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. — 6 days ago

with Deked1

Dominic O'Mahony

8.9

Plenty of red cherry, stewed plum, maybe some violet aromas; but also buscuit and a hint of cumin(?) — 6 years ago

Barb Anderson

9.2

Blueberry& spice aromas layer in with ripe cherry, chocolate and a hint of mint. Long, supple finish. — 7 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

The ‘22 of this wine is a worthy successor to the surprisingly excellent ‘21. Deep, bright iodine-laced mountain berries on the nose, with dark florals and spice. In the mouth it’s a little more angular and as-yet disjointed than the ‘21, but I think a year or so will pull it together. Acids, tannin, extract, moderate alcohol (14.5%) are all there, but they haven’t made friends yet. They will. Very nice. — 6 months ago

TheElder Pinot

9.5

Absolutely delicious, it sits well above it’s humble CDR village’s classification. Refined garrigue character, silky dusty tannins, concentrated dark fruit and balanced acidity. Looking forward to the 2010 waiting in the cellar! — 5 years ago

Fredybeans

9.4

Robe jaune claire
Nez réduit puis s ouvre lentement sur des note d agrumes confits d iode
Bouche à l attaque dense et pleine de sève et de fraîcheur
Vin très massif et carré qui en est qu à ses débuts — 6 years ago

with Pico and El

Fredybeans

9.2

Robe noire
Nez fruit noir frais pierre chaude
Bouche fraîche de mûre note de goudron de fruit noir et fleurs rouges lourdes
Très belle sans bois massif
👍👍 — 7 years ago

Tree Kilpatrick

9.2

Classic, delicious. Smoke and wild herbs (sage, coyote-bush, chamois) after a rainstorm. Has a lovely fruit, rose-hip and hibiscus blend of flavors. This is excellent Côtes du Rhône. ‘On point’, as they say. — a year ago

Vanessa

9.0

Here’s a biodynamically-produced Syrah blend from Minervois La Livinière AOC, a subregion within Minervois, which is located on the slopes of the Massif Central (highlands) in the Languedoc region of France (Southern).  🇫🇷 It has 95% Syrah and 5% Grenache. 🍇

This wine comes from grapes grown on the terraced vineyards of Les Planels, where grapes have been grown for 35 years.  

👁 The color is beautifully deep and rich purple.  I see noteworthy staining and tearing on the glass.

👃 The nose is youthful with an immediate bouquet of ripe and jammy black fruit such as black plum, black cherry, cassis, and blackberry preserves. There are also dried herb notes, such as lavender, sage, thyme, also black peppercorn, anise, pencil lead, cedar, cinnamon, clove, earth, and cured meat.

This wine was fermented in an open concrete vat and aged for 12 months in French Oak barrels, 1/3 of which were new oak, lending some of the baking-spice notes to the nose. 🪵

👄 On the palate this wine is dry. It has medium acidity, a full body, high alcohol, grippy tannins, flavors largely consistent with the nose, but less juicy and more earthy on the palate, and a lingering finish.

This wine is juicy and bold and has potential for further aging. 👌👌👌

We’re pairing it tonight with leftovers from last night’s bbq 🍖 🥩 and it is a lovely pairing!

Château Maris, Les Planels, Cru La Livinières. Syrah and Grenache. Vintage 2017. ABV 14.5%. — 4 years ago

with Deked1

Fredybeans

9.0

Jaune soutenue
Nez cire fruit jaune pointe d alcool
Bouche attaque sèche et corps massif gras finale retrouvant de la fraîcheur
Un calligramme bien sec — 7 years ago