Shay A

9.3

I’ve enjoyed Henri Giraud’s champagnes for a while, and was able to visit last Nov. This ratafia champenois was quite fun and worthy of a few bottles being brought home. From a solera of 1990-2016 vintages.

Followed over a few months (love that the wine comes with its own dedicated stopper to help preserve).

First whiff reminds me of some Cognacs I’ve had with a combo of sweet concentrated fruit (raisins) and heat, before showing a honeyed profile. There’s no nutty Sauternes like profile, but the palate is texturally similar without being cloying. Orange marmalade and golden raspberries dominate the flavors. Little bright herbal-flair, but this still shows some Cognac type flavors without the ABV punch. The oxidation is balanced and not detracting. Really enjoyable. — 5 days ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.6

Incredible briskness and freshness on the nose of seashell, lily and golden russet apple with a butterscotch undercurrent. Palate is zippy with amazing density. The acid itself is almost astringent at first, like the juice of the pineapple core, but mellows out and reveals other flavors like yellow plum, apple, kiwi and fondant, all braced by stony minerals. There’s a subtly sweetness on the long finish that makes this approachable now, but it really needs much more time.

This wine is endless. I mean still improving on night 5 when I couldn’t not finish it. — 3 years ago

Brandon Boesch

9.5

I am absolutely loving these south hill ciders. So fresh and so clean. Nice sweetness on this one but tastes like apple, apple skin, a hint of pear actually, and a bit of citrus. So tasty! Batch 1701 — 5 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.3

This was really really cool, had not tried a ratafia before. Somewhere between doux champagne and brandy — 2 months ago

Neal Krishna Devaraj

8.9

Very interesting made from combining distilled leftovers from champagne process and mixing with grape juice — 2 years ago

Brian Hearty

8.9

N.V. Dessert Wine. This was the D.H. Lescombes Ratafia. Sweet and honeyed. Very good. — 4 years ago

Michael Schamis

9.4

A spectacular ratafia. Gently sweet with beautiful richness and wonderful depth without any heat from the fine de Bourgogne. — 5 years ago

with Jeffrey and Kati

Deborah M

9.3

Champagne ratafia was described as the champagne before fermentation. Champagne ratafia is a rare and very aromatic natural sweet wine. Crazy aromatics would be a better description. This wine made me reconsider my “not a fan of sweet wine” stance.

It’s Paris so it’s always going to be about the food and the wine. A rule to remember — when in France, don’t knock the lesser known wines because you may find a gem. Yesterday was a great start.
@Le Bon George — 2 years ago

Vanessa

9.1

Black cherry, blackberry, plum, cassis, vanilla, coconut, violet, nutmeg, oak, wet earth. Delicious and complementary pairing to earthy meal of steak, baked russet potato, with asparagus. Vintage 2017. ABV 14.6%.
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#celebratorymood #cakebreadcellars #cakebreadcabernet #napavalleywine #napavalley #cabernetsauvignon #wineandfoodpairing — 5 years ago

with Deked1

Joe Wilkinson

9.1

Smooth and like a port but better. Lower alcohol. 😀 — 6 years ago