NV Moët & Chandon Champagne 150th Anniversary Impérial Brut, France, Champagne, Wine Review

This ubiquitous Champagne seems to be everywhere and sometimes, that means it can be easy to look past it (for wine geeks anyway). It is quite good. This is actually a special bottling to celebrate their 150th anniversary of their founding in 1869. It is a blend of equal parts Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (30% to 40%) and the rest Chardonnay. Golden in color with a bit of copper. The nose is nice with toast, apple and slight ginger. On the palate, this has nice full carbonation. Good acidity. Slight tannins. Pears and apples. Long finish. This is drinking well now and should continue to mature for a few years. It might get better but should go another decade or more. Very food friendly.

Grade:

A-

Score:

Current Price:

$45.00USD

Burgundy’s Domaine de la Romanée-Conti – The Pinnacle of Pinot Noir

France's Burgundy Wine Region: A Primer on the History, Wines, Vineyards & Terroir contains an excellent introduction into the ethereal wine of one of the most famous wine producing regions. No winery is more famous, or produces such legendary wines in Burgundy than Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Often abbreviated as DRC, the winery makes some of the most exclusive and expensive wines in the world. They are, for those lucky enough to have tried them, the pinnacle of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

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NV Moët & Chandon Champagne White Star, France, Wine Review

Score:

Grade:

A-

Current Price:

$40.00USD

Sometimes it is easy to forget just how good this wine is. No, it's not Dom Perignon, but it is very good and very available. Light golden in color, a nice mousse of very tiny bubbles, clear and bright. The nose is nice with apples, toast and slight chalk. Medium bodied. Good acidity. On the palate, this has slight oxidation with apples and slight char. Good finish. This is very food friendly and will work with just5 about any food. It went well with vegetable quiche. One issue to be careful of is that this is sold everywhere. Make sure of good storage and try to make sure this i

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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NV Tarlant Champagne Zero Brut Nature, France, Wine Revieew

Score:

Grade:

A-

Current Price:

$48.00USD

This is a blend of 32% Pinot Noir, 32% Chardonnay, 32% Meunier, and 4% Petit Meslier, Arbanne, and pinot Blanc according to the label. Of course, Zero Brut nature is an indication that this is the driest level of Champagne and has no added sugar prior to bottling. Light golden in color with a frothy mousse of tiny bubbles. Clear and bright. The nose is great with spice, ginger, slight golden delicious apples and a hint of lemon peel. Great acidity. Dry. On the palate, lemon peel with minerality and a touch of toast. Long finish. Very impressive.

2006 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon, France, Wine Review

Vintage:

2006

Score:

Grade:

It is amazing how much wine Moet can make and be so amazingly consistent. Of course, Dom Perignon, is at the top of their heap. Light gold with slight silver in color. A steady stream of tiny bubbles form a nice mousse. The nose is nice with slight toast and a sort of lemon/tangerine quality that is really nice. Very clean. On the palate, that lemon/tangerine quality continues with a nice dose of carbonation. Incredibly smooth and easy yet with depth and also precision. Long finish. Probably not the greatest ever vintage of DP but still excellent. Drinking quite well at the moment

NV Moët & Chandon Champagne 150th Anniversary Impérial Brut, France, Champagne, Wine Review

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