Jenn Blachford

10

Smooth, not too creamy but a little butterscotch — 4 months ago

with Matt

Rob Brobst III

10

I say it with love and respect but really Folks have we forgotten the 85-89 point score? Please remember what it represents. Above average to Excellent....... That should describe 98% of everything you drink. @Paul Treadway Huntington Beacher @Jim Trobaugh @TheSkip @Terri Walker @Neal Schaffer @Shay A @David L @Martin G Rivard @Noah Raizman @Walter Sorensen @Mike Smith @Stanley Barrios @James Parker Huston, CWE @Peggy Hadley — 6 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

On the nose; bright cherries, ripe strawberry & cranberry reduction, black raspberries, raspberries, watermelon near the rhine, mixed orange citrus, oyster shells, baguette crust, understated volcanic minerals, chalk, saline, fresh pink roses and florals. The body is full and a shade gluey. The fruits are ripe, rich and candied/gummy in style. Bright cherries, black cherries ripe strawberry & cranberry reduction, black raspberries, raspberries, watermelon near the rhine, mixed orange citrus spray, saline, seashells, soft grey volcanic minerals, lots of grippy powdery razor sharp chalkiness, baguette crust, fresh pink roses & florals, acidity that is round and well done, understated delicate micro bubbles and a long, well balanced, rich finish. The reason why I prefer the Billecart Salmon, Ruinart & Laurent Perrier over the Bollinger is it’s a little too sweet for me. Photos of; the House of Bollinger, cellar, headstone that marks one of their vineyards and their harvest staff picking perfectly manicured rows. Producer notes and history...Bollinger has roots dating back to 1585 when the Hennequins, one of the Bollinger founding families, owned land in Cramant. Before the Bollinger house was founded in the 18th century, the Villermont family practised wine making, though not under their family name. In 1750, Villermont settled at 16 rue Jules Lobet, which would eventually become the head office for Bollinger. In 1803 Jacques Joseph Placide Bollinger was born in Ellwangen, in the kingdom of Württemberg. In 1822, he moved to Champagne and found work at the house of Muller Ruinart, which no longer exists. Many other Germans came to settle in the Champagne region, including Johann-Josef Krug and the Heidsiecks, who founded a house that would become; Charles Heidsieck, Piper Heidsieck, Veuve Clicquot and others. The Champagne house Renaudin Bollinger was founded in 1829 in Aÿ by Hennequin de Villermont, Paul Levieux Renaudin and Jacques Bollinger. The partners agreed that the Villermont name would not be used on the labels, hence the house name Renaudin Bollinger. Starting when Jacques Bollinger married Charlotte de Villermont, the house has been managed by the Bollinger family. Even though Paul Renaudin passed without an heir to his name, the label did not become solely Bollinger until the 1960s. Founder Jacques Joseph Bollinger married Charlotte de Villermont. The had a daughter, who had two sons Joseph and Georges. These sons took over the company in 1885 and began expanding the family estate by purchasing vineyards in nearby villages. The sons also developed the image of the brand, such as when Bollinger became the official supplier to the British court and received a Royal Warrant in 1884 from Queen Victoria. In 1918, Jacques Bollinger, the son of Georges, took over the company and married Emily Law de Lauriston Boubers, known as "Lily". Jacques expanded the facilities by building new cellars, purchasing the Tauxières vineyards, and acquiring the assets of another Champagne house on Boulevard du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassign, where Bollinger's offices are presently located. When Jacques Bollinger died in 1941, Lily Bollinger took over. Lilly expanded production with the purchase of even more vineyards, but is best known for traveling the world to market the brand. Bollinger was modernized under the Claude d'Hautefeuille, who acquired additional vineyards and further developed the brand internationally. Following Claude, his cousin Christian Bizot took over the Bollinger house and expanded world distribution. Their Winemaker also used several James Bond film movies to market the brand. Bollinger is fermented in oak barrels. At harvest, only the first pressing is used in the cuvée, unless the vintage is of particularly high quality, when a second pressing of Chardonnay will be used. Bollinger sells the second pressing, the tailles. Bollinger utilizes two pressing houses (Louvois and Mareuil sur Aÿ) to ensure a short distance between harvest location and pressing. When possible, grapes purchased from growers are pressed by the house. When the pressed wine arrives, the Bollinger cellar master analyzes the musts for quality, discarding and selling off those that do not meet the house standards. The first fermentation is done cru by cru, variety by variety, preserving many of the unique characteristics of the vines location. Bollinger is one of the few Champagne houses to do some first fermentation in oak barrels. Wines that will not hold up to first fermentation in wood are vinified in vats. Bollinger Champagnes usually undergo malolactic fermentation. The Grande Année 1995 did not undergo malolactic fermentation. Bollinger uses only traditional yeast. They’ve decided that new generations of yeasts (agglomerated yeasts and encapsulated yeasts) do not produce satisfactory Champagne. Vintage wine, including all wine to be used in a Grande Année, is fermented in small oak barrels, sorted according to origin and variety. Both oak and stainless steel are used for non-vintage wine. Bollinger also has the last Cooperage in Champagne. The oak barrels are all at least four years old, avoiding the transfer of tannins to the wine. The wines are only lightly filtered. All Bollinger Champagne spends a long time on its lees, contributing to the complex flavour of the wine. Though appellation d'origine contrôlée rules only require 12 months on lees for non-vintage Champagne and for vintage (NV wines, 15 months from tirage to release and vintage wines must be kept for 36 months from tirage to release), Bollinger ages their non-vintage wines three years, and the vintage wines from five to eight years. The Grande Année and R.D. Champagnes are riddled by hand. At disgorgement, Bollinger wines are given a low dosage, to maintain the balance and flavor of the wine. The company uses 6-9 grams of sugar per liter for the Special Cuvée and La Grande Année. The extra-brut R.D. is dosed between 4 and 5 grams. After dosage, the wines are aged an additional several months, resting for a minimum of three months before shipping. Bollinger owns nearly 160 hectares of vines, producing more than 60% of its supply. The vines are largely Pinot Noir, specifically clone 386. Bollinger believes this clone ensures good quality as well as highlighting characteristics of the various terroirs. The vineyards also include some rare ungrafted French vines from before the phylloxera. Bollinger owns vines all over Champagne, including the crus of Aÿ, Bouzy and Verzenay. — 6 years ago

