Domaine Chandon, California, Brut, Classic nv Unfortunately this wine was corked. The aromatics are dampened and the mouth is astringent. A sense of the dosage is the only element coming through.
I was concerned when I removed the foil from the top of the bottle. The smell of TCA was quite apparent. I removed the wire [...]

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Korbel, Russian River Valley Champagne, Natural’ Méthode Champenoise 2007 In the nose you’ll find green apples and strawberries while in the mouth it is acidic, with a sense of apples that have been baked with brown sugar. 65% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay; the style was instigated at Korbel by Adolf Heck in 1962, .7% [...]

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S. Coquillette, Champagne, Grand Cru, Brut, Les Cles nv Give this some air to blow off the stinkiness then the complexity of baked apples emerges. In the mouth there is a soft profile, with lemony acidity and nice length. The grapes behind this Champagne are all Pinot Noir. Elabore par Stephane Coquillette a Chouilly 12% [...]

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Pierre Morlet, Champagne, Premier Cru, Grande Reserve, Brut nv There’s a lovely biscuit character in the nose, graced with flowers. In the mouth there is lots of green apple and plenty of acidity in the elegant sparkler. The grapes behind this wine are 74% Pinot Noir and 26% Chardonnay. Primary fermentation takes place in wood [...]

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Pommery, Champagne, Brut Royal nv Sweet flowers greet the nose when you smell this wine, with citrus and candy. In the mouth you taste fresh fruit, with a complementary dosage, roundness and lingering candy – nice. The primary grapes behind this wine are Chardonnay from the Cotes des Blancs. Produced in Reims 12.5% $34.99 at [...]

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Chateau Saint Esteve de Neri, Blancs de Blancs, Methode Traditionnelle, Brut nv The nose features cooked stone fruits and orange marmelade. In the mouth there is a mix of caramel and baked peaches with a bit of bitterness. The estate farms 13 hectares of vines in the Cotes du Luberon. The grapes for this wine [...]

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This flight features two methode traditionnelle sparklers from Spain.
Parxet, Cava, Cuvee 21, Brut nv This Cava smells of herbs with a chemical note while in the mouth it tastes of green apples and there is quite an astringency – unfortunate. The grapes behind this bubbly are Pansa Blanca, Macabeo and Parellada. Elabaorado in Tiana 11.5% [...]

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Domaine Carneros, Carneros, Brut, Blanc de Blancs, Le Reve 2002 There is the typical sweetness to this wine with a smokiness and an uncharacteristic herbaceous note. The grapes are Chardonnay with the possibility of some Pinot Blanc and the wine was aged for 6 years, before release. Estate grown, produced and bottled in Napa 12% [...]

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Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Champagne, La Grande Dame, Brut 1998 The nose features an evolving medley of dried fruits and nuttiness. In the mouth it is quite acidic, tasting of oranges and brown spices. The unfortunate thing about this particular bottle is the cork taint blurring the full enjoyment of what I would expect is a [...]

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Gloria Ferrer, Carneros, Methode Champenoise, Blanc de Noirs nv This is a newer bottling than that reviewed back in the fall of ‘07, with a change of appellation from Sonoma County to Carneros.
There’s a stinkiness that stuck with this wine. I didn’t want to believe it as it has always been such a consistent performer [...]

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Allimant-Laugner, Cremant d’Alsace, Rose nv There’s a light sense of fresh biscuits in the nose and tangy cherry fruit in the mouth with a lingering creaminess. This makes for a nice, clean, inexpensive alternative to Champagne when you would like a bit of bubbly from France. Mis en bouteille par Hubert Laugner in Orschwiller 12.5% [...]

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Segura Viudas, Cava, Estate Brut, Aria nv Unfortunately this wine is displaying chemical notes and an astringent grip – not nice. This is traditional method sparkling, fermented in the bottle opened and produced in Torrelavit 11.5% $8.99 at Bottle Barn Segura Viudas

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Gloria Ferrer, Sonoma County, Brut nv The nose is ripe with apples which carries through on the palate. There’s a healthy dosage that combines with the fruit to create a sweeter sensation than you’ll see with some of the other bubblies labeled brut.  The grapes are a combination of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. P&B in [...]

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Roederer Estate, Anderson Valley, L’Ermitage, Brut 2002 The nose opens with fresh biscuits, citrus and stone fruits, also calling to mind a freshly baked fruit tart. In the mouth this wine is very concentrated and full of the flavor of green apples in all of there glorious tartness. Yet that bracing aspect is enhanced by [...]

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Gloria Ferrer, Carneros, Vintage Reserve, Royal Cuvee, Brut 2002 Let this open up a bit and after 10 minutes the fruit will start to show. There are apples both red and green and refreshing acidity in this light-bodied sparkler. The grapes are a combination of approximately 2/3 Pinot Noir and 1/3 Chardonnay aged for more [...]

