HPS News

Stellar Marks for Champagne Jean Laurent in Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Stellar Marks for Champagne Jean Laurent
December 16, 2009 – Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar    Download PDF

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Issue 10042, December 2009
www.wineaccess.com/expert/tanzer

by Josh Raynolds

91 PTS JEAN LAURENT NV Blanc De Blancs Brut
(disgorged September, 2008) Light, bright yellow with a steady bead. Smoky aromas of lees, brioche, pear and lemon pith, with an undercurrent of talc. Racy and citrus-driven on entry, fleshing out to offer deeper orchard fruit flavors and notes of honeysuckle and nervy minerals. A dusty mineral element dominates the finish, which is impressively precise and persistent. This would be great with oysters.

91 PTS JEAN LAURENT NV Blanc De Noirs Brut
(100% pinot noir; disgorged September, 2008) Light yellow with a hint of peach skin. Lemon peel, nectarine, candied ginger and lees on the nose, with a hint of floral honey gaining strength with air. Lush and creamy in texture but surprisingly focused, offering mineral- and citrus-accented orchard and pit fruit flavors and a note of sweet honeydew on the back end. Juicy, seductive and pure, with strong finishing florality and an echo of tangy lemon zest.

92 PTS JEAN LAURENT NV Cuvée Rose Brut
(100% pinot noir disgorged September, 2008) Pale red with a delicate bead. Ripe raspberry and blackberry on the nose, with hints of cherry pit and violet adding depth. Smells like a red wine and tastes like one, too, offering pliant red fruit and floral flavors and a touch of bitter botanical herbs on the back end. The finish features notes of licorice and bitter cherry and lingers with impressive persistence. This acts like a wine more than any Champagne I can recall.