Tag Archives: white wine

Louis Roederer Cristal Brut, Champagne 2006 – April 2016

Louis Roederer Cristal Brut, Champagne 2006 750ML ($299.95) Buy Now: $219 special

James Suckling 97 points “Deep pinot-driven presence is the first and lasting impression. Power with control. Superfine bead, bread and spiced biscuits, candied ripe red fruits and a sense of tight-knit complexity. Some grapefruit, lemon pith & gently flinty notes too – impressive nose. In the mouth it is rich, powerful, mouth-filling and flavoursome with a core of the same biscuity red fruit flavour, savoury nutty notes and a wrap of assertive, persistent acidity that holds rich powerful flavour deep and focused whilst maintaining a polished, gently creamy texture. Long chalky bread and biscuit finish. A superb Pinot-driven vintage.”

Antonio Galloni 96 points “Broad, ample and resonant on the palate, the 2006 Cristal dazzles with its pure richness and volume. Readers need to give the 2006 another 4-5 years in bottle, perhaps longer, as the wine appears to be shutting down a bit. Tasted next to the 2002, today the 2006 is a bit less opulent but just as intense, layered and deep. This is a fabulous showing. 10,000 cases imported in the US.”

Wine Spectator 95 points “–Collectibles— This elegant version shows beautiful texture and a sense of finesse despite the underlying power of vibrant acidity and smoky minerality. The palate offers a finely layered mesh of blackberry, poached pear, almond pastry, lemon zest and pickled ginger flavors. Drink now through 2028.” WS

Pol Roger ‘Sir Winston Churchill,’ Champagne 2002 – April 2016

Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill, Champagne 2002 750ML ($279.95) Buy Now: $219 special

Antonio Galloni-Vinous 95 points “The 2002 Brut Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is wonderfully open, expressive and resonant. The richness of the vintage comes through nicely, yet the more overt elements are very nicely balanced by a good deal of freshness. Baked apple, pastry, candied lemon, dried flowers and warm, toasty notes shape the generous, resonant finish. With time in the glass, the 2002 takes a on a striking, vinous character. Readers might want to consider opening the 2002 a few hours in advance, as it really blossoms with air.”

Wine Spectator 95 points “There’s a sense of quiet elegance and grace to this harmonious Champagne. Refined and lacy in texture, with finely wrought acidity lending focus and length to the spice- and graphite-laced flavors of ripe apricot and blackberry, lemon meringue pie, chopped almond and briny mineral. Drink now through 2029. 500 cases imported. –AN”

Josh Raynolds–Vinous 94 points “Light yellow-gold. Deeply pitched aromas of poached pear, fresh fig, orange custard and honey, with smoky mineral and buttered toast nuances adding complexity. Stains the palate with ripe citrus and orchard fruit flavors that are given spine and focus by juicy acidity. Closes taut, sappy and extremely long, with an echo of toastiness and wonderful clarity. All Grand Cru fruit.” JR

Wine of the Day: Bernhard Ott Gruner Veltliner 2013 4-20-16

Weingut Bernhard Ott Feuersbrunner Spiegel Gruner Veltliner Erste OTW Lage, Wagram 2013 750ML ($59.95) Buy Now: $49 special

Why we love it: Length and layers. There’s the pretty, initial fruit and then everything which follows. That kick of ginger and spice is particularly lovely, and I was struck with a nostalgic reflectiveness once the bottle had emptied. – Tyler

David Schildknecht–Vinous 93 points “Honey, white peach and quince allied to hints of truffle and kelp put one in mind of certain very rich Chenins. Full yet barely over 13% in alcohol, and boasting lusciously satisfying primary juiciness, this takes on more typical Grüner Veltliner characteristics in the mid-palate in the form of caramelized parsnip, snap pea and blond tobacco, not to mention the white pepper, allied with ginger, that informs its long mouthwateringly savory and buoyant finish. Fruit from these vines, noted Ott, was especially affected by millerandage and consequently concentrated. A mere 600 liters were harvested from the Spiegel’s eight hectares!”

Wine Advocate 92 points “The 2013 Grüner Veltliner Spiegel Erste Lage is Ott’s third vintage of this Feuersbrunn cru which carries a mix of very old and very young vines which are cultivated on south-facing terraces in 280 to more than 300 meters above sea level and well protected to the northwest by the Hengstberg gravel ridge. The soils, derived from a massive blanket of loess that is draped over the Gföhler gneiss bedrock, marine sediments, and ancient gravels of the Danube River, are calcareous and silty and, in 2013, bore a light golden colored, tropical flavored, rich, sweet and harmonious Veltliner of great intensity and elegance. It intermixes ripe peach and mango aromas with tobacco and mineral flavors and develops a great length which makes the Spiegel on a par with the Rosenberg., the former more sweet, the latter more subtle perhaps.” WA

Wine of the Day: Lafage Cuvee Centenaire Cotes du Roussillon 2014 4-18-16

Domaine Lafage Cotes du Roussillon Cuvee Centenaire, Languedoc-Roussillon 2014 750ML ($19.95) Buy Now: $16 special

I’m going to use two of my least favorite wine descriptors for this one: likeable and drinkable. They’re lazy truisms that leave me shuddering, but I can’t help but call Lafage’s ‘Centenaire’ just that. Truly likeable and really drinkable. There, I said it!

As the namesake suggests, the grapes are grown from hundred-year-old vines – Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, and a touch of Rousanne, in this instance. The wine has considerable body without ever overstaying it’s welcome. Round, somewhat tropical, and with this brilliant salinity which has me wanting more. Preferrably, outdoors, near a coastline. With seafood! I’m stumped in thinking who wouldn’t enjoy Cuvee Centenaire; it’s a killer wine at the moment and will only become more crucial as the summer months draw closer.

I like this wine. You should drink it!

– Tyler

Wine Advocate 91 points “In the same ballpark, with beautiful minerality, stone fruits, saltiness and citrus blossom, the 2014 Côtes du Roussillon Centenaire Blanc (80% Grenache Blanc, 20% Roussanne) is medium-bodied, fresh, crisp and pure. It’s a year in, year out, spectacular value that should not be missed.” JD

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin La Grande Dame Brut, Champagne 2006 – April 2016

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin La Grande Dame Brut, Champagne 2006 750ML ($169.95) Buy Now: $119 special

Wine Spectator 94 points “Bright and graceful, this seamlessly knits a subtle streak of smoke-tinged minerality with flavors of almond financier, poached pear, candied kumquat and crème de cassis, focused by vibrant acidity and a refined, creamy mousse. Drink now through 2030.”