Roland Champion Champagne Le Mont Aigu Chardonnay Brut Nature is made from 100% Chardonnay.
Grand Cru Chouilly from a single parcel called "Montaigu".
Aged in Oak barrels for 10 months on the fine lees and then, aged "sur lattes" for 3 years.
Brut Nature : no liqueur d'expedition (zero dosage)
This 100% oaked chardonnay will be perfect with salmon cooked in a parchment paper "en papillote", as well as roasted bone marrow.
Roland Champion Champagne Non Vintage Brut Rose Carat (magnum) is made from 33% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Meunier and 33% Pinot Noir
The Champagne rose shows an orange salmon color coming from the red wine base. The pinot meunier brings red fruit aromas of strawberry and raspberry with hints of spices. The palate is juicy and harmonious with good depth and minerality. A delicate balance between Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir.
It is a blend of 93% White juice (made from 33% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Meunier and 33% Pinot Noir) and 7% Pinot Noir red wine. The grapes used to produce the Coteaux Champenois red wine are coming from their vineyards near the Village of Verneuil.
Review:
"Eye of the partridge color. With a bouquet that evokes leesy hints of red cherry and berry with a touch of stone fruit, this is a finely sculpted wine, beautifully balanced with rich flavors of cherry, shortbread,and a hint of honeyed apricot. A rosé Champagne that’s complex and dry with good palate depth and length. A blend of 20% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, and 40% Pinot Meunier; 7-85% of the juice is red wine (Pinot Noir) from 2013 vintage of Coteaux Champenois Rouge from the village of Verneuil. 3+ years on the lees." - I-WineReview (Champagne: Diversity and Change, January 2020), 92 pts
"A delicate, subtle Champagne, delivering aromatic notes of mulling spices and yeast that accent the flavors of kirsch, bread dough, candied lemon zest and rose petal. This is finely tuned, with lively acidity and a minerally finish. 330 cases made. –AN"
- Wine Spectator , 91 pts
"Bright orange. Aromas of blood orange, dried rose, allspice and minerals, with a subtle note of anise. Juicy and precise, with very good depth to its spicy red berry and citrus pith flavors. Finishes smooth and long, with excellent clarity and lingering spiciness."
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar , 91 pts
"Champion is a small grower in Chouilly, in the Cotes des Blancs, an area known for fantastic chardonnay. This rosé — of which he makes only about 330 cases — includes 10 percent red wines (pinot noir, pinot meunier) to give it a pale, salmonlike color and a beguiling palate of cranberries, strawberries and currants. Wow. And yum."
- Washington Post, ***
The Special Club concept started in 1971. A dozen wine growers from some old families of Champagne had an idea to familiarize people with the originality of the “Champagne de Vigneron” (Champagne of wine grower), thanks to prestigious vintages.
In the beginning, they created an association called the “Club des Viticulteurs Champenois” and chose a bottle with a special shape, created exclusively for them & used only by then. In 1988, they changed the bottle and the label. In 1999, the Club changed its name to “Club Trésor of Champagne.”
The Club Trésors comprises 28 artisan wine makers, selected from the finest areas of the Champagne region, each one recognized for the quality of their work. The Club Trésors is the only organization in Champagne to select its members according to a set of unrelenting quality standards:
Roland Champion's Special Club selection has rich and structured aromas. Very pleasant and generous roundness, nice length in mouth. Golden color with buttery and fruity aromas. All the expression of a magnificent terroir for your most pleasurable moments.
The Special Club concept started in 1971. A dozen wine growers from some old families of Champagne had an idea to familiarize people with the originality of the “Champagne de Vigneron” (Champagne of wine grower), thanks to prestigious vintages.
In the beginning, they created an association called the “Club des Viticulteurs Champenois” and chose a bottle with a special shape, created exclusively for them & used only by then. In 1988, they changed the bottle and the label. In 1999, the Club changed its name to “Club Trésor of Champagne.”