Sebastian Corriere

8.9

Drinking some delicious Cabernet with mom and she opened small Christmas present that I gave her and we had some aged smoked Gouda and just caught up on all things spiritual and music related we talked about Paul James and how he helped me and Sister Beth too and we talked about demons and how to counter them and other spiritual things — a year ago

Rob Brobst III

9.8

Top Winery new release “I Block” DO NOT MISS OUT. Order immediately. @Mike Smith @Warren Sapp @Warren Sapp @Neal Schaffer @Martin G Rivard @David L @Paul Treadway Huntington Beacher @Carl Fischer @Antonio Galloni @Jim Trobaugh @James Forsyth @Shay A @TheSkip @Susan Sung @Jody Scharf @Vanessa D @leon egozi @leon egozi @Eric Shanks @Eric LaMasters @Vanessa D @Neal Schaffer @Peggy Hadley @Stanley Barrios @Kirk Feyereisen @Kimberly Anderson — 6 years ago

Rob Brobst III

9.5

That’s right. 2 hour decant and drinking beautifully. Velvety texture with dark ripe blueberries and black currents. There’s even a hint of spring soils and violets. @Stanley Barrios
@Walter Sorensen @Mike Smith @Martin G Rivard @Paul Treadway Huntington Beacher @Terri Walker @TheSkip @Jim Trobaugh @Jody Scharf @dw@Doug Davidson @David L @Warren Sapp @Carl Fischer @Connor McMahon @James Parker Huston, CWE @Terri Walker — 6 years ago

Fredybeans

8.9

Jaune clair
Nez réduit marin puis grillé
Bouche ample et fraîche expression aromatique simple mais ultra maîtrisée en finale — 3 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.1

Dinner at RARE Steakhouse.

