Champagne table:
NV Varnier Fanniere Champagne Brut 'Grand Cru'
Bready and biscuity notes framing rich baked apple fruit; slightly bittersweet on the back end. Good.
NV Varnier Fanniere Champagne Cuvée Saint Denis
Fresh, pale fruit and yeasty elements wrapped around a skeleton of steel and stone; very precise and bright with plenty of effervescence and intense acidity, finishing a little austere. Quite surprised to hear Kevin mention this has one of the highest dosage levels of the Champagnes at the table. Good+.
NV A. Margaine Champagne Cuvée Traditionelle
Really nice; full of fresh baked biscuit and doughy notes around ripe fruit, slightly creamy in texture but at the same time very precise and long. Excellent.
NV A. Margaine Champagne Brut Rosé
Rather dry, dense and heavy compared to the other Champagnes. Pleasant but not much more.
NV Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Cuvée Ste. Anne
Delicious; fresh fruit, toast and freshly baked bread kept very lively and vibrant by bracing acids; good depth and finesse. Very good+.
2002 Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Cuvée Fiacro
Brilliant. More layers than the Ste. Anne; the fruit and autolytic flavours are richer and deeper here with an added chalky minerality. Seamless, outstanding wine.
NV Marc Hébrart Champagne Cuvée de Reserve Brut
Fresh, precise fruit with faint yeasty accents, a bit simple right now but quite refreshing and elegant. Good.
NV Marc Hébrart Champagne Rosé
One of the better rosés I've encountered; fresh strawberries and pears over steely mineral notes; light and refreshing with impressive length. Very good.
NV Gaston Chiquet Champagne Brut Tradition
Lots of depth here; layers of doughy, creamy and biscuity notes around a core of rich citrus and white fruited flavours. Superb balance and length. Outstanding.
NV Gaston Chiquet Champagne Cuvée de Réserve
More structured, precise and focused than the Brut Tradition. Unfortunately it's also a bit more austere, not showing the same forward fruit or the same depth right now. Prefer the Tradition by a good deal. Very good.
Random reds:
2009 David Duband Morey St. Denis
I miss Truchot. Please unretire.
2008 Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie
Comes across rather modern and fruit-forward with little other complexity. Not a fan.
2008 Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places
This is more like it. Still shows plenty of ripe, dark fruit but here it's framed by lots of smoky, meaty and slightly herbal/stalky notes adding complexity. Pleasant though rather tannic.
2006 Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places
Dominated by an astringent stemmy character and lots of tannin.
2007 Karydas Xinomavro
Striking - fresh red berries and cherry fruit over a vivid gravelly minerality. It's remarkably light and delicate in the mouth with grainy tannins and bright acids, beautifully balanced and all too easy to drink. Must explore this grape more. Excellent.