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Schramsberg, North Coast, Mirabelle, Brut Rose nv There’s a red-fruited sweetness in the nose, reminiscent of the cherries jubilee that I used to whip up table side back in the day. In the mouth the fruity theme continues with moderate acidity and a touch of warmth. The grapes behind this bubbly are 66% Chardonnay and [...]

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Louis Roederer, Champagne, Brut Premier nv The nose smells of fresh bread, mushrooms and biscuits to with cinnamon. In the mouth this highly acidic sparkling tastes of green apples and peaches and lasts for a long time. The grapes behind the wine are 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier. A portion of [...]

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Bouvet-Ladubay, Brut, Rose, Excellence nv There’s a candied red fruit character in the nose while in the mouth, the wine is lean and acidic, perhaps a little green, with a bitter, pithy grip. The grapes are Cabernet Franc and are sourced from within and around Saumur. Vin Mousseux elabore a St-Hilaire-St-Florent in the Maine et [...]

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Egly-Ouriet, Champagne, Grand Cru, Brut Tradition nv In the nose there is citrus, bruised apples and brown spices as in an apple pie. In keeping with the house style, the acidity is quite profound. This wine is quite tight, very long, very much a baby at this point. Tasted again in August the complexity is [...]

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Sparkling Pointe, North Fork of Long Island, Brut Seduction 2000 In the nose there are fresh and browned apples.  In the mouth there is also a sense of citrus, with pastry richness and note of custard. This is an elegant bubbly – very nice. It took the big award at the Chronicle Competition in January. [...]

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Charles Heidsieck, Champagne, Brut Reserve nv This wine has developed toastiness, nuttiness and a sense of bread dough. The texture is lovely, creamy yet refreshingly acidic. This new bottling was disgorged in 2008 and given a hefty price increase over the previous batch on the market which sold for just under $30 retail.
The base wine [...]

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Louis Bouillot, Cremant de Bourgogne, Perle de Vigne, Grande Reserve, Brut nv There’s a moderate level of concentration and a good deal of complexity for the price which I swear was about $15 but alas the price tag has vanished. The grapes behind this methode traditionnelle are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay and Aligote. Primary ferment [...]

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Korbel, Russian River Valley Champagne, Natural’ Méthode Champenoise 2006 As in previous vintages, there’s a nice sense of green apples through and through, making this arguably Korbel’s best and most refreshing sparkler. 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay; the style was instigated at Korbel by Adolf Heck in 1962, .7% dosage, P&B Guerneville. 12.5% $10.69 [...]

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Penet-Chardonnet, Champagne, Grand Cru, Grande Reserve, Extra Brut nv There is a light golden color in the glass and the biscuit notes are quite developed in the nose – very complex. Besides the biscuits there are browned apples, cherries and toasted nuts. The mouth is electric with acidity, tasting of granny smiths and cranberries. This [...]

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Segura Viudas, Cava, Brut, Aria, Pinot Noir nv This seems a sweeter brut than many with some astringency – awkward. This is traditional method sparkling, fermented in the bottle opened and produced in Torrelavit 12% $7.49 at Bottle Barn

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Lucien Albrecht, Cremant d’Alsace, Brut, Rose nv In the nose are candied fruits and flowers. The mouth is quite fruity, moderately acidic with some creaminess – nice value. This wine is all Pinot Noir and the wine spends 9 months on the lees after the second fermentation. Proprietor and winemaker Jean Albrecht. Produced in Orschwihr [...]

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Schramsberg, North Coast, Reserve 2001 The nose is very smoky and toasty, with a sense of freshly buttered pastry. In the mouth, the wine is reminiscent of a fresh pastry made with lemon and custard and topped with lots of lime cordial – a sweet-tart essense that is quite long. This wine is very rich [...]

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Egly-Ouriet, Champagne, Grand Cru, Rose, Brut nv Concentrated red fruits mark the nose. The mouth repeats this expression of fruit on a layer of minerality. – very young, very dense and very long – yes. The grapes are sourced from Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzenay, 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. Approximately 30% reserve wines were [...]

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Gloria Ferrer, Carneros, Late Disgorged, Carneros Cuvee, Brut 1998 There is lots of perfume in the nose and the mouth is soft and a bit sweeter than other bubblies labeled as brut, a sparkler with ginger ale and candy-like flavors. In August ‘09 the nose is going through an awkward patch, losing the freshness it [...]

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Jacquesson, Champagne, Cuvee No.732, Brut The name of Jacquesson’s nv brut changes with each successive base wine, the current release being No. 732. The nose features floral notes, sweet in nature, like jasmine with a sense of candied fruits – very pretty. The mouth is very dense, with fresh and baked fruit flavors. While there [...]

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