Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Special Club de Collection Brut Champagne 2008, France

This is a delicious Champagne from the great 2008 vintage.

Light yellow in color with a golden hue.

Medium plus in body with small bubbles and medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with a nice mouthfeel. Elegant and complex.

Showing bruised apples, yeast, citrus, brioche, spices, minerals, sea salt, light river rocks, earth and white pepper.

Long finish with limes and almonds.

This 15 year old Champagne is rich and very enjoyable by itself or with food.

Nicely balanced and concentrated, with nice complexity and mouthfeel.

Thank you Scott for sharing this with me.

I paired it with light appetizers.

12.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$100.

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Domaine Carneros by Taittinger Brut 2014, Carneros, California

This is a very tasty Vintage sparkling wine from Carneros.

This 9 year old shows a great nose.

Dry on the palate with high acidity, and small bubbles.

Showing lemons, limes, spices, light yeast, minerals, black pepper and light grapefruits.

Nicely balanced, elegant and fruit forward, with nice complexity and mouthfeel.

Good by itself or with food. A great sparkling wine to drink by itself at pool.

A blend of 62% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 3% Pinot Gris. Made in the traditional method. Aged in the bottle for 3 years on its lees.

12% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$35.

Macrostie Winery Brut Sparkling 2019 Sonoma County, California

Pale lemon in color with a light golden hue.

Beautiful nose of citrus, green apples, light tropical fruits, earth pineapples, yeast, light brioche, light herbs, minerals and white pepper.

Light to medium in body with tiny bubbles and high acidity.

Very dry on the palate with limes, grapefruits, citrus, green apples, bitter herbs, yeast, white pepper and light earth.

Tart finish with light almonds.

This 3-year-old, Vintage sparkling wine, from Sonoma County is still very young. Crisp and refreshing.
Sharp and puckery.

Needed an hour of airtime to open up properly. Well worth the wait.

Showing great potential. Would be interesting to try it again in 3 years.

Loved the nose, the palate is not all the way there yet.

A good food wine, that paired nicely with the double cream Brie cheese. Will pair nicely fresh oysters.

A blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. Made in the Traditional method.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$48.

Mousse Fils Special Club Extra Brut Champagne 2017, France

This is an interesting and tasty vintage Champagne. Made with 100% Pinot Meunier grapes.

Medium bodied with bright acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing citrus, limes, green apples, grapefruits, bitter herbs, spices, yeast and brioche.

Nicely balanced with medium sized bubbles. Salty and interesting.

Still young, but already enjoyable even by itself. A good food wine too. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Easy drinking and good for parties.

Needs 15 minutes to open up.

12% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$100.

Paul Bara Grand Cru Bouzy Brut Reserve Champagne Non-Vintage, France

Caviar for lunch anyone?

Pretty color of light gold.

Strong nose of citrus, apples, yeast, brioche, fresh baked bread, limes, minerals and light almond.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity. Crisp and refreshing.

Dry on the palate with limes, lemons, green and red apples, earth and yeast.

Tangy finish with limes and bitter herbs.

This Non Vintage Grand Cru Champagne is very tasty.

Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel, and better when not too cold. Tangy and interesting.

Good by itself or with food, and better after some airtime. I had it before, and this time I decided to let it breathe in the bottle for an hour. I liked it better this time.

Wine Spectator 92 points.

Paired nicely with caviar, but good by itself too.

A blend of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay. Aged in French oak barrels for a few months.

12.5% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$50.

Grand Napa Vineyards Brut Rosé Carneros 2017, Napa Valley, California

Celebrating a great outcome, with a great bottle of bubbly.

Light peach in color with a golden tint.

On the nose citrus, lemons, raspberries, strawberries, green and red apples, yeast, spices, light sea salt, brioche and minerals.

Medium in body with high acidity,and small bubbles.

Dry on the palate with strawberries, sour cherries, lemons, limes, spices, light grapefruits, peaches, yeast and white pepper.

Nice Long tangy finish.

This is a delicious 5 year old, Vintage sparkling wine, from Napa Valley. Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Nicely balanced, and neither tart nor bitter. Gentle and elegant.

Feels like a Rosé Champagne. Nice to see that.

Still young and would continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 10 years.

Very easy to drink, and good by itself or with food.

A blend of 54% Pinot Noir, 43% Chardonnay and 3% Pinot Gris. Made in the traditional method. Bottled age for 3 years before disgorgement.

12% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$120.

Gloria Ferrer Vineyards Blanc de Blancs Non Vintage, Carneros, California

This is a very tasty sparkling wine from California.

Yellow in color with a golden tint.

On the nose lemons, green and yellow apples, spices, light herbs, minerals, earth, yeast, light grapefruits and white pepper.

Medium plus in body and lightly creamy, with high acidity and small bubbles.

Dry on the palate with limes, lemons, grapefruits, green and red apples, yeast, spices, sea salt, minerals and light earth.

Medium on the finish with tangy lemons and sea salt.

This is a really nice surprise. Tangy and enjoyable by itself. Easy drinking and nicely balanced. Feels more like a Crémant from Burgundy.

Showing nice complexity on the nose and the palate, which surprised me. A great value for this price point.

I had it by all by itself on the beach. Can’t beat that.

Wine Enthusiasts 90 points.

Chardonnay grapes are hand picked. Made in the Traditional Method.

12.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$22.

Tank Garage Winery Pop Nat 2018, Sierra Foothills, California

This this is a very interesting sparkling wine (Pet nat) from Sierra Foothills in California

Pretty orange in color.

Drinking very much like a Champagne Rosé, with lots of biscuits, bread and yeast notes, especially on the nose.

Medium-bodied with bright acidity and small bubbles.

Showing limes, grapefruits, yeast, brioche, spices, minerals, sea salt, black pepper, green apples, pears and peaches.

I had it 3 years ago, and this time it feels like it lost some of its fruits, but kept the acidity. A Very unique wine.

Showing nice complexity at this point. Nicely balanced and good by itself.

100% Barbera grapes. A small production of only 430 cases.

10.8% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$36.

Moet Chandon Imperial Brut Champagne Non Vintage, France

This is a tasty and easy drinking Champagne.

Dark yellow in color with a golden hue.

Medium plus in body with high acidity, and medium sized bubbles.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing citrus, green apples, light grapefruits, herbs, yeast, brioche, sea salt, spices, vegetables and minerals.

Nice finish with limes and bitter herbs.

Tangy and good by itself or with food.

Really enjoyed the nose, even more than the palate. Better after 30 minutes of airtime. 

Wine Enthusiasts 90 points. Wine Spectator 90 points.

A great choice to pair with fresh seafood.

12% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$43.

Barons de Rothschild Champagne Brut Rosé Non Vintage, France

Pale salmon in color.

Strong nose of raspberries, strawberries, limes, green apples, minerals, yeast, spices and bread.

Medium bodied with medium plus acidity and small bubbles.

Dry on the palate with citrus, white cherries, strawberries, earth, spices, yeast, apples, pears and light grapefruits.

Long tangy finish with light almonds.

This is a delicious Rosé Champagne from the house of the Rothschild family. Nicely balanced with a great mouthfeel.

Loved the nose here, and the bubbles are nicely integrated and not intrusive at all. Very easy to drink.

Really good right out of the bottle, and better after an hour of airtime.

Elegant and luxurious, with nice complexity.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with Avocado Tuna Tartar.

A blend of 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir. Kosher and not Mevushal.

12% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$110.