Winemaker Notes
You can see the wine has texture, it’s rich. One the nose, the smell is complex, very fruity: apricot, Mirabelle plum and warm pear. The freshness with the anise and menthol. On the palate, apricot, Mirabelle plum, salinity.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lots of pie crust and dried strawberries with hints of cherries, iron and oyster shells. It's medium-bodied with a solid core of fruit and an integrated bubble structure that caresses your palate. Pure pinot noir.
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Wine Spectator
A rich version set in a firm, finely honed frame, with exotic spice, lime blossom and orange liqueur notes forming an aromatic thread, which winds through raspberry tart, grilled nut, graphite and crystallized honey flavors. Silky in texture, with a long, mouthwatering finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The NV Hommage au Pinot Noir reveals a pure, delicate and complex bouquet of pear, white peach, tangerine, citrus and spices. Medium to full-bodied, tense and layered, it has a crystalline purity with a slightly phenolic, tannic mid-palate that transitions into a delicate, ethereal finish. This 100% Pinot Noir, based on the 2019 vintage with 40% from a solera, was bottled in 2020 and disgorged in October 2023 with a dosage of five grams per liter.
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Decanter
This has a vivacious nose of ripe, fresh fruit, especially red berries, that interplays nicely with spicy and floral notes. The mouthfeel is plush but without a trace of heaviness, as the palate demonstrates perfect poise on its way to a magnificently long and seemingly weightless finish. 100% Pinot Noir, dosage 6g/L, disgorged February 2020.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’