Willie Carter

9.8

Well, here we are. Selosse Initial. What is there really to say? Is it good? Is it great? Is it delicious? Does it live up to the hype? Did it change my life?

Yes.

A beautiful golden hue in the glass with profuse perlage. There’s no need for traditional notes here, we already know. Wonderfully electric, saline, and textured. Depth, personality, and romance.

Nothing I say here matters. Go get as many Selosse champagnes as you can. Then get a few more. And enjoy life. — 2 months ago

Willie Carter

9.1

An exceedingly pretty old gold color in the glass with shy green tinges. A dearth of fine, pristine bubbles. The nose here is so alluring, so delectable. Lemon curd and honey brioche bread. Vanilla custard and orange shavings. There’s a nice element of smoke that begins to permeate after it warms up. Whiffs of red fruits appear after even more time. Really really nice.

Prestige cuvées are always so fun to open, and it’s not just about the champagne. It’s about the occasion, the drama, the mood, the romance, and everything else. 60/40 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Cuvée Louise is so indicative of the Pommery style. The dosage a bit higher than what many of us are now accustomed to but the wine still shows signs of tension because of the impeccable structure and balance.

This is a warm champagne, one that provides comfort. But it also manages to thrill. Full bodied and showing it’s maturity in a very good way. Caramel and soft butter in the mouth along with candied apples and butterscotch. Biscuits, toffee, and melon. The finish is long and rich. Delightful. — 4 years ago

Tara Dinsmore

9.0

Very sweet like a dessert wine. — 5 years ago

Tetsu Nakazawa

9.1

Sto cercando alcune botteglie da questo domaine a NY. L’ho trovato al ristorante italiano in Soho. Molto buono anche pinot griggio sarebbe piu acidita di solito per me. E equibilibrato in gusto. Mi piacerebbe Vie di romance. Spero che posso avere di nuovo presto. — 7 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

A blend of 76% Cab Sauv, 12% Cab Franc, 6% Petite Verdot, 3% Malbec & 3% Syrah from Stagecoach Vineyards on Pritchard Hill. About 70 cases produced. Deep red color with aromas of dark ripe fruit with hints of floral spices. The palate shows rioe dark berry fruit tastes with cinnamon spice, sweet oak and cacao. Well integrated with fine structured tannins, the wine is complex and enjoyable, very soft. Good length ending with subtle oak. — 8 years ago

Tobin Trevarthen

9.1

Distinct flavors. Dark black cherry. Chocolate and tobacco. Smell and taste the terroir. — 8 years ago

Natassia

9.3

It tastes as if the grapes grew next to water. This wine is the perfect combination of romance and warmth. Smell of fresh Napa air and moisturizing dryness. Bold with cloves, blackberry, coffee and fire. Taste and you’ll see. — 8 years ago

with Nick, Sara and 1 other

Scott Kahn

9.3

What a beautiful representation of a balanced Burgundian Chardonnay - from the warmer climats of Burgundy. Rich and round on the palette with stone fruit and a balanced creaminess from the oak élevage. Medium alcohol and medium+ acidity. Lacks some of the minerality of a grand cru burg. — 7 months ago

Caleb Kneip

9.0

Costco buy for 12 and super yummy.
Beautiful salinity with bright red fruit notes and a little citrus. I think I drank the bottle over the course of a sunny afternoon with family. — 2 years ago

Willie Carter

9.5

This superstar 2012 vintage just doesn’t seem to miss. Especially not when paired with the elegance of Bollinger.

A gorgeous rose copper color in the glass. Plenty of fine bubbles that seem to just go on and on. The approachability of these outstanding 12’s is immediate. Wild strawberries and herbs shine on the nose. Red currant, raspberries, and stewed plums. Some exquisite spice notes along with white flowers. Tangerines and watermelons play a part.

The vitality and sheer energy of this is amazing. 67% Pinot Noir from Aÿ and Verzenay. 33% Chardonnay from Oiry and Le Mesnil sur Oger with 5% still red wine from Bollinger’s legendary Côte aux Enfants vineyard. Terrific youthful tension and balance. Zippy acidity with 8 g/l of sugar. Disgorged in August of 2019 and already showing some maturity.