The Club Trésors comprises 28 artisan wine makers, selected from the finest areas of the Champagne region, each one recognized for the quality of their work. The Club Trésors is the only organization in Champagne to select its members according to a set of unrelenting quality standards:
Roland Champion's Special Club selection has rich and structured aromas. Very pleasant and generous roundness, nice length in mouth. Golden color with buttery and fruity aromas. All the expression of a magnificent terroir for your most pleasurable moments.
Roland Champion Champagne Blanc de Blancs NV is aged for minimum 30 months (the minimum for NV is 15 months). This cuvee is made from 100% Chardonnay and is produced from the free run juice only. The current release is the result of the blend of the 2005, the 2006 and the 2007 vintage.
Fresh and delicate, its fine bubbles and wide range of aromas will be perfect as an aperitif. This Champagne will also match very well with seafood and shellfish.
dosage : 8 grams per liter
ageing : 30 months on laths
Even if it doesn't say on the label, 100% of the production is RD (Recently Disgorged)
Total Production for this Cuvée : 1,500 cases (9 liter equivalent) per year
Reviews:
"(L40): Light yellow-gold. Musky pear and peach pit aromas are enlivened by notes of lemon zest and chalk. Weighty but energetic, offering powerful orchard fruit flavors and hints of candied fig and lemon curd. The pear skin quality comes back strong on the clinging finish. This powerful Champagne is definitely better suited for duty at the table than for serving by itself. - Josh Raynolds" - Antonio Galloni's Vinous (Dec 2012), 91 pts
- Roger VOSS"
Wine Enthusiast (December 1st 2019), 92 pts
"Golden yellow color. Lively, fruity, toasty leesy aromas of honeyed brioche and apple tart with a satiny, tangy, dry-yet-fruity medium body and a sleek, interesting, snappy lemon curd, nougat, and chalk finish with silky, soft, fruit tannins. A classic example of blanc de blanc champagne, delicious."
- Beverage Testing institute , 93 pts
"Spiced with ground anise and ginger accents, this offers notes of poached pear, lemon meringue pie, hazelnut and stony mineral. Very elegant and well-meshed throughout, with a silky finish. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 1,500 cases made. –AN"
- Wine Spectator 92 pts
"This cuvée made from 100% Chardonnay offers a fresh aromatic nose of light toast, dried yellow fruit and nuances of yeast. On the palate it has a creamy mouth feel of toasted nuts and rich autolytic notes. This is a beautiful wine, rich and complex."
International Wine review 92+ pts
"Small grower. Autumn fruits dominate the aromas of this wine, which is blatantly more like a wine than we normally expect a champagne to be. Some may find that unexpected and even off-putting, while others will find it intriguingly delicious."
- Washington Post - EXCELLENT
"Roland Champion is a small family-owned producer, now with the fourth generation, in the village of Chouilly (”shoo-ee”), which has only Grand Cru vineyards. Made from 100 percent chardonnay grapes, this Champagne offers ethereal grace and poise and harmony; if I were fighting a duel tonight, I would ask for this Champagne as my last beverage. The nose here is about the richness of warm biscuits and hazelnuts, dried fruit and spice, like a Platonic, ineffably light fruitcake; in the mouth, however, it’s about a structure that encompasses an incredible marriage of power and elegance, like the delicacy and strength of the finest bone china. And there’s something porcelain-like about this Champagne, in its notable crisp, lively character, its transparency and its slightly chalky, shale-like mineral elements. Forget the Champagnes that come on with heavy toasty, caramel qualities; here, instead, is a wealth of subtlety and nuance touched with a racy, dynamic edge. Exceptional."
Biggerthanyourhead.net
Fragrant nose, velvety nutty flavors, rich dried fruit characteristics, powerful, and heady tawny.
Romariz 20 Years Old Tawny is rich, warm and well balanced. Concentrated, firm tannins. Aromas of hazelnuts and walnuts, raisin, honey, caramel and dark chocolate notes. Excellent with desserts, cheese or by itself at the end of a meal.
Made from Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela
The color is beginning to denote the age, showing a certain similarity to coffee and waxed wood. The aroma combines quince-jam, delicate orange blossom and a touch of vanilla. Delicious smooth butterscotch and dried fruit flavors.
