Champagne, France

Dom Pérignon

Brut Champagne Blend 2017

Fancy stuff for the World Cup. Maybe the best champagne I’ve had. Smells toasty and slightly bread like. Flavors are citrus and saline. Bright and delicate. Lovely. — 21 days ago

Daniel, Douglas and 7 others liked this

Salon

'S' Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut Chardonnay 2004

Rounded and polished. Soft citrus and wet stone. Rounded and classy. Drinking well now — 25 days ago

Jay, Bob and 9 others liked this

Château Mouton Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1961

1/2 hour decant(decent fine sediment). A striking dark ruby red with bricking. On the nose: Captivating notes of dark fruit, forest floor, worn leather, mushroom, cigar, smoked meat, some bandaid(brett). Taste: silky, classic, elegant wine with dried red berries, currants, tobacco, saline, minerals and a cedar graphite long dry finish. YUM! What a thrill to drink tonight! — 8 days ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland
with Brenda
Tom, Dave and 15 others liked this

Château d'Yquem

Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend 2013

To close the evening we have an Yquem. Always a treat, never disappoints. The 2013 is still young with decades upon decades to go. The honey, the fruit, the endless flavor that lingers in your mouth forever - what a great wine. — 15 days ago

Billy, Bob and 2 others liked this

Château Léoville Barton

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2005

PM
9.4

Served this 2005 Leoville Barton and a 2000 Lagrange for a group dinner. Both fantastic, very similar. — 5 days ago

Matt, Joel and 5 others liked this

Domaine Tempier

Bandol Rosé Blend 2025

Fab length and lovely limey/tropical finish into savoury. Not bone dry. Delicious. Would age — 16 days ago

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2020

Very nice wine- drinks young but the fruit and structure is already there and it will continue to get better with age. Excellent! — a month ago

Ruud, Neil and 2 others liked this

Krug

Brut Champagne Blend 2002

Gorgeous stuff. Light lemon and toasty notes. Perfect place right now — a month ago

Bex Green
with Bex
Severn, Jeroen and 5 others liked this

Bollinger

Special Cuvée Brut Champagne

Champagne Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut NV – Champagne AOC, France 🇫🇷

Overview
One of Champagne’s enduring benchmarks, Special Cuvée combines approximately 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, and 15% Meunier, with a significant portion of reserve wines contributing depth and consistency. Rich, layered, and unmistakably Bollinger, it delivers remarkable complexity at a price point that remains accessible compared to many prestige bottlings.

Aromas & Flavors
Golden apple, ripe pear, citrus zest, baked brioche, roasted nuts, and subtle spice unfold in layers. Notes of fresh bread dough and orchard fruit intertwine with hints of honey and toast.

Mouthfeel
Vibrant and energetic with a creamy mousse and impressive depth. A delicate kiss of yeast adds texture and contrast, while the wine’s concentration and freshness remain beautifully balanced through the finish.

Food Pairings
Lobster, seared scallops, roast chicken, truffle dishes, aged Comté, oysters, or simply enjoyed as a celebratory aperitif.

Verdict
A richly textured and multi-layered Champagne that continues to justify its reputation as one of the region’s benchmarks. Complex, expressive, and consistently rewarding, it offers a level of sophistication that punches well above its category.

Did You Know?
Unlike many large Champagne houses, Bollinger ferments a portion of its wines in old oak barrels and maintains an extensive reserve wine program, helping create the signature richness and depth that define Special Cuvée.

🍷 Personal Pick
Few non-vintage Champagnes deliver this combination of richness, complexity, and value. The layered fruit, subtle autolytic character, and vibrant texture make Special Cuvée one of my favorite benchmark Champagnes and a bottle I never hesitate to revisit.
— 2 months ago

Freddy, Tom and 1 other liked this

Bollinger

La Grande Année Brut Champagne 2008

This is a pleasant stunner of citrus zest and tart apple. Whoa! Note to self: 12 is not sufficient supply. — a month ago

Ira liked this

Château Léoville Poyferré

Saint Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

Drinking well with beautiful aromatics showing red & mostly black fruits, graphite, licorice, spice box, dried herbs, leather & tobacco notes. — 9 days ago

Somm, Jeroen and 10 others liked this

Château Gruaud Larose

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1990

Half bottle — 14 hours ago

Ivor, Jeroen and 4 others liked this

Château Calon-Ségur

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 1995

DE
9.5

At Clayton with a cigar big as the 96 — 23 days ago

Somm, Sagee and 4 others liked this

Louis Roederer

Cristal Brut Champagne 2008

Magnum 99+ — 24 days ago

Jeroen, Peter and 6 others liked this

Billecart-Salmon

Brut Rosé Champagne Chardonnay Blend

Casa de campo. — a month ago

Ted, Juan and 1 other liked this

Château Latour

Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1995

Medium deep garnet ruby with a narrow garnet rim . Dusty grafite , cedar and cassis , currants , oyster shell , quite deep and classic . On the palate this is quite dense and tannic still , deep dark cassis , herbal tinged cedar and very grafite tinged on the finish . Fresh acidity , but still good mid palate richness and even though the tannins are quite dry and grippy , this is well balanced and relatively generous . Good length on the classic grafite , oyster shell tinged finish. This didn’t need a lot of decanting time to show well , though it certainly changes and improves with time in the glass . Classic in style , but still quite generous for Latour , this is just reaching its drinking window , will continue at this level for another 5-10 years at least and probably more. — 5 days ago

Jeroen, Sagee and 13 others liked this

Château Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 1995

Medium deep ruby garnet with a quite wide medium garnet rim . This has quite an open personality with cigar box , earth , grafite and cedar and some spicy cassis underneath. Showing maturity and quite classic in style. On the palate suave and polished , with resolved fine tannins . There is good depth with some sous bois , but mostly mixed summer fruits , earthy dark cherry and grafite. Good length , perfectly balanced alcohol, and lovely salivating freshness . This grows in the glass , showing more facets , at a great moment , without the need for an extended decant . After a while this become a touches more smoky , hints of soy sauce , violet and sea spray. Grafite tinged saline finish . Perfect now , though no rush , best over the next 5-8 years . At Hawksmoor , Liverpool , 26th July . — 14 days ago

ESF, Daniel and 7 others liked this

Marcel Lapierre

Morgon Gamay 2018

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2018 “S” pours a slightly hazy garnet/purple color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of pomegranate, cranberry, strawberry, licorice, purple flowers, green herbs and crushed rock. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose, the finish is medium+. I love me some Lapierre. Drink now through 2038. — 25 days ago

Somm, Tom and 10 others liked this
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

@Jay Kline Did you grow those veggies? Looking good.
Jay Kline

Jay Kline Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@Somm David T the tomatoes, yes. The peaches were grown by a friend. We made a burrata peach salad with the latter.
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

Got my garden in late. So, waiting. But garden grown tomatoes & burrata, 👌.

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

Drinking magnificently. Ready to go. Lots of life left but really nice. — a month ago

Michael AronoviciDavid Stein
with Michael and David
Bob, Jan and 5 others liked this