A small group of us enjoyed a joyous NYE celebration which actually took place in the early afternoon. The local traditional annual sunset celebration on Butterfly Beach was considered to be too crowded for COVID spacing so we created our own little tribute on another beach on a blue bird day with the Channel Islands in the background and appetizers and ice buckets full of champagne in the foreground.
It was a fun day with virtual hugs among kindred friends while enjoying some fine bubbly:
2013 ROEDERER ESTATE L`ERIMITAGE BRUT- made from the estates best fruit, this is comprised of 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir with 4% barrel-aged reserve wine from the 2011 vintage; disgorged 6/19 at 8 gpl; ginger and toasty nuts provide nice accents to the baked apple and honeyed stone fruit; it’s medium+ bodied and has a very nice mouthfeel.
2006 ROEDERER ESTATE LERIMITAGE BRUT- it was a treat to see what the 13 version of this offered and then compare it to this which had much more maturity; this also consisted of 52% Chardonnay, 48% Pinot Noir and had 4% aged reserve wine from the 2003 vintage; it was dosed at an unnoticeable 11.1 gpl; the flavors, body and depth were so much more advanced with honeysuckle, butterscotch and ginger enhancing the golden delicious apple, pear, yellow peach and mango fruit; it was very rich and full bodied; nice sparkling wine here and one I’ve appreciated over the years as a solid choice when going with a sparkler.
NV PHILIPPONNAT ROYALE RESERVE BRUT- 65% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Meunier; after the first sip, I checked the label to see if the dosage was indicated and there was none, but my guess would be every bit of 10 gpl as this was super sweet, almost forehead headache so; it had a frothy mousse that carried fresh lime and lemon flavors to the back end; it was medium bodied at best with a finish that had me questioning the amount of dosage.
2006 LAUNOIS SPECIAL CLUB LE MESNIL-SUR-OGER GRAND CRU BLANC de BLANC BRUT in magnum- nice acidity and fresh citrus fruit are most apparent in this fine, frothy bubbly; there’s spicy pear, apple and grapefruit notes along with a streak of honey as well; it’s medium bodied, lively and refreshing.
2006 TAITTINGER COMTES de CHAMPAGNE BLANC de BLANK BRUT- this was as good as any of the numerous bottles I’ve been blessed to taste and therefore gets my vote for the WOTD; this one had more toasty brioche than most, probably due to a bit of age which gives rise to the effects of the Maillard reaction; it was beautifully balanced, had a creamy delicious mousse, was super rich and full bodied and just exuded grace and charm while delivering repeating waves of pleasure.
2009 DOM PERIGNON- it had been a while since I’ve visited this lovely Dom and as before, I found it to be really young and pretty good with some redeeming qualities to offer while it gets it together during its journey toward magnificence; highlights included major acidity, lemon and lime along with a streak of toasty brioche showing up and sustaining; I really didn’t feel all that bad about robbing this cradle.
2009 LOUIS ROEDERER CRISTAL BRUT in magnum- I’ve had many, probably too many, 750 ml bottles of this pubescent beauty which was released ahead of the 08` and for good reason, it’s been showing wondrously at least in that size format, but it took at least 30 minutes for this one to approximate those and then it began its trek of coming together and eventually giving most of the generous notes I was expecting= bright acidity and mouthwatering citrus fruit, especially spicy lemon zest ,kiwi and lime gliding over the palate gracefully with a creamy texture; I’ll hold off on the other magnums for a few years. The impressive format of the large bottle at least served some purpose of showcasing a bit of the class and magnificence of this treasure.
NV RUINART BRUT ROSE- long a house rose fav for us, I was stoked to see this in the mix and it performed as expected; the nose had nice floral notes especially that of rose petals and fresh red fruit; the taste included the expected fresh red raspberry and red cherry with some strawberry notes coming in by mid palate; it had such a fine creamy mousse and along with the rich and elegant flavors, it served to provide a complete treat; I savored every sip.
We had a great day and it was a perfect way to end 2020 and welcome some new and happier times in 2021.
Cheers,
Blake