A Romariz Colheita brings together the finest wines from good extensive stocks to express the individual richness and flavours of the particular year enhanced by the nutty characteristics that come with the Tawny ageing process.
Pairs with nut based desserts, pecan pie and apple strudel.
Romariz Fine Tawny Port is a blend of aged ports, nutty, ample and very well balanced.
Romariz Latina Tawny Reserve is a carefully selected blend of seven to nine year old Tawny Ports are used for "Reserva Latina". The port was created for the Tawny loving Brazilian markets, Reserve of the Latin hence the name "Reserva Latina". This tawny port makes an ideal after dinner offering and a lovely companion to coffee and sweets. Nutty, raisin character, great length and finesse.
Romariz Pink Port is from a blend of red grapes port is the beautiful deep pink color extracted. Then rose postage, like white port, vinified without the skins. Despite Romariz not the Fonseca label bears, this port by a team led by David Guimaraens. The grapes after pressing 7 days sur lie cold fermented. This slow fermentation, which lasts twice as long as usual, brings a delicious berry hurry up and crisp, bright and airy style that is so characteristic of Romariz Pink Rose Port.
Aromatic fruit aromas of raspberries and currants with floral tones. Full, fruity taste with ripe cherries and raspberries and notes of honey and of course grapes. Modern, bright and airy style.
Romariz Pink Rose Port is a delicious appetizer with a lump of ice, but can also be combined well with fruit desserts. Furthermore, this port is an interesting combination as long drink with tonic and a slice of lemon.
Flowering in the Duoro occurred in the last 10 days of May. The weather conditions provided for a perfect flowering season. The Romariz Vintage Port 2003 yielded wines of great color and supple tannins, with a vintage stamp being evident in most wines. Production: 8,000 cases. "Another bright and fruity young Vintage Port with plum, grape and blackberry aromas with just a hint of stems. Serious nose here. Full-bodied, with soft, round tannins and a long, caressing finish. A beauty."
- J.S., Wine Spectator, 89-91 pts
"Bright dark ruby. Deep, perfumed aromas of cassis, licorice, violet and minerals. Lush and high-toned in the mouth but with very good vinosity and spine. Lovely fruit-driven flavors of black cherry, blackberry and dark chocolate. Little sign of the roasted side of 2003. Not hugely concentrated but suave, supple, minerally and sweet. Finishes with ripe tannins and very good spicy persistence. A very good showing. Accessible already but balanced for medium-term aging."
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, 89 pts
"Opaque ruby. A complex, beautifully structured wine from Europe’s hot summer of 2003. Lively spicy, toasted aromas and a ripe and generous palate with layers of rich, dense flavors of dark fruit, chocolate, tobacco, spice box and a hint of marmalade. Finishes dry and long with still firm tannins. A delicious Port that should be paired with Roquefort and other blue cheeses."
- International Wine Review (Succulent Sweet Wines for the Holidays: The Best of 2018), 92 pts
Romariz Vintage Port is made from Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca
Deep inky purple color. Intricate nose with aromas of blackberries and logan berries, subtle hints of amber and spring blossom and delicate spice. A tight, well-formed palate with an abundance of dark berry fruit, rich chocolate and liquorice, culminating in a long finish. Firm, closely woven tannins that give the wine great structure and body. An elegant finely constituted Vintage Port which will drink beautifully now or age quietly in the cellar.
A vintage port is made from blended grapes, all from the same vintage year. Vintage ports are historically only declared every 3 out of 10 years. Romariz vintage ports age for up to two years in oak, then go unfiltered into the bottle for further aging.
Romariz White Port is a blend of wines from the Arinto, Boal, Codega, Esagna CAO, Folgasao, Gouveio, Viosinho, and Rabigato grapes grown in the Douro. This is aged in oak for three years. Aromas of fruit cocktail, round and full, orange-nutty undertone, strong flavored and sweet. Refreshing summertime drink on ice.
FOOD MATCH: Served alone for after-dinner sipping.
Rombauer Vineyards Proprietor Selection Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Proprietor Selection is a reserve Chardonnay produced only in exceptional vintages by blending the best barrels from the finest lots. The 2022 represents the 16th vintage in 44 years. Like all of our Chardonnays, this wine comes from Carneros where the cool climate and clay soils offer ideal growing conditions for the varietal.
