Wine

Item Description

A collection for those who like some sparkle. 

Includes:

Aubry Brut NV, Montagne de Reims
Champagne, France

Wine Advocate 92:

This contains just one-quarter each Chardonnay and Pinot; 45% Meunier; and a mixture of Arbanne, Petit Meslier and Fromenteau (a.k.a. Pinot Gris). Nearly half of it is reserve wine, and more than half of that from a solera going back to 1998. If that sounds like a recipe for delivering complexity, you're right and won't be disappointed! Bittersweet perfume suggestive of gentian and iris mingles with intimations of fresh lime and sea breeze that in turn manifest themselves on a seductively silken palate in both juicy, vivacious exuberance and mouthwatering saliva-inducement. A scallop-like sweetly saline and mineral amalgam takes hold in a vibrant finish that leaves me caught between the urge to linger and the urge to take the next sip.

Frederic Magnien Cremant de Bourgogne Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut NV Burgundy, France

First Bottle:

Frederic Magnien's outrageously over-delivering Cremant de Bourgogne Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut IS your new house bubbly. Tiny dosage, ultra-fresh and fine.  We just love this low dosage take on Burgundy's version of Champagne. Citrus, white flowers, crunchy pear notes and juicy red berries...just lovely.

Maison Foucher Cremant Roys de Naples NV
Loire, France

Wine Access:

The blend breaks down to 50% Chenin Blanc, 25% Chardonnay, and 25% Pinot Noir all grown on porous limestone mostly from the village of Montlouis. There's an aged feel to the wine with layers of bread dough, yellow apple, Meyer lemon, and salty minerality. The energy is racy and focused with a creamy attack and a long, echoing mineral finish. If you choose to taste it without food, the flavors on the palate resonate for at least a minute - a rare achievement indeed for a Loire sparkling wine.

Roederer Brut Collection NV
Mendocino, California, USA

A View from the Cellar 92:

"The wine is its customary blend of forty percent each of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and twenty percent Pinot Meunier. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a complex and still youthful blend of apple, white peach, gentle leesiness, patissière, lovely soil tones and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, crisp and beautifully balanced, with excellent mid-palate depth, refined mousse, excellent focus and grip and a long, poised and complex finish. This will be even better with some bottle age and is a fine iteration of this consistently excellent cuvée." - John Gilman

Patrick Piuze Val de Mer Cremant de Bourgogne Non Dose NV
Chablis, France

First Bottle:

(50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay, from the village of Molosmes, 10 Miles south of the Champagne border)  This is a NON-DOSAGE wine, so it has not had grape sugar introduced before the final corking (most bubblies do). However, to counter-balance this, Piuze ages the wines in used oak, does a full malolactic fermentation, and ages on the lees (yeast) for 2 years. All this adds up to a rockin' good bottle of brilliant bubbly that just SINGS. This is NOT a rich, fat, toasty, oaky Champagne. Don't expect Bollinger RD. But DO expect a crystal clear, sharp, fresh, focused bubbly with pure flavors of quince, apples, chalky limestone and citrus. There is what the Brits call "tension" here, and it's just wonderfully bright.

Serveaux Carte Noire Brut NV
Champagne, France

Vinous 90:

(65% pinot meunier and 35% pinot noir; disgorged in February, 2013 after 40 months on its lees): Light gold. Fresh red berries and pit fruits on the fragrant, floral nose and palate. Spicy and expansive, showing a smooth blend of richness and energy. Closes on a subtle note of smoky minerals, with very good clarity and length.

Item Special Note

Collection can be picked up at English At Large offices.  Please call 781-395-2374 or email auction@englishatlarge.org to make a pickup appointment. 

Collection can be shipped upon request. A $50 shipping charge applies.