Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Champagne AOC – Côte des Blancs / France 🇫🇷
Grape: 100% Chardonnay N/V Edition

Overview
A Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs sourced exclusively from the Côte des Blancs, where chalk-rich soils and cool climate define Chardonnay with precision and finesse. Produced by Union Champagne (Avize), this cuvée emphasizes purity, balance, and terroir transparency rather than overt power or heaviness.

A classic, elegant expression of Grand Cru Chardonnay, refined, measured, and quietly confident.

Aromas & Flavors
Fresh lemon zest, green apple, and white peach open the nose, followed by subtle brioche, almond pastry, and delicate chalky minerality. Hints of citrus blossom and crushed oyster shell add lift and complexity without overwhelming the profile.

Mouthfeel
Fine, persistent mousse with a clean, linear palate. Bright acidity provides energy and structure, while the mid-palate remains silky and poised. The brioche notes stay restrained, allowing freshness and mineral tension to lead. Elegant, polished, and very well-balanced.

Food Pairings
Oysters, scallop crudo, sashimi, sushi, caviar, grilled sole, or soft triple-cream cheeses. Also excellent as a refined aperitif.

Verdict
A solid and balanced Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs that delivers purity and elegance over showmanship. Subtle, precise, and beautifully composed, a Champagne that rewards attention and suits those who appreciate finesse and restraint. Check my other review for the same style but a 2017 vintage edition! Cheers!🥂

Did You Know?
Champagne De Saint-Gall is produced by Union Champagne in Avize, one of the historic Grand Cru villages of the Côte des Blancs, a region globally revered for producing the most refined Chardonnay in Champagne.

🍷 Personal Pick Highlight
A textbook Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru — pure, elegant, and quietly expressive. Subtle brioche, lovely aromatics, and a graceful finish make this a consistently satisfying choice.
— 7 months ago

Roger Ray

9.1

"this wine is known for its exceptional terroir and high wine growing methods. After aging 12 months in Oak barrels, this wine is refined in bottles in our cellars. 40% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre grapes reveal intense and complex aromas of spices and mature black fruits. Lively and tasty, this wine is characterized by complexity, delicacy and roundness, ideal with a piece of meat or veal filet." — 2 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

8.9

Catalan wine tasting #3
Expressive, herby, salty & vegetal. Light apricots in honey, dried herbs & underbrush. A mineral, rocky undertone.
On the palate more breadth than depth, a white-tea tannin profile, fresh acidity. Salty finish. brilliant with food.
Not a crowd pleaser. — 3 years ago

Willie Carter

9.1

The word that comes to mind immediately is purity. One of the most pure, most honest champagnes I’ve tasted. Light yellow gold with effusive perlage. A sultry stream of bubbles and wonderful creaminess. The nose is a bit shy upon opening with a little apple, a little toffee, and a little mint. Soon the wine begins to truly blossom with fresh nectarines and subtle apricot. The brioche aromas are stately and buttered. Exquisite and exciting.

A collaboration between Dremont and Frederic Savart, very limited production with only 2512 bottles. With a dosage of only 2 grams, the acidity is quite high and zippy. Absolutely amazing purity and the terroir is positively shrieking here. A Blanc de Blancs from the Grand Cru villages of Avize and Oger and you can definitely feel that. Medium weight but is rich and feels substantial. This feels a bit like an event. Despite being primarily an entry level or a bit of a step above, this has real weight and substance to it.

The palate showcases whispers of what this could really be down the road. Really nice mouthfeel but a bit volatile at times. Plenty of pretty peaches and salinity. Pure Chardonnay characteristics of chalk and citrus abound here. Medium finish with the faint ghost of spice. This is really enjoyable today but try to hold it for a few years, if you can. — 4 years ago

Byron Fuller

9.0

Simple but very well made. Lovely terroir and fruit— definitely villages level. Drinking well now & could evolve a bit but probably not intended for long haul (unlike other bottlings!). — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

So, when fine wine drinkers think Chablis, it’s Raveneau & Dauvissat they desire the most. I would say that you could add Pattes Loup to that list and it is less expensive than the fore mentioned. Really appreciate the 11.4% ABV.