This wine comes from elite vineyards in the Carneros region owned by the Rombauer family and select growers including the Sangiacomo family, long-term grower partners who have farmed this land for three generations
Expressive and concentrated aromas of grapefruit and lime sorbet with hints of clove are present in the glass. It is rich and intense on the palate with sweet peach, clove, and freshly baked pastry flavors. There is a bright refreshing acidity that gives way to more stone fruit flavors that continue to build on the very long and concentrated finish.
Rombauer Vineyards Proprietor Selection Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Proprietor Selection is a reserve Chardonnay produced only in exceptional vintages by blending the best barrels from the finest lots. The 2020 represents the 14th vintage in 41 years. Like all of our Chardonnays, this wine comes from Carneros where the cool climate and clay soils offer ideal growing conditions for the varietal.
This wine comes from elite vineyards in the Carneros region owned by the Rombauer family and select growers including the Sangiacomo family, long-term grower partners who have farmed this land for three generations
A beautiful pale yellow, there are multifaceted layers of aromas including caramelized pineapple, lemon rind, baked green apple, toast, and vanilla. The densely concentrated palate features notes of powerful stone fruit, floral honey, baking spice, and vanilla, all building, with a fresh, mouthwatering acidity, to a long and lingering finish.
Biondi Santi Tenuta Greppo Riserva is made from 100% Sangiovese Grosso.
A rare wine, renowned for its extraordinary ability to age, the Biondi-Santi Riserva is produced only in the best vintages. From 1888 until today, only 41 vintages have been released.
Vineyard Profile
Vintage Report
A majestic vintage where structure, elegance and freshness combine to form something special. 2015 was a hot and dry year with constant warm temperatures from May through August which permitted the production of perfectly ripe, concentrated grapes. At the beginning of September the “tramontana” a wind coming from the north, refreshed and restored the plants before the final phase of maturation, which was characterized by significant day-night temperature, typical of our high-altitude vineyards.
Vinification
Technical Information
Tasting Notes
The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a truly majestic wine. The bouquet is packed with intense fruity notes of black berries, pomegranate and plums, intertwined with scents of Mediterranean herbs such as thyme, rosemary and sage, rising from a carpet of forest floor. On the palate, the wine seduces with exuberant charm and caressing sweetness. The youthful tannins reveal its immense structure and contribute to creating a distinctive sensation of freshness which leads us towards a long-lingering, savory finish.
Review:
The Biondi-Santi 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is initially a reticent wine and one that does not immediately subscribe to the overstated abundance and exuberance of the vintage. Give it time. I wrote this review after several tastings over several days so I could ensure a more accurate account of the wine's elegant reveal. Contemplative and exceedingly nuanced in personality, with wild berry, underbrush, ferrous earth and candied orange peel, this has everything to look forward to in terms of its future evolution in the bottle. It displays a pretty ruby color that borders on garnet and polished copper. A silky, mid-weight palate is accented by beautifully managed and silky tannins (this aspect of the mouthfeel is extraordinary), bright freshness and long-lasting fruit momentum. The alcohol is a bit more powerful in this release (at 14.5%), but the effect is supple and smooth nonetheless. I tasted bottle number 256. Tenuta Biondi Santi does not usually release bottle production numbers, but I can confirm that 2,000 bottles of the 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva are earmarked for the United States market.
-Wine Advocate 98+ Points
GRAPE
100% Nebbiolo
VINEYARD
Serra Capelli and San Cristoforo hills
POSITION
Hillside
EXPOSURE
Southwest
COLOR
Garnet red
NOSE
Its bouquet is fruity with reminiscences of violets and raspberries
TASTE
Full, fascinating and intense taste with a good body.
TEMPERATURE
Ideal serving temperature is 16°- 18°C. Do not expose to abrupt changes in temperature. Its fragrance and scents are highlighted if put into a crystal decanter and then poured into crystal stemware with a large bowl. Swirl it around the glass to finally taste and appreciate it
ALCOHOL
13.5 - 14 %