Gilbert Van Hassel

9.5

At almost 25 years old still an infant. Needs considerable time in the glass to open up. Lead pencil and cedar box, pronounced but delicate tannins. Not yet at plateau. — a month ago

Sara Derr

9.8

Best champagne I’ve ever had!!!!! — a year ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2000 vintage. Last tasted 12.2.22. Scored a 9.6 then. This go-round, nice fill and pristine cork. Decanted and tasted over the course of 5 mins-2 hours. Throwing respectable sed. Darker than expected given the age. Huge funk on the nose which remained for approx 4-5 mins despite much decanter swirling/agitation. Wine angular and tight upon first sip after 5 mins. Large, decaying leaves presence in the nose that morphed into a beefy espresso mélange at the 15 mins decanted mark. Gradually started to unfold, revealing massive graphite and cocoa powder flavors. Some forest floor aromas/flavors cruised by around the hour mark. Really started to show anticipated balance slightly thereafter. No absence of tannins/structure. Plenty of time left on the "in the zone" plateau but feel the wine crested the top of the bell curve in the last year or so. Not improving but enough components to keep this one in the rocking Y2K conversation as best of show. 2.7.24. — 10 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2020 vintage Had me from "hello." Heavy body. Intense and giving for days. 8.7.24. — 4 months ago

Victor Hsu

9.3

Smooth, round and delicious, with gentle tannins and woody, plummy spice. Lovely red Bordeaux—we could drink this all night. Still balanced after 27 years but its acids seem a bit faded. I would guess that it’s at a high plateau that may be gently dipping so my daughter Rachel, who owns this wine, needs to finish the rest of her stash within the next year. The vintage of this bottle is her birth year, and we laid down a half case along with another half case of Chateau Lynch Bages. Both bottles are now soft, special treats. We enjoyed the 1996 vintage with prime steak at the Palm Restaurant in downtown LA, celebrating her graduation from UCLA Law. Congratulations, Rachel! — 7 months ago

Brendan Baker

9.0

Slight reduction, baked lemon, medium body, excellent QPR 👌 — a year ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Bit if development, quite wide ruby garnet rim . Nicely open and ready to go , cigar box , ripe cassis , touch of soy , cedar , Asian spices . On the palate quite strict and serious , dark cassis , soy , grafite , spicy touches . Good length and still pretty grippy tannin . Very nice now , in a good place though will stay on this plateau for a while , drink over the next 10 years . — 2 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

1994 vintage. Decanted and throwing heavy sed. Tasted after 30 minutes. Medium/medium heavy body. Dark fruit and earth components driving the bus. Nose with plenty of leather and dirty durty. Has 5-6 more years at this plateau before dropping down a notch. Plenty of pleasure still to be had here if this is your preferred style/jam. The Napa equivalent of Leoville Las Cases. 5.15.24. — 7 months ago

Willie Carter

9.0

A pale shade of yellow initially in the glass. A hefty amount of teeny tiny bubbles, nice perlage. Lemon zest all over the nose complimented by jasmine and delicate cherry aromas. Chalk and dried herbs along with hot buttered toast.

Extra Brut with 2 g/l dosage, this is bone dry and mouth puckering delicious. Tiny production from Premier Cru vineyards in Hautevillers, Cumières, and Champillon, there is an irresistible quality to this champagne. Composed of the three main grapes, the fruit is certainly alive and the acidity is racy, which is just beautiful.

The palate is at times generous and lively. Plums, roasted nuts, and more lemons. As you give it time to open up more and more, you’ll experience brioche and a touch of white pepper. Maybe under the radar a little bit but not in quality. A really really nice bottle of bubbles here. — 8 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.6

Deep ruby , very little lightening at the rim . Really closed on the nose , lots of grafite and a mix of mostly red fruits . On the palate , real structure , a lot of tannin but with very good balance , excellent intensity. Lots of mineral depth , red fruits dominating, long on the finish with refreshing acidity. Needs time still, another 5-10 years and plateau for a further 20 . — 2 years ago