yesterday, and is 80 degrees today. Welcome to spring in TX.

I love the info on the back of these bottles as they give detail to the base vintage and when they were disgorged. This is ‘08 base, disgorged 2017.

Right up my alley. I’d call this oxidative, but not overly so. There is a Krug-ness about this style. It’s toasty and savory with a little caramel, toffee and baked apple. Creamy. For my personal taste, while I enjoy all champagne cold, this is one of the few styles that holds up well even once it warms up slightly as there isn’t a lot of tartness here. — 7 years ago

Rob Brobst III

10

The flagship, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Materium, represents 560 cases and achieved 14.8% alcohol after aging in 90% new Taransaud and Darnajou casks. Remarkably, the wine matches the perfect 2013, with extraordinary fragrance of blueberry, blackberry, forest floor, truffle, spring flowers and background barbecue smoke followed by a thick, unctuously textured, juicy, but incredibly well-balanced, intense wine. This is built like a skyscraper with enormous quantities of blueberry, blackberry and cassis fruit, well-integrated acidity and sweet, gentle tannins. This is an extraordinary effort from Maybach that can be drunk now or cellared for up to 30 or more years. — 5 years ago

Aaron Rankin

9.3

Striking! This wine smells like Spring. Nose is candied lemon, ripe tropical fruits, sweet apples, white flowers, wet stones. I expected this to be very tart, like Chablis, but was happily surprised to get a rounder presentation with a kiss of oak. This is drinking very well at this stage. — 6 years ago

Daniel Taub

9.4

PNP. Well integrated and not over the top but good balance with spring mountain fruit on the nose. Cheers — 6 years ago

Dan Staley

9.0

Pencil shavings, blackberry, and raspberry. Good structure and well balanced. — 7 years ago

Sarah Milsow-Guenther

9.1

Nice Cab Franc from SV. These tend to get better with age, this vintage is a great example of that. Smooth, almost some coffee undertones, earthy as well. Nice wine. — 7 years ago

Andrew Ward

9.0

Lots of fruit, nice and light, well balanced. — 7 years ago

Marc Melser

9.0

We really enjoyed this well balanced wine. — 8 years ago

Sarah Oettel

9.0

Marston put out a well above average 2011 (not many in the region are able to lay claim to that with this vintage) despite being a bit thin and just slightly vegetal--a product of a cold and wet vintage. — 9 years ago

Lawrence Bernstein

8.9

2/21 - 1999 This is a pleasure. Soft with firmness and well balanced. Strong marks. 89. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Congratulations to TB12 on going to his 14th Conference Championship.

The nose shows; more macerated green & golden apple, pineapple than usual. Touch of apple cider, bruised pear, some dried apricots, nougat, melted, salted caramel, alluvial limestone minerals, chalk, sea spray, roasted white spice, dry yeast, rising bread dough, baguette crust, ginger ale with withering lilies and some spring flowers.

The palate has softer mousse & less lively acidity than previous bottles. Still nice but, it’s giving cause to wonder when this bottle was disgorged. Macerated green & golden apple, yellow peach, pineapple juice. Touch of apple cider, bruised pear, some dried apricots, nougat, melted, salted caramel, alluvial limestone minerals, grey volcanics, gritty chalkiness, sea fossils, saline, roasted white spice, nuts, dry yeast, rising bread dough, baguette crust, ginger ale that has the high notes of root beer, vanillin with withering lilies and some spring flowers. The acidity is ok but, seems off a bit. Change in base wine for this bottling? The finish still rich, elegant, well balanced persisting minutes.

Bottle is off slightly from the many others we’ve enjoyed.

Photos of; the House of Bollinger, branded cave with resting bottles, their Cooper making barrels and one of their Grand Cru vineyards.

1/17/21 — 5 years ago

Evan Bloom

9.1

A tasty Napa Bordeaux blend, well made, slightly high toned and pushing the acidic side of the spectrum. That’s said, was quite enjoyable, but there are certainly others that are at least comparable if not better at this price point. — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc & 2% Petit Verdot, aged for 22 Months in new French oak, 4,408 cases made. Deep Ruby with developing aromas of red and black fruits and notes of oak, mushroom and forest floor. On the palate flavors of blackberry, cherry and black plum with a meaty stewed fruit charm, some sweet spice, cacao and herb notes. Fine structured soft tannins well integrated, long finish, ending with dried fruit character adding leather, nutty notes and oak. Outstanding, drinking well starting to develop tertiary aromas flavors! Tasting Sample. — 7 years ago

Gunja Gargeshwari

9.3

Just a lovely wine - well balanced and bright! — 7 years ago

with Amit and Norman

Hugh O'Riordan

9.3

This 1998 wine aged well. Dark, earthy,and subtle fruit. I have one bottle left — 8 years ago

Michael Chelus

9.1

Blackberry, cassis, cherry, vanilla, plum, mocha, oak, licorice and eucalyptus. Great structure and well-integrated tannins. — 9 years ago