Pure romance on the tongue. Silky smooth and elegant with fresh red berries and more spice on the palate. Saffron and honey with oak complimenting. The Lehmann Jamesse Grand Blanc provided more floral notes, while the Riedel Dom Perignon showed more ripe fruit and minerality. Both wonderful. Yes this will obviously develop over time and become so much more special but you deserve this now. So do I. Enjoy.
— 5 years ago

Heather Danskin

9.0

Enhanced with aeration. Lovely fruit. Deep and complex. Goes well with chocolate. Had in Little Washington Winery class. — 6 years ago

Doggy

9.4

Ripe summer flowers. Mossy salt rock. Champagne kind of. Fairy romance. Tart and deep. Somehow sterile. — 7 years ago

Kevin Fay

9.5

An old vine, rich nose. Bold, dark fruit with balanced tannin. Deep flavors make you think of romance and the meaning of life. — 8 years ago

with Maisy

Mark Oldman

9.6

‪true romance ❤️: crispy, thin-cut #fries + Domaine #Leflaive’s lemon-hazelnutty-flinty '12 Puligny #Montrachet Les Pucelles — 8 years ago

Devin Brown

8.9

The description: The colour is salmon, light pink rose. The aromas show fresh strawberries, cranberry and hints of white pepper. The palate is where the romance is. The texture is crisp almost crunchy, which brings out the fresh strawberry and red tree fruit characters. This wines truly refreshes the palate… and soul.
The opinion. Perfect for quaffing on the deck and great value. Definitely buying in a dozen for summer. — 2 years ago

Kelsey

9.0

Very sweet — 3 years ago

Willie Carter

9.0

You already know what it is. There’s not much to even say about it because you already know it’s delicious. Quite delicious. Romance in a bottle? Absolutely. Pale copper with salmon accents and energetic effervescence. The nose features sumptuous cranberries and raspberries, as well as baked apple tarts. Some wild strawberry notes to go with the brioche aromas.

This is no hidden gem of a wine, you’ve all tasted it before and you know how good and reliable it is. A benchmark and always impressive. Pleasing, not racy, acidity and that hard to describe essence of quality. 40/30/30 CH/PN/PM and those red grapes truly shine here. The palate references the nose with more sparkling red berries and autolytic notes. Impressively long finish of pure elegance. Flabbergastingly lovely. — 4 years ago

Alan Weinberg

9.2

a brief romance a year or so ago with 96 Cuvée Angeline and I was hooked on Lassalle. 2012 Special Club recently was way too young and it was recommended I try 2008. It tastes younger than 2012.

A faceful of citrus, it’s a very brash wine that hasn’t even reached adolescence. The fruit is clean and bright, the wine complex and long, but put it away for a decade. — 5 years ago

Connor Smith

9.2

Sanlúcar de Barrameda was the port that Christopher Columbus set off from in 1492. Just 1 year earlier, duties on wine exports from Sanlúcar had been abolished to take advantage of English merchants desperate for new supply after the loss of Bordeaux.

It began a centuries-long romance between Sherry and English wine lovers, as immortalized in Shakespeare's Henry IV Part 2, when Falstaff glorifies sturdy Spanish 'sack' over thin Bordeaux 'claret' and Rhine 'hock'.

But the honeymoon, quite literally, was not to last. Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon drove a wedge between England and Catholic Europe, and left English wine lovers in need of a new source once again. But Sherry fanatics wouldn't have to go entirely without. When Sir Francis Drake sailed into Cádiz and burned the Spanish fleet in 1587, he carried away 2,900 butts of Sherry - enough to supply London for years - as his most famous prize.

(This is adapted from notes for Le Dû’s Wines ‘History of Wine 1453AD-Present’ seminar, where this wine was poured) — 7 years ago

Peter Isacksen

9.2

Fabulous just fab! Rainy night liquid romance.... lol — 8 years ago