The nose is beautiful revealing; golden & green apple, ripe pineapple, lemon with peel, lime zest, tropical melon with green dominant, peach, apricots, grapefruit, orange citrus blend, some brown butter, excellent cream notes, caramel, honeysuckle, waxy notes, vanillin bean, butterscotch candy, slivered almonds, amazing chalkiness, volcanics, sea fossils, touch of saline, understated white spice, light herbaceousiness with yellow flowers/lilies. A dash of spring flowers framed in orange blooms and jasmine.

The body is full, round, waxy & gorgeous. Excellent viscosity for those that enjoy that. It is simply a beautiful elegant wine. Golden & Granny Smith green apples, ripe pineapple, lemon with peel, lime zest, tropical melon with green dominant, more peach on the palate than nose, apricots, grapefruit, orange citrus blend, some brown butter, excellent cream notes, melted, salted caramel, warm toast, honeysuckle, waxy notes, vanillin bean, butterscotch candy, slivered almonds, amazing chalkiness, crushed & powdery volcanics, sea fossils, touch of saline, soft woodiness, understated white spice with delicate palate heat, fresh Provence herbs with yellow flowers/lilies. A dash of spring flowers framed in orange blooms and jasmine. The round acidity is voluptuous & near perfect. The long finish is simply, rich, lush, well balanced and persists delicately for minutes. A wine well worth seeking out if you have not tried Pattes Loup. This bottling will pick up another point or two with 3-5 more years in bottle.

Photo of, Domaine Pattes Loup, Owner-Winemaker Thomas Pico and their beautiful Chardonnay grapes on their way to be pressed.

Producer notes & introduction. Third generation vigneron, Thomas Pico, took over his grandfather’s work in 2004. Pico’s grandfather planted and worked his terroir in the hillsides near Courgis and Preys, the two highest altitude villages within Chablis, with vineyards up to 300 meters. It was in the 1970’s when Pico’s father took over the Domaine.

In 2004, Pico returned back to his home town of Courgis after completing his studies of viticulture and oenology in Beaune. Pico began farming 8 hectares of vines immediately converting the vineyards to organic. In 2006, Pico released his first wines under the Pattes Loup label founded on the principles of organic farming, low yield harvesting, and minimal intervention. In 2009, the domaine was certified Agriculture Biologique by ECOCERT. Pico gained a reputation locally and internationally as one of Chablis most exciting growers/winemakers releasing wines with only one issue, there wasn’t enough.

In August of 2011, Antonio Galloni professed, “Pattes Loup is arguably the single most exciting young Domaine’s in Chablis today… Stylistically, Pico’s wines remind me of the laser-like focus of Cedric Bouchard‘s Champagnes combined with the richness and inner sweetness found in the wines of the late Didier Dagueneau. Simply put, these are some of the most ground-breaking, intensely captivating wines being made in Chablis today.”

All work at the domaine is done by hand. Only indigenous yeasts are used in the cellar and élevage occurs on the lees at cold temperatures for 14 to over 30 months. Malolactic fermentation begins and finishes naturally. Pico works with a combination of concrete egg shaped fermenters along with stainless steel tanks and used French oak of different sizes depending on the cuvée. The wines are never fined or filtered before bottling. Pico is evolving and is always fine tuning his work in the cellar. Over the years, he has decreased the amount of his sulphur use, extended élevage, and is now using expensive Portuguese wood corks for bottling believing, “the cork is my finishing touch.” — 6 years ago

Vanessa

9.2

Cheers to this historic bubbly from Merfy!