Light golden yellow and a touch unfiltered. A bunch of lemon crud on the nose with buttery characteristics, baked apples and honeysuckle. Medium acidity (6/10) and medium bodied. Coated and rich palate with layers of baked apples, citrus, almonds and some minerality. Long well rounded finish. Paired perfectly with crab cakes. Thank you for the recommendation Chris. Drink till 2021.

This 2015 Chardonnay comes from six vineyards in the Russian River Valley AVA in Sonoma County (Ross Station Estate, Edward James Estate, Ellen Lane Estate, O’Connor Vineyard, Feeney Estate, and Dinner Vineyard). Aged sur lie for twelve months in 50% new French oak barrels and four months in stainless steel. Also goes through malolactic fermentation.

$$ - Purchased at RARE Steakhouse in Washington, DC for 50% off bottle night (every Sunday) for $45.00. Recent vintage retails for around $60.00.

— 5 years ago

with India

Rob Brobst III

9.7

Please remember the shy girl at the party standing against the wall. She’s blushing fellow enophiles. Even wall flowers have a beautiful scent! New kid on the block. @Paul Treadway Huntington Beacher @Jim Trobaugh @Jody Scharf @Jade Moore @Mike Smith @Aaron Means @Carl Fischer @Connor McMahon @Ceccherini Cristiano @Shay A @Stanley Barrios @TheSkip @Doug Davidson @David L @Vanessa D @Carl Fischer @Kirk Feyereisen @Kimberly Anderson @Paul E Koran @James Parker Huston, CWE @Ian Blackburn @Antonio Galloni check this one out Antonio. Please. — 6 years ago

with James, Jade and 1 other

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.7

On the nose, bold, ripe fruits of; blackberries, boysenberries, huckleberries, blueberries, dark cherries & black plum. Warm baking baking spices, mocha, light caramel, black cherry liqueur notes, rich dark soils, perfumed violets & lilacs. The body is round and full with powdery tannins. The fruits sing on the palate. There is waves of fruit, earth and florals that swirl and dance across your palette. The fruits are ripe, sweet and lush; blackberries, boysenberries, huckleberries, blueberries, dark cherries, black plum with juicy strawberries coming on strong at the mid palate. Black cherry cola/licorice, vanilla, light caramel, mocha, semi-sweet loamy dry soils, just a touch of crushed rock powder, soft spice-box, fresh tobacco leaf, perfumed violets & lilacs, round, rich, palate raining acidity and finish that is simply long, well balanced with perfect structure/length/tension and above all beautiful and elegant. It just swirls and dances endlessly & gloriously in the mouth. What mouth harmony! Photos of, vines in Stags Leap, Charles Hendricks, ripe fruit for the picking and one of mine and Charles favorite paintings. Producer notes and history...Charles Hendricks is one of the best Winemakers in Napa Valley. He is well grounded in the science of winemaking. As a 1982 UC Davis viticulture graduate, Charles was able to tailor his own curriculum, and was one of the earliest to integrate winemaking and viticulture course work. Having knowledge of both viticulture and enology forms the bases for well-rounded winemaking under varying circumstances; this is the making of a great Winemaker & consultant. His greatest gift is the ability to make wines the are elegant, beautiful and smooth young but will age effortlessly. Charles Hendricks sees himself as an assistant to the natural bounty of the vineyards. Using his knowledge and experience to guide and coax the very best from the wine grapes. Charles believes in minimal intervention in the wine cellar, but knows that if we leave nature completely on it own, we would be in the vinegar business! To quote him, “It is a wonderful game of hide and seek that we play with Mother Nature…It is natures glory to conceal, and the winemakers glory to reveal, to discover and to persuade the grapes to unveil their highest potential, It is the playfulness of guessing when and how much to step in, that is at the heart of the winemakers’ task." So true in his case. Charles makes his own label wines only when he has the very best of fruit. He is also is the Winemaker for Hope & Grace and until recently was the Winemaker for; Regusci, James Cole and T-Vine. In previous years, he's worked with; Viader, Barnett Vineyards & Paoletti Vineyards. He is truly a gifted Winemaker. If you are able, seek out and try his Henrick's Cabernet & Santa Lucia Pinot Noir, you absolutely won't regret it! @Paul Treadway Huntington Beacher — 7 years ago