Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2015 vintage. Blanc de Blancs. Fab grower champagne with nice mousse, judicious acidity and harmonious body. Catching it at a good time currently. Will develop more but pushing an increasing number of chips into the middle of the table now. Simply delicious. 12.11.24. — 16 days ago

Clay Bullwinkel

9.3

Arianna Occhipinti renders a wonderful portrait of Nero d’ Avila. — 2 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Well...this was one hell of a week. There is only one way to wind it down. Reach for an excellent bottle of vintage Champagne.

My first thoughts are how delicate this is on the palate. Further, how unbelievable it will be with another 8-10 years in bottle.

The nose shows; slightly sour lemon, the good parts of lemon Pledge, lemon meringue, white stone fruits, pineapple fresh with lots of juice, grapefruit, lime pulp, honeysuckle, soft, haunting caramel, brioche, limestone & slightly, dirty, grey volcanics, saline, sea fossils, sea spray, bread dough, vanilla, white spices-light ginger with spring flowers, mixed floral greens & lilies.

The body is light on its feet and dances on the palate. Delicacy abounds. Its soft, gorgeous mousse right there with the best money can buy. Slightly sour lemon, lemon meringue, green & with more bruised golden apple, white stone fruits, pineapple fresh with lots of juice, grapefruit, lime pulp, touch of apple cider, honeysuckle, soft, haunting caramel, ginger ale into cream soda, brioche, nougat, toffee notes, lighter nuts without skin, limestone & slightly, dirty, grey volcanics, saline, sea fossils, sea spray, bread dough, vanillin, marzipan, white spices-light ginger with spring flowers, mixed floral greens & lilies. The acidity is mellow yet lively, gorgeous and as good as it gets. The finish is all luxury. So well knitted & balanced, elegant, rich but not overpowering and gently persisting several minutes.

Photos of; The House of Taittinger, their caves so chalky white and built on the famous Crayères Cellars of Reims: 2.5 miles of tunnels (they own 1/4 to 1/3 of it) cut out of chalk by the Romans, the portrait of Thibaud IV who was a king, lord, manager, singer, conqueror, explorer & 11th century Crusader all rolled into one from which, this Cuvée was the catalyst creation and part of the 600 plus hectares they own in Champange.

Some producer notes; Taittinger's history can be traced back to 1734, when it was originally known as Forest-Fourneaux, founded by Jacques Fourneaux who worked closely with local Benedictine monks to learn how to produce wine. They were just the 3rd Champange house.

The estate was bought by the Taittingers – a family of wine merchants – in 1932, and thanks to the great depression and subsequent low land prices, the family also picked up huge swathes of vineyard. From 1945-1960, Francois Taittinger established the cellars in the Abbey of Saint-Nicaise, and after his death in 1960 his brother Claude took over, pushing the estate into a Champagne house of world renown. Such was the status of the label that the Taittinger family soon expanded its business into other luxury goods. However, this eventually led to financial difficulties, and in 2005 the Taittinger brand – including the Champagne house – was sold to the American owned Starwood Hotel Group. The sale was badly received by the Champagne industry, with many fearing the new owners – unfamiliar with the culture of Champagne – would put profit ahead of quality.

Just one year later, Claude’s nephew, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, who had always been opposed to the sale, negotiated a €660m deal with the Starwood Group, and the Taittinger family resumed ownership of the company.

In 2017, Taittinger planted its first vines in England, near a village in Kent, for its venture into English sparkling wine. The first bottle will be ready in 2023.

1/8/21 — 4 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.3

My first stab at 1/2 of the dynamic duo’s effort. Tiny berry intensity & dark cherries on nose; on palate more of that intensity & small berry thing- the fruit is quite lush & generous, with an elegant & serious tannin frame demanding some time & air. A brooding quality smashes into Monty Python? Which is to say decanting moves the whole show in the right direction, & I found my self marveling at the QPR as the wine deepened & softened. I want to say there is some odd humor in the labels portrait of the vintner, given the semi stoic painting & from what I might infer to be a less mannered & more of a wild man character, but what do I know? It’s a fascinating tip of the wine hat, so to speak. — a month ago

GV

8.9

Lovely deep ruby colour, with a dark fruits aroma. Smooth and medium bodied with a lovely rounded cherry and blackberry.

Tesco £15.00 — 2 years ago

David Walser

8.9

On a road trip from Houston to Anaheim, staying the night in Ft. Stockton and dining at our favorite funky diner, K-Bob’s Steakhouse. This wine is being closed out so we were offered a discounted price of $22. Served a bit warm. The artwork on the label is a self portrait of a guy who self described his occupation as a “wizard”. The wine is from the Texas Hill Country area of Fredericksburg and the wine can only be sold in Texas. Always interesting to try local stuff. Not the greatest, but an interesting experience. Worked with our rib eyes. — 4 years ago

Carmen

9.1

Well balanced, medium body, high acidity
Chamomile, bees wax, orange blossom
Certified organic, biodynamic - no chemical intervention.

Delicious w a creamy spaghetti limone and prosciutto/peach/burrata/ honey crostini

And the label has a portrait that Andy Warhol did of Orsola, who is the namesake of this wine, and a relative of the winemaker. — 6 months ago

Anne Gaffney

10

Lovely nose, thick legs, dark purple, rich taste with long length. 2021 Petite Sirah Lodi — 10 months ago

with Paul

April Pache

9.0

Very smooth #wineadventcalendar — 3 years ago

Steve S.

9.2

My first experience of this wine was at a tasting at their cellar door last December. Before that my favorite offering from T-Vine was their Petit Syrah. This is now my favorite. I’ve rated my first bottle after that. This is now my second bottle. It is awesome. Refer to my prior rating or look to the winemaker’s notes..,,, “Brooding and deep, this wine elicits notes of dark berries, a touch of leather, dusty backroads and cocoa nibs. Rich fruit flavors and grippy tannins cover every inch of the palate with effortlessly integrated complexity.” Amen to that. — 5 years ago