2008 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare, France, Wine Review

An excellent vintage for this wine, it is in a great place right now. The wine is a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir. Light golden in color with a fine bead of tiny bubbles. The nose is explosive with pears, quince, slight yeast and smoke. Also a slightly "sweet" quality to it. Full bodied. A strong backbone of acidity. On the palate, pears, quince and ginger notes. Clean. Deep. Long finish. Seems to be at peak, but if you like older Champagne then no hurry. Otherwise, drink in the next five to seven years. Very food friendly, this will work great with fried appetizers.

Grade:

Score:

Vintage:

2008

Current Price:

$173.00USD

2006 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare, France, Wine Review

Vintage:

2006

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$165.00USD

This is a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir. Straw gold in color. A steady bead of tiny bubbles. The nose is nice with apples, slight peach, spice and a bit of baked bread. Full bodied. Firm structure at age 16. On the palate, red fuji apple, some green apples, some salinity and minerality. Lots of depth, it unwinds in the glass to show a delicious complexity. Long, tart finish. This wine drinks beautifully on its own and will work well with just about any food. Fried foods would be perfect. Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.

Judgment of Paris: Film "Bottle Shock" Brings the Paris Tasting of 1976 to the Big Screen

Bottle Shock On May 24, 1976, Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant hoping to stoke sales at his French-wine-only shop, held a wine competition in Paris. In this competition French judges were invited to blind-taste top chardonnays and cabernet sauvignons from France and California. In an event that would later be dubbed the Judgment of Paris , the California wines –included merely to serve as the “sacrificial lambs” to the supposedly superior French wines- won the competition in a shocking upset. This singular event revolutionized the wine industry and put California on the map as a major world producer of fine wine. This story comes to life on the silver screen for the first time with the film Bottle Shock , starring Bill Pullman, Alan Richman, and Dennis Farina among other notables. I recently chatted with Bottle Shock Co-Writer and Producer Jody Savin about the film. Why this film now? To answer this question in a socio-political sense, I would venture to say that we live in challenging times.

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2008 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut La Grande Dame, France, Wine Review

Vintage:

2008

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$130.00USD

A stellar vintage for this luxury cuvee from one of the older Champagne houses. In a market that has exploded in pricing, this is one of the better values in luxury cuvee's. This vintage is 92% Pinot Noir and 8% Chardonnay. Silvery gold in color, clear and bright with a nice mousse of lots of tiny bubbles. There is some fruit on the nose (pears) but its mostly about minerality/chalk with a bit of smoke. Full bodied but yet lean and racy acidity. The minerality and chalk carry thru to the palate. Some light cherry notes compliment it well. This is exciting to drink and one of the bet

2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut, France, Wine Review

Vintage:

2008

Score:

100

Grade:

A+

Current Price:

$270.00USD

Wow. An ethereal wine that is both intense and present yet also so light as it dances on the palate. Silvery gold in color with a fine bead of tiny bubbles making up the mousse. The nose has some smoke and light citrus but the minerality steals the show for m. On the palate, the lime and tangerine come out a bit more over a nice mineral base. More lemon on the very long finish. It is also delicious. This is young but drinks so easily. Can it get better? I would say no, it will just change. Drink any time over the next couple of decades. This would work with just about any food an

2008 Moutard Père et Fils Champagne Brut Cuvée des 6 Cépages, France, Wine Review

Vintage:

2008

Score:

Grade:

A-

This is made from six of the seven authorized grapes in Champagne. Pinot noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Arbane, and Petit Meslier (Pinot Gris (called Fromenteau in Champagne is the one not used). Golden in Color with a lot of tiny bubbles, clear and bright. The nose is strong with a tad of oxidation. Caramel, Vernor's Soda, and slight nuttiness. Perhaps a slim touch of lemons. A strong backbone of acidity on the palate. A bit toasty with apples and some nuttiness comes thru. Medium length finish. This is very good on its own but would work better with food. Soft che

2008 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare, France, Wine Review

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