Chartogne-Taillet is the only grower-producer located in this tiny village, nestled into the southern slopes of the Massif de Saint-Thierry—the northernmost region of Champagne, & one of its oldest winemaking zones, with roots stretching back to Roman times.

Despite its early popularity, and historical significance, Massif de Saint-Thierry is less widely known today—It’s a hidden gem offering diverse microclimates & subsoils ranging from clay to sand over chalk.

We’re grateful Alexandre Chartogne is giving this region, and Merfy, in particular, a sensory voice, by crafting a range of terroir-driven champagnes that honor centuries of family farming and his formative mentorship working under Anselme Selosse.

Featured here is the “Cuvée Saint Anne”— a broader regional expression which blends vintages, villages, and varieties—60% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, 5% Meunier—from parcels in both Merfy and the grand cru village of Avize (Côte des Blancs).

In appearance, this wine is radiant gold, revealing the delicate influence of oxygen over a period of aging in neutral oak. It has a fine & persistent perlage.

On the nose are harmonious notes of poached pear, fresh apricot, apple salt water taffy, white blossom, gardenia, crusty croissant, apple crisp, cider, brioche, cinnamon sugar lefse, graham cracker pie crust, wet stones, chalk, & toasted almond.

This wine shows vitality & energy on the palate that is bone dry with lively acidity, a creamy mousse, flavors consistent with the nose, & a lingering finish.

Here’s to Chartogne-Taillet’s elegant & expressive champagnes that are deeply rooted in place. — 8 months ago

with Deked1

John Jaye

9.2

Super drink. Soft tannins, lots of fruit and a great aroma — a year ago

Jon Ebsworth

9.0

Cotes de Catalan red with Guinea Fowl at Spring. Excellent fruit, not the graininess I can find in Grenache/Carignan reds at times. — 3 years ago

Byron Hewett

9.1

This is the Terroir de Brochon bottling which was done specially for our chapter of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. Gorgeous blue fruited villages wine. A baby, but delicious now. — 3 years ago

Romain Fitoussi

8.9

Upper class Gamay, marked by aging in oak barrels. Deep and concentrated. Evocation of Burgundy in classical style close to Château des Jacques. The fruit is set back, and the charm of gamay is not fully expressed, trying to play in the course of Pinot-noir without having the vertical character, imprint of the terroir. The 5 years of guards brought unity to the whole and a beautiful general outfit.

Gamay classe supérieure, marqué par un élevage en fût de chêne. Profond et concentré. Évocation de la Bourgogne dans style classique proche du Château des Jacques. Le fruit est en retrait, et le charme du gamay ne s’y exprime pas pleinement, essayant de jouer dans la cours du Pinot-noir sans en avoir le caractère vertical, marqueur du terroir. Les 5 années de gardes ont apporté de l’unité à l’ensemble et une belle tenue générale. — 4 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.0

Very pretty aromas. Quince, white flowers, lemon, gooseberries, a hint of lactic richness, also with salt spray nose. Chablisien. But the volume on the palate is more villages than GC. Not getting Cali terroir so much as old world *stylings* ie grapes picked way early. Normally I’m in line with AG but can’t get behind the score here. — 5 years ago

Romain Fitoussi

8.9

a typical Beaujolais wine: 100% gamay, semi-carbonic maceration. A work that tends to magnify the fruit and the terroir: fruit, freshness, a gourmet and accessible wine, with very fine tannins, and a sophistication that is not felt. — 7 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Champagne De Saint-Gall – Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru / 2017
AOC Champagne – Côte des Blancs, France 🇫🇷

Overview
An exquisite vintage Champagne crafted exclusively from 100% Chardonnay, sourced from the Grand Cru villages of the Côte des Blancs (Avize, Cramant, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger). A true Blanc de Blancs Millésimé that highlights chalky soils and the finesse of Chardonnay at its purest.

