Vanessa

9.3

Marie-Courtin was established in 2005 by Dominique Moreau, who named her winery after her grandmother – a “woman of the earth” – surely an inspiration behind Dominique’s unwavering commitment to organic & biodynamic viticulture. She’s among the few (but growing # of) producers pursuing organic / biodynamic practices in Champagne, a notoriously challenging climate for mildew & rot.

Champagne Marie-Courtin is a Grower producer located in the village of Polisot in the Barséquannais, specializing in compelling terroir expressions, using a low intervention approach in the winery, with wild ferments and minimal (if any) dosage…

This wine fermented and aged in used (neutral) French barriques, allowing delicate oxygen influences w/out the oaky flavors. It spent 36 months aging sur lie (on the lees).

The result is a precise and chiseled wine with toasty notes next to layers of blossom, lemon peel, bright raspberry, strawberry, peach skin, kumquat, ripe pear, oyster shell, saline, blanched almond, bread dough, pastry, and baked red apple.

This wine represents a singular expression of a particular year, vineyard, and variety – it offers a sensory glimpse into a specific place and time. A magical & lovely wine. Cheers! — 2 days ago

with Deked1

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.6

It’s almost impossible to pull yourself away from the bouquet of the 2011 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. Here I’m finding a beguiling mix of crushed dried roses, incense and red currant complemented by autumnal spice and hints of menthol and smoke. The textures are velvety-smooth, coating all they touch in ripe, lavender-tinged red and black fruits, contrasted by hints of sour citrus and a salty core of minerals. This tapers off with outstanding length. Structured for the long haul, but already showing a glimpse of the glorious Riserva that it will one day mature into. Wow – and from the 2011 vintage. Only 3,000 bottles were produced. (Eric Guido, Vinous, December 2021)
— 3 years ago

Vanessa

9.2

We visited Champagne Ayala today, located in the grand cru village of Äy, Champagne. 🇫🇷

This champagne house is now part of the Bollinger family 🏠 ; it has a distinct and marked personality, leaning especially towards Chardonnay with a light, elegant, and focused character. 🌸

We had the pleasure of touring the grounds and cave with @carledmundsherman where we learned about the history of Ayala, the subsoils and topography where grapes used to make this wine were grown; we rode an elevator with crates of bottles that had been riddled, and we even caught a glimpse of wines being disgorged, dosaged, and corked in action. 🤩

It was a memorable, educational, and delicious experience. 💕Here is a lineup of wines we tasted - mostly blends of predominantly Chardonnay (with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) and a Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay).

All of these wines were lovely, though our favorite was the Vintage 2012 La Perle — ‘The Pearl’ — prestige cuvée, due to its richness, aromatics, and complexity. 👏👏👏🍾🍾🍾

Santé!!🥂🥂🥂🥂 @champagne_ayala — 3 years ago

with Deked1

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured. “Oh, hello friend!” This is what Sancerre is supposed to smell/taste like. Herbs and star fruit. Pyrazines are not prominent (long hang time has something to do with that). On the palate, the wine is dry and has simply wonderful acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and unbelievably chalky. This is a baby with a very bright life ahead. What a treat to get an early glimpse of the brilliance to come. Unfortunately, it’s getting harder and harder to find Sancerre like this. Drink now if you have multiples and you can appreciate the potential. Better after 2027. — a year ago

Charles York

9.2

Stone fruit, petrol, a glimpse of honeycomb, crisp mineral finish. This surprised me - in a good way — 3 years ago

Jan A

9.2

New vintage just released and could not resist to check-in. Golden yellow color, rich scents of tropical fruit. On the palate overripe fruit, orange peel bitters, citrus fruit. This is thick, full and on the sweet side. No oak used and it doesn't need it either. Still nervous with rough edges so this can use some additional cellar time. Upon aeration the last glass revealed honey and gave a glimpse of what is to come. I see this moving to 94 with some age. Next bottle in 2 years. — 3 years ago

Mario Vaillancourt

9.2

Cherries, strawberries, spices and a glimpse of animal aromas. Palate is open, fresh and elegant but with a bit of grippy tannins that is not without merit. Decent length and very good. 91-92

Nez de cerises et de fraises assez mures avec des épices et une touche animale. La bouche est avenante, ouverte, fraîche, assez élégante avec des tannins de grains assez fins, malgré un petit côté asséchant qui est quand même agréable, sur la finale de longueur moyenne plus. 91-92 — 4 years ago

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.8

The 2016 Barolo (magnum) is obviously a very, very young wine and yet its inclusion in this flight is essential, both for getting a glimpse of the wine at this early stage and also for understanding its place among recent vintages. Supremely elegant and classically austere in bearing, the 2016 is sublime. The vibrancy of the flavors is captivating, as is the wine’s energy. All the 2016 needs is time. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, July 2023) — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

I was gifted this bottle last year and since I had decided on lamb for dinner, I figured a 2014 Marcoux would be splendid (spoiler alert: it was). Popped and poured; consumed over the course of a few hours. The wine pours a garnet color with a transparent core and browning edge with a slightly watery rim. Medium+ viscosity with very light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous. Powerful notes of desiccated strawberries, black cherry, bramble preserves…ensconced in leather. This is a real leather daddy. But there is more! Red flowers, hot rocks, garrigue, mushrooms, dry leaf tobacco, and allspice. On the palate, the wine is dry, with medium tannin and medium acid. I would say that the tannins have mostly integrated at this point. Note from the nose are confirmed. Alcohol is medium+ alcohol and the finish is long. As the 2014’s from CdP continue to mature, they are becoming even more Burgundian and I’m here for it! They are so unique and strong producers made stupendous wine. NOTE: this bottle came across more advanced than I anticipated and may not be indicative of better cellared examples of 2014 Marcoux. The cork did show very slight signs of seepage which could have caused the wine to oxidize more than normal at this stage. Nevertheless, this was a beautiful, mature wine that perhaps gave a glimpse of what we can expect when the 2014’s begin to enter their twilight years. Drink now and over the the next 3-5 years. — 2 years ago

Denis Pulin

9.2

Solid. Chоkeberry. Some dark fruits dried to the extent of a soy sauce. At some point a glimpse of raw shortcrust pastry — 4 years ago