Willie Carter

9.1

A truly beautiful pale lemon colour in the glass. Clear, crystalline, and clean. The nose is a real feast with pineapples, golden apples, and melons. Smoky with moist stone and a wonderful smear of honey. After a good bit of time there are plenty of floral notes and orange zest, for good measure.

Rich, with nice balance and weight. High acidity and sharp, on day two things have mellowed out a bit but there’s still plenty of vim and vigor throughout. Medium viscosity and nice depth. Drama and love on the attack with deep citrus fruit and apples for days. A touch of jasmine and butter. Sea spray, minerality, and beautifully fresh herbs. The finish is long and lusty with the hint of vanilla. A lovely Burgundy. — 12 days ago

Willie Carter

9.3

Pure crystalline in the glass with effusive perlage. Energetic and vibrant immediately. Tension and drama from sip one. A distinct chalkiness runs throughout this along with yellow flowers and toasted nuts on the nose. Vanilla creaminess and peaches. There’s a slightly ethereal salinity here which is wonderful.

Pure Chardonnay from Mesnil. Aged for five years. There’s a semi sweet quality but the acidity is still beautiful and zippy. Fresh and lively but a decant does this champagne well. After an hour or two the palate will present vivacious citrus fruits and some wonderful chalk. Apples and lemons with pears and just a touch of peaches. Long and gorgeous.
— a month ago

Willie Carter

9.1

Light ruby in the glass with thin edges. Despite the age, the nose still presents fresh aromas. Dark red fruits dominate at first but after plenty of time and air other elements will start to sing. A nice mix of oak and herbs with a pleasant touch of old leather. There’s the faintest hint of Beautiful Burgundian Funk going on, which always sets my heart ablaze.

A simple, entry level Burgundy can be fun but one from a terrific producer can definitely rise above. Soft, yet rustic and charming. The age has certainly improved the wine and it still has years to go. Plenty of dusty cherries and wild strawberries on the palate. Chocolate and more oak with spice and dried herbs. Mushrooms and earth with stewed plums on the finish. A seriously fun wine. — a month ago

Willie Carter

9.3

These champagnes simply do not miss. Clear salmon in color with particularly active, attractive bubbles. The nose is so immediately pleasing and oh so clean. All the red berries that you would expect along with semi sweet bread and rose water. Chalk is a superstar here.

One of the more impressive rosés I’ve tasted. Composed of 90/10 Chardonnay/Pinot Noir, this is a smoother champagne. Elegant and rather substantial, this has nice weight to it. Nicely restrained acidity throughout with the terroir singing.

Immensely drinkable and bright. Vibrant red fruits abound. Spice on the tongue that elevates this. And some exquisite chalkiness. That’s what truly makes this a top notch wine. I will definitely have to get more of this. — 12 days ago

Willie Carter

9.1

One of my great loves, serious rosé. A pale salmon color in the glass. The nose explodes with a cacophony of aromas. Strawberry jam and fresh red cherries. There are autolytic notes with brioche bread and an innate creaminess. Herbs and a touch of spice for good measure.

With a whopping 63% of Chardonnay in the blend, this is a very different kind of rosé. Fun and flamboyant, yes but also well heeled and full of character. Quite vinous, it’s a more thoughtful wine compared to others of its ilk. Well balanced with pleasant acidity and body.

Youthful and intense on the tongue. A burst of red berries initially. Almond slivers and dried herbs. Citrus acidity and a nice, long finish. A really nice champagne from a great house. — a month ago

Willie Carter

9.2

Another beautiful champagne from the Launois family. A pale old gold color with nice perlage and intensity. Freshly baked bread and green apple aromas for days. Melons and white peaches with herbs for good measure. There’s an innate sense of lemon zest in the air that’s just magnificent.

Pure Grand Cru Chardonnay from Mesnil-sur-Oger. Four years of aging on lees gives this a resplendent and stately nature. Nice acidity and a superb mouthfeel, especially on the second day. Apples and chalk on the palate alongside vibrant citrus fruits. I struggle to think of a better value in Champagne than this. Stock up. — 2 months ago

Willie Carter

9.2

Excellent. A deep concentrated plum color in the glass. Beautiful aromas of dark red fruits and fresh herbs. Mushrooms and some incredibly clean funk. There’s a bit of coffee and dried cherries. Oak and fresh foliage.

I do love these wines. Exquisite and so immediately approachable. A very clean wine that is still able to display such charm and personality. Soft, supple, and silky. Medium bodied and elegant. Very smooth on the tongue with more mushrooms and red and blue fruits. Herbs are striking, especially on the long finish.

Still quite young but oh so good. Drink one every year and you’ll be happy. — 2 months ago

Willie Carter

9.5

Ethereal and gorgeous, not your average rosé. A medium crimson color in the glass with effusive perlage. All the pretty red fruits on the nose. Strawberries, raspberries, and cherries, no doubt, but pineapples join the party too. Sweet brioche and beautiful floral notes complement.

From Les Riceys, the cross section of Champagne and Burgundy and it shows. Vinous, vibrant, and deep. The acidity is high and lovely along with terrific balance and weight throughout. 100% Pinot Noir with a nice combination of fruity and savory. The palate closely follows the nose with more sumptuous red berries and biscuits in the mouth. Oak on the long finish. A powerful champagne and one of my favorites. — 12 days ago

Willie Carter

9.1

A beautiful dark ruby robe in the glass. The nose is lush and decadent immediately with blackberry and black cherry aromas. There’s a nice bit of earth and vanilla happening here along with black pepper. Cocoa and old leather are really nice here.

Napa Zinfandel can be many different things to many different people. For me, it’s typically overblown, overdone, and overwrought. Not so this! Smooth with a dash of elegance. There’s a restraint shown here that is uncommon and very welcome. Still quite intense but not overblown with nice balance and weight.

The palate shines with black fruit and more leather. An inherent spiciness kicks up after some time along with tobacco and a touch of oak. A nice, long finish with just a tad of smoke. A very nice wine. — a month ago

Willie Carter

9.0

A stately medium straw color in the glass with tiny, fast paced bubbles. This is a rather intense cuvee. The nose gets the party started with toast and white flowers. A bit of citrus, a bit of red cherry. There’s an innate smokiness to the wine that permeates throughout. Very distinct, very appealing. Very sexy.

100% Pinot Meunier from Montagne de Reims. This is an exciting champagne, so full of personality and character. Quite dry and complex, even at this young age. That youthful vigor is in full force here though without many of the problems other young champagnes have that cause them to be clunky or awkward.

A plethora of apples on the palate with more cherries. A touch of blue fruits and more yeast on the tongue. The smoky nature is still prevalent here and on the long finish. Unique and beautiful, this was a pleasure. — 2 months ago