Aromas & Flavors
Elegant and crystalline with notes of lemon curd, white peach, and crisp green apple. Layered hints of toasted brioche, almond cream, and chalk dust reveal the depth of its terroir. Subtle floral touches of acacia and jasmine add refinement.

Mouthfeel
Precise, linear, and mineral-driven. A fine mousse delivers freshness with vibrant acidity, while a creamy mid-palate rounds into a long, saline finish. This is Côte des Blancs chalk elegance in liquid form.

Food Pairings
Classic: Oysters on the half shell 🦪, caviar, or fresh sashimi. Sole meunière, scallops with beurre blanc, or a delicate goat cheese. Perfect aperitif but also brilliant with lobster or truffle risotto.

Verdict
A benchmark Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, showcasing finesse, purity, and aging potential. The 2017 vintage may not be the most powerful, but it shines in precision, elegance, and terroir expression, an absolute classic for Chardonnay lovers.

Did You Know?
De Saint-Gall is a growers’ cooperative, representing some of Champagne’s most prestigious Grand Cru vineyards. Their Côte des Blancs Chardonnay supply is so highly regarded that even some of the top Champagne houses buy grapes from them.

🍷 Personal Pick Highlight: This wine sings of chalk and citrus purity, if you love laser-focused Champagne, this one is unforgettable. Cheers! — 9 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Gabriel Meffre ‘Saint Mapalis’ Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu 2023
Rhône Valley, France 🇫🇷

Overview
A classic Southern Rhône red blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre (GSM), sourced from the stony, sun-drenched vineyards of the Plan de Dieu appellation within the Côtes du Rhône Villages AOC. This cuvée honors Saint Mapalis, a local figure tied to Rhône’s viticultural heritage.

Aromas & Flavors
Opens with enticing blackberry, plum, and licorice, layered with earthy garrigue and touches of black pepper and spice. A hint of dried herbs and violets rounds out the aromatic profile. On the palate, the wine is juicy and approachable, carrying dark berry fruit through to a smooth finish.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied, soft, and balanced, with silky tannins and a gentle persistence. Shows freshness alongside its ripe fruit core, making it both food-friendly and enjoyable on its own.

Winemaking Notes
Vinified traditionally with careful extraction to highlight fruit and terroir, then aged to round out tannins. Designed for youthful drinking while retaining Rhône typicity.

Food Pairing
Excellent with roast chicken, grilled lamb, charcuterie, and Provençal herb dishes. Its balance of fruit and spice also works well with pizza or casual Mediterranean fare.

Verdict
A lovely value-driven Rhône blend—expressive, soft, and versatile. It feels more expensive than it is and showcases the charm of Plan de Dieu’s terroir. — a year ago

Nina Fisher

9.5

Valley Project/Kunin take on a Châteauneuf de Pape, which is a Cru (a named terroir, highest rank in the Cotes de Rhône region - AOC, villages AOC, named villages AOC and terroir). North grows more Syrah and south grows more Grenache, Pape is in the south in France. Cites de Rhône region known for GSM blends (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre). Chateanauf de pape also has white blends. — 3 years ago

Clint Hedtke

9.0

A very lovely red blend. — 5 years ago

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.1

Beautiful perfume. Crushed lavender cherries and sandalwood. Hints of stems. Watered down on the palate. 13% #garnacha from #montsant? = water. Ironic name and label Terroirs without frontiers but with a shield with a Catalan flag? — 5 years ago

with Rosario

Alexandre Pagliano

9.1

This is Noble terroir declassed due to politics. Drink Meursault for the price of Bourgogne villages. Its absolutely excellent and there is nothing comparable at these price points. Highly recommended ! — 6 years ago

with Adriana

James P Grover

9.0

Blackberries and blueberries, with some raspberries initially, which fade some after opening. Also salt, with hints of green bell peppers, caramel, and pork fat. Good acidity to balance, low-ish tannins, and very approachable. Wine Spectator said 90 points, and I have to agree. — 7 years ago