Sam Friedland

8.9

Nice, mellowed tannins, went nice with bison medallions — 23 days ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

First time experience with this producer.

The nose reveals, bruised; red & golden apple, Bosc pear, overripe stone fruit & pineapple, lemon meringue, touch cider, nougat, almonds, cream to cream soda, hints of melted white butter, melted golden brown sugar, vanillin, sea fossil, crumbled, grey volcanics, chalky power, bread dough to yeast, limestone, understated limestone minerals, spring flowers, jasmine & withering white lilies.

The mouthfeel is rich, lively with excellent mousse. Quite beautiful. Bruised; red & golden apple, Bosc pear, overripe stone fruit & pineapple, lemon meringue, touch cider, nougat, almonds, cream to cream soda & ginger ale, hints of melted white butter, melted golden brown sugar, vanillin, sea fossil, crumbled, grey volcanics, chalky power, bread dough to yeast, hints of coconut with shell, white spice with just the right amount of heat, limestone, understated limestone minerals, spring flowers, jasmine & withering white lilies. The acidity is excellent. The finish is; well balanced & polished, elegant & simply near perfect finish. She is excellent wire to wire.

This is for you if you enjoy a Champagne that leans more oxidative.

@Paul T- Huntington Beach The mid picture to the right is what is seriously lacking in Ultramarine’s.

Photos of; The Champagne House of Pierre Paillard, Antoine Paillard, the beautiful Chalkiness from their Les Maillerettes Vineyard that only Champange can really deliver & one of their Grand Cru Vineyards. — 4 years ago

with James and Christina

Jerry Dixon

9.0

Had at Prides Crossing w/Kelly Paul — 8 years ago

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. — 4 months ago

Brett Deleuze

9.0

2014 Vintage bright lean fruit excellent acidity very nice with a Pierre Robert — 7 years ago

Brandon Woo

9.3

oaky floral nose, gentle tongue, sweet but not overly so. easy drinking. — 8 years ago

Noah Chasin

9.0

The rest of the bottles wait for a few years. — 4 months ago

Ana Lucia Souza

9.2

Fresh, bubbly, and green in flavor. — 2 years ago

Robert Rothfield

9.3

Raising a glass to Paul Sherwin.... — 5 years ago

Masaya Furushima

9.0

Sep. 23, 2016 — 8 years ago