Lauren Young

9.0

Perfectly yeasty- LAX lounge — 12 days ago

Jay Kline

9.6

Popped and poured but not something I would recommend. The 2017 Cuvée Réservée benefited from some time in the decanter and the Cuvée Laurence would enjoy the same. However, a decanter we had not; nor was the setting appropriate. And while I wouldn’t have described this as shy upon opening, it certainly went from strength to strength with exposure to air and by the last glass, this was sensational. Beautiful dark bramble fruit, salmiakki, black pepper, red flowers, bacon fat, garrigue, old wood, and exotic spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long lasting and ever so sexy. As a reminder, no “Cuvee da Capo” was made in 2017 so there’s no wonder why this is special. Drink now through 2042. — a year ago

Peter Coulthard

9.1

Coop. Decent Prosecco. Slightly sweet but very drinkable. — 4 years ago

Brandon Boesch

9.2

Really great sparkler. Tons of acid and some tropical fruit, citrus, tart green apples really shine, but just enough body to give it some balance. This is clearly all about the acidity though. I could see how some would not enjoy that part of this wine. — 5 years ago

Paul J

9.4

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Cristal for the parents and sparkling apple juice for the twins!

Cristal doesn’t hold a candle to my go to of Bollinger Le Grand Annee, but is always nice on a special occasion! Was very restrained and probably will be better in 5+yrs. — 6 years ago

with Brooke

Fredric Bergström

8.9

Special club 2011 by Gaston Chiquet, good producer, very bad year. Surprise they even did special club bottlings that year. You can tell by the lack of intensity and lenght that this was a vintage ruined by rain in champagne, but gaston makes a very charming cuvee with an super creamy mousse and super fresh and Young despite being deg17 and of a lesser vintage. — 6 years ago

Jan-Willem van der Hek

9.5

When it sings... Wow! This probably Terry's best cuvee, his Chardonnays are great but this is just something special and to me the best new world example for semillon. — 6 years ago

Conrad Green

9.4

This is delicious. Bright red fruit, some spice and real character and complexity. Fantastic stuff — 2 months ago

with Walker and David

President Obama

9.1

Wasn't the "special" but couldn't find an entry for the bottle we had. Very strange flavors but I don't think it was "off". At BAB in Nola. — 3 years ago

John Van Trijp

9.5

Special cuvee. 150 btls produced — 3 years ago

Willie Carter

9.5

This superstar 2012 vintage just doesn’t seem to miss. Especially not when paired with the elegance of Bollinger.

A gorgeous rose copper color in the glass. Plenty of fine bubbles that seem to just go on and on. The approachability of these outstanding 12’s is immediate. Wild strawberries and herbs shine on the nose. Red currant, raspberries, and stewed plums. Some exquisite spice notes along with white flowers. Tangerines and watermelons play a part.

The vitality and sheer energy of this is amazing. 67% Pinot Noir from Aÿ and Verzenay. 33% Chardonnay from Oiry and Le Mesnil sur Oger with 5% still red wine from Bollinger’s legendary Côte aux Enfants vineyard. Terrific youthful tension and balance. Zippy acidity with 8 g/l of sugar. Disgorged in August of 2019 and already showing some maturity.

Pure romance on the tongue. Silky smooth and elegant with fresh red berries and more spice on the palate. Saffron and honey with oak complimenting. The Lehmann Jamesse Grand Blanc provided more floral notes, while the Riedel Dom Perignon showed more ripe fruit and minerality. Both wonderful. Yes this will obviously develop over time and become so much more special but you deserve this now. So do I. Enjoy.
— 5 years ago

Ming L

9.3

Opulent and complex. Green apple, peach, a bit pipe apple, brioche, fresh bread dough, chalk, sea shells, and hint of toasted nuts. Savory and crisp at the same time. Splendid acidity. Super energetic mousse, though lacking a bit refinement.
Base wine is 2011, disgorged 2018. This and the Bollinger Special Cuvée are two of my favorite NV Champaign from larger houses. With 40% reserved wine averaged 10 year old, the CH Brut Reserve no doubt is a better value. — 6 years ago

Justin Hansohn

9.0

Roundness brings some extra pleasure and delight here. I got this in trade with a friend and I’m happy to be sipping on it. Have no idea the price tag but honestly I can imagine this is a bit pricey. Not going to knock it but it’s for sure straight down the middle of champagne special blends. — 6 years ago

Brendan Powell

9.1

Lightly smoky, little peppery, lighter than You expect but not too much. Great! — 3 months ago

Shay A

9.3

I’m at 92-93 here, but this is absolutely going to improve. I should have bought more than just a couple!

Paul Dethune champagnes are quickly becoming a favorite of mine. This cuvée is 50/50 (Pinot noir/chard), with 30% coming from their Solera dating back to the 70s.

I’ve said that I feel Petit & Bajan are the equivalent of Bollinger Special Cuvée in grower form, but I stand corrected. THIS is Bolly SC with a grower champagne vibe. Gold in the glass. Aromatics of lemon cream, lemon croissant, golden raspberries, and honeycomb. On the palate, it has the toasted Bolly profile but it’s dialed back a touch…feels more focused. Less expansive, but there’s added power here. Beautifully balanced with the sweet (the fruit, not the dosage) and savory (honey roasted cashews, sea salt). Imagine Bolly SC and a CHeidsieck Blanc de Blanc…you’ve got this. Loved it. — 2 years ago

Roger Ray

9.0

A lovely Oregon Pinot Noir. " With over 20 vineyards contributing, distinctive blocks were selected to blend this special cuvee, highlighting the essence of Oregon Pinot Noir in 2017 x — 4 years ago

Mark S.

9.1

Very special, red fruits from Pinot noir. No, this is made from Chardonnay grape. 2nd time on 200318, tasty giving impact with matured pear and nuts flavor and sourness. Varnier-Fanniere Cuvee Jean Fanniere Origine Extra Brut Grand Cru Champagne Blend, AVIZE CUVEE grand cru @2300, - Kkami, 210303 — 5 years ago

Hugh O'Riordan

9.2

I don’t know how to rate this wine. Faint dry aroma. Intense fruit , dried raisin, almost sherry like. Deep dark coffee color. Sweet from beginning to end. Very long mouth filling finish. Sticky almost syrup . Not my cup of tea but obviously a very special wine. — 6 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Love this old old vine cuvee. Complex nose of mid season cherry fruit, florals, huge rocky minerals and rock dust, some game, and lovely dust. So good. Smells ethereally complex. Like a Gamay forest. Palate is deep, deep, deep and so pure with incredible freshness and mineral energy that cleanses the palate. So juicy. Terrific, grainy and caressing tannins. This is a terrific Godefroy that has a very long life ahead of it. Really great depth and serious midpalate density. But the freshness and waves of energy on the finish are what make this wine extra special. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.2

A few wines from last week’s 4th Friday event!

I was craving some bubbles, so I opened this. For Bollinger, I expected this to be a touch more rich and powerful. What I got was a fairly elegant and finesse driven rosé champagne. Very red berry fruit driven upfront with some strawberry cream, toasted biscuit, and sea salted rhubarb fruit. So energetic on the palate but a fine balance between blanc de noir style vs rosé. Gummy red fruits with some strawberry shortbread and some sweetness toward the finish. I think these are likely better closer to release (as opposed to their special Cuvee sibling, which can be marvelous with a touch of age). — 6 years ago

with Dan