Vanessa

9.4

This stunning bottle of bubbles is made with 100% Pinot Noir coming from a lieu-dit in the heart of Bouzy called ‘Les Maillerettes,’ which is the Paillard family’s oldest vineyard parcel originally planted in the 1970s and propagated through selection massale.

It was barrel fermented and aged sur lie for 48 months (4.5 years), well exceeding the legally required minimum aging of 12 months on the lees (36 mos in total) for a vintage champagne, a demonstration of patience and commitment to quality!

This wine was disgorged in December of 2023 and has since enjoyed some time aging in the bottle allowing its elements to further integrate and evolve. It could easily continue down this path, gaining complexity for many years to come.

In appearance, it has a deep gold hue (w/ flecks of rose gold).

Its aromatic profile is layered & multifaceted with vibrant notes of red apple skin, cider, raspberry, dried bergamot & poached pear with cinnamon spice, next to richer notes of cherry clafoutis, red licorice, baked quince, almond paste, nougat, marzipan, toasted hazelnut, & brioche with a spine of minerality including wet stones, chalk, & saline notes.

The palate is dry (extra brut!) with a medium body, creamy mousse & mouthfeel, mouthwatering acidity that lends balance & lift, and a long elegant finish. — 14 days ago

Pooneet K

9.2

Very nice Cornas from a producer I haven’t had before. Great selection by the somm at Daniel to go with relatively meaty second and third courses. Ever so slightly “modern” in terms of the seamlessness and hint of oak. But really a very nice wine with great dark fruit, pepper, olive, everything you’d want from a northern Rhone. Nice acid on the finish too. — 2 years ago

Silver Eyes

9.0

Versatile, balanced white that goes well with several dishes. Sometimes, that’s all you need! — 3 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.0

A powerful wine driven by Grenache grapes at a high elevation viticulture (over 1,200ft) by the Northwest exposure of Gigondas AOC a true name to its bottom label tag (Terror d’Exception) The Varietal composition; 90% Grenache noir, 10% Syrah.

This vigneron still does a manual selection of the ripest bunches followed by intense wine-making methods (fermenting during 1 month, while the grape skins are regularly soaked by the fermenting juice). Aging in French Oak for +24 months and the wine is cellared for 1 year in the bottle before its release.

V.2021 in this region was challenging enough, and this wine packs a high ABV at 15%, it bursts with fragrant licorice, blackberry and raspberry jam on the nose. The palate gets hit with chewing tannins, need to breath for 1 hours min as it has solid flavor concentration, very peppery, minty and quite complex. Definitely pivots more into a full-bodied, yet juicy style with a plausible and lingering finish.

A perfect companion for powerful dishes as beef stew, aged cheeses and cured hams. Cheers! — 8 days ago

S C H

9.9

Very fruity, still nice with food. Tastes slightly sweeter than a near dry. Bought at wine shop near film house — 8 months ago

Steve Anderson

9.4

Beautiful. @Lyle Fass selection, but purchased by me at auction — 2 years ago

Harry Pratt

10

A Joe’s Club selection. A very good Chardonnay. — 4 years ago

Neil Valenzuela

8.9

Pale straw color. Aromas of Meyer lemon and brioche, with small delicate bubbles. Crisp and full of citrus notes. — 5 months ago

Diane M. Napolitano

9.8

From White Horse Wine and Spirits. Grapefruit, sparkling apple juice, vanilla, 🤤 — 5 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Happy holidays. 🎅🧑‍🎄 ☃️ 🎄 🎁 ❄️

This is delicious. When it first hits your palate, it’s like hey, woah. It is super soft, micro-micro oxygenation. Delicate mousse, some maltiness, red apple cider reduction, pear, lemon meringue, lime pulp, grapefruit, orange peel, tropical melon, ripe pineapple, saline, sea fossils, chalky powder with an edge as it sets, white spice-ginger, white pepper, love the perfect limestone powder, brioche, baguette, some dough & light yeast, orange blossoms, white, spring flowers, racy, crisp acidity, excellent tension, structure, balance with beautiful long finish that lingers 90-120 seconds. Certainly one of the best and different champagne I’ve had in some time.

This cuvée is 100% Chardonnay and comes from the villages of Cramant, Chouilly, and Cuis.

Special Club Champagne must be produced with grapes from outstanding vintages harvested from the estates own vineyards. The cuvée must also be estate bottled and aged. It is the tête de cuvée(the most premier bottle of a grower’s estate) selection for the Champagne house.

There were 12 founding members, three of which currently remain: Pierre Gimonnet, Gaston Chiquet and Paul Bara. New members come and go every year. As of 2021, there are 28 members.

The process to become a Special Club is as follows. The wines must pass two rigorous stages of selection. Before that happens, members gather each February to taste each other’s still wines from the previous vintage. The members vote on whether to declare a vintage year, which would mean that the vintage was outstanding, and worthy enough of a vintage-dated Champagne. The vote must be unanimous. — a year ago