Vanessa

9.5

Happy New Year’s Eve to you all! 🎉

To celebrate the holiday, we’re popping this special bottle of bubbles we’ve been eager to try. 😝

It’s Champagne Philipponnat’s 2004 vintage champagne made with 65% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay hailing from a single clos – Clos des Goisses – surrounded by a traditional stone wall in the Village of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ.  🍾

Talk about a singularity of place!  It was first produced as a single vineyard wine in 1935, a pioneering approach for a Champagne House in a land known for regional blending.

After fermentation, this wine aged on the lees for 10 YEARS in Philipponnat’s historic cellars in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ; a Premier Cru Village of the Grand Vallée de la Marne, located on the southerly flank of the Montagne de Reims, where Pinot Noir dominates like in the Grande Montagne.

Okay for the tasting note!  Wow. 🤯 It has pastry, brioche, nougat, and marzipan for days, next to toasted almond, lemon curd, white peach, baked yellow apple, dried chamomile, blossom, and wet slate notes. Despite its unequivocal richness, it has a spine of acidity lending balance and brightness.
 
Cheers to 2025; may it be filled with hope, health, joy, adventure, and amazing sips! 🍾🥂 — 2 months ago

with Deked1

Vanessa

9.2

Happy Easter to those celebrating!! 🌷🌷

We’re marking the occasion with some of our favorite bubbles – a 2014 vintage Paul Bara from the Grand Cru Village of Bouzy in the Montagne de Reims region of Champagne, France.🫶🏻

90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay. ABV 12.5%.

#paulbara #grandcru #champagne #bouzy #montagnereims #brut #bubbles #holidaybrunch #brunching #easter #sundayfunday #vintagechampagne #millesime #sante #growerproducer #growerchampagne — 2 years ago

with Deked1

Willie Carter

9.2

A truly beautiful pale copper robe with effusive perlage and effervescence. Smelling this is an experience unto itself. The nose is intense with aromas of brown sugar, honeysuckle, and streaks of honey. Apples sprinkled with cinnamon and delicious baked bread. Cherries and cream with a dollop of mint. It just keeps going. A little aged cheese with dried earth just for good measure.

Named for the year that the Philipponnant family arrived in the village of Ay and still going strong, year in and year out. 70/30 Pinot Noir/Chardonnay, all from Grand Cru plots and first press juice. Aged for 8 years sur lie and disgorged in February of 2020 with an extra brut dosage of 4.5 g/l. Another case of an outstanding 2012 champagne, one that can last for years and years.

Racy acidity that does calm down over time with terrific structure and balance. A really nice level of complexity and drama here. The palate mirrors the nose with apples and honey with fresh cinnamon bread. Really quite vinous in nature, as well. An exciting and contemplative champagne from a prestigious house. I could drink this everyday.
— 3 years ago

romo

9.3

Called Burgundy, but couldn’t pinpoint village. — 4 months ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.6

Such an incredible Champagne from surely the the next grower to develop that cult following. Straddling Avize and Cramant, single vineyard BdB Chemin de Chalons, (also made by Jacques Selosse), is a stunning expression of the site and the iconic village of Avize. It’s incredibly elegant, pure and detailed with seductive aromatics, a chalky mineral core and an amazing pillowy mousse that fills the mouth and continues to stay with you, giving way to its long and racy finale. Special wines… — a year ago

Aaron Krauss

9.7

Rhonda's second favorite Chateau nerf de Pape (which she found in the village) — 2 years ago

Paul T HB

9.6

Great with some Snake River Wagyu Gold label New York Strip
According to some website the following information is helpful
Located on a small hill above the village of Bages in Bordeaux, lies the Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste. The estate was classified as a fifth-growth in the 1855 Classification of the Medoc and its Cabernet Sauvignon-based grand vin is known for its velvety opulence. The winery makes a second label called Lacoste-Borie that is made from lots of its declassified fruit which is mostly Merlot. The soils are a classic mix of gravel of differing depths, mixed with sand and some clay, and allow excellent, much-needed drainage for the vines. After centuries of evolving ownership following the 1855 Classification of the Medoc, the estate landed in the hands of François-Xavier Borie who has guided the estates fortunes elegantly and successfully since 1978. — 2 years ago

Vanessa

9.4

These are the perfect Birthday bubbles!
 
They’re brought to us by one of our favorite “grower” producers – Paul Bara – situated in Bouzy, a grand cru village in the Montagne de Reims ⛰️ region of Champagne.
 
Paul Bara owns the entire production process from beginning to end, carrying forward seven generations of family history and tradition, with winemaker Chantal Bara now at the helm.

This is the 2016 Paul Bara vintage special club rosé.  It was made with mostly Pinot Noir (70%) along with some Chardonnay (30%) for brightness.  

It is pale salmon 👁️ with medium(+) intensity of lemon peel, mandarin pith, white peach, green apple, raspberry, strawberry, toast, pastry, and blanched almond 👃🏻 👄 . The mousse is fine-beaded and well-integrated. It is dry with a creamy mouthfeel and elegant finish.

It’s positively delicious!

Cheers to another trip around the sun ☀️ and Happy Mother’s Day to all of the amazing Mamas! — 9 months ago

with Deked1

Daron Watson

9.2

an under the radar White Burgundy producer who’s 60+ year old vines from this village level lieu-dit are located near the Chassagne side across from Grand Cru Batard Montrachet…OVERperformer!

orange, peach & apricot blossom, apple pie crust, lemon & lime zest, nougat, talcum ~ add bruised apple and yellow plum to the palate w great balance of acidity and minerality with a tactile grip — a year ago

Martinez

8.9

Entry-level Chasselas by Luc Massy, a historic producer from the village of Epesses in Lavaux (right on the shore of Lake Geneva, about 6 miles southeast of Lausanne). Pale gold color. Discreet nose with subtle aromas of pear, bake apple and vanilla. Light-bodied, round, delicate. Low acidity, subtle minerality. Great breakfast wine, as they say around here. — 3 years ago