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Champagne drinkers


Furd
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I shall be drinking 1998 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill tomorrow night.

 

I will issue a report if there is any interest.

Nicely done. I failed to secure anything particularly awesome in time so I imagine it will be Gosset NV for me. Mind you, it's my favorite non-vintage bubbles.

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I'm not big on sparkling wines, but my wife is and we're having a party so I'll be grabbing a few bottles from my cellar:

 

N.V. Cedric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Noirs Brut Inflorescence Val Vilaine

N.V. Vincent Carre Champagne 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Reserve

1998 Argyle Extended Tirage

 

Probably a couple others to have open throughout the night.

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I am nowhere, NOWHERE near your guys' sophistication when it comes to wine although I know a few things.

 

I really don't get expensive champagne (for me that's $50 and up). I've had Perrier Jouet Fleur, DP, and high-end Taittenger (maybe more, I can't remember).

 

Are there any others I should try before giving up or does this span the range?

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The Ms and I are opting to go local this year. Kluge Estates 2006 Brut. These folks make some fantastic wines and have the best tasting room in Virginia IMO.

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I am nowhere, NOWHERE near your guys' sophistication when it comes to wine although I know a few things.

 

I really don't get expensive champagne (for me that's $50 and up). I've had Perrier Jouet Fleur, DP, and high-end Taittenger (maybe more, I can't remember).

 

Are there any others I should try before giving up or does this span the range?

 

 

Well, that's not an easy question. I'm no expert, but I do drink a bit of champagne.

 

My favorite "everyday" champagne is Veuve Clicquot "yellow label. Crisp, with citrus and green apple. About $38.

 

Other "entry level" champagnes in that price range, of which I am familiar, that shouldn't be hard to find are made by;

 

Nicolas Feuillatte

Bollinger (a little more expensive, about $50)

Piper-Heidsieck (good value, about $28)

Louis Roederer

Pommery

Mumm

Moet & Chandon "White Star"

 

You can always go domestic and pick up a sparkling wine:

 

Iron Horse

Gloria Ferrer

Domaine Carneros (founded by Taittinger)

Mumm Napa

Roederer Estate

J Vineyards

 

There are plenty more. If you stick to the reputable houses, and drink the non-vintage stuff, then you really can't go wrong :wacko:

 

And more more thing, if you are looking for something different, try a rose' champagne.

Edited by Furd
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I am nowhere, NOWHERE near your guys' sophistication when it comes to wine although I know a few things.

 

I really don't get expensive champagne (for me that's $50 and up). I've had Perrier Jouet Fleur, DP, and high-end Taittenger (maybe more, I can't remember).

 

Are there any others I should try before giving up or does this span the range?

There are many basic NV Champagnes that I prefer to their higher end offerings. You might also just prefer that style in general. The Gosset, for instance. When I tasted the whole line-up that was my fave and it was the cheapest. Of course, top notch Champagne does need to age. I've had the good fortune of tasting some 15 and 20 year old bottles of Dom and they were freaking silly.

 

I find, in general, the higher end versions have a lower dosage, likely because they have power already and don't need help from a little dash of sugar. However, stylistically, especially when they're young, they may come off as tart and lacking charm. Think of it like Port. A great vintage port is all well and good, but it's not going to be as good as the much cheaper tawny the same house makes until you give it enough time.

 

Then there's the fact that a lot of Champagne is just simply not at all remarkable, and sort of a rip-off. I'd much rather drink a top-notch Cava or something for less. If I'm going to spend the money, I want something particularly cool.

 

I think Veuve Cliquot is about the biggest rip-off in wine. In terms of high profile Champagne, I like PJ and Roederer. My favorites in terms of bang for the buck, besides the tiny grower-producer stuff that you just never see, are Gosset, Delamotte, and Barnaut.

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1998 Vintage Perrier-Jouet chilling for me at home . . about to leave work now.

 

Anyone here try/like Gruet? It is a domestic sparkling wine from New Mexico . . and it aint half bad. I also like Schramsberg for domestic bubbles . .

I think "ain't half bad" doesn't do it justice. I love that stuff.

 

Overall, I think my favorite US bubbles come from Iron Horse, especially their late disgorged and vintage blanc de blanc. I recall trying the 92 BdB the day after enjoying a bottle of 85 Dom and thought it was a dead ringer.

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1998 Vintage Perrier-Jouet chilling for me at home . . about to leave work now.

 

Anyone here try/like Gruet? It is a domestic sparkling wine from New Mexico . . and it aint half bad. I also like Schramsberg for domestic bubbles . .

Gruet is pretty much our go to. It can't be touched by anything in that price range.

 

I've also been drinking a fair bit of Yellow. It's an Australian sparkling wine. It's not bad in that $10 range but I drink it mostly because I work for the guy that developed the wine and label, Dominique Landragin. He's quite the interesting character. He grew up in the Champagne region of France and his family has a history in the wine there. He moved to Australia and was the first to bring Australian sparkling wines to an international scope. Yellow was his big success. He's now has semi-retired from the wine business but he and his family run several wine boutiques in the DC metro area. I feel pretty lucky to be able to pick this guy's brain whenever I'm in the shop.

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We saved the Cedric Bouchard for the midnight toast. By that time, I was pretty hammered so my palette might not have been the most accurate, but I was impressed. I thought it had a perfect acidity level with plenty of apple and pear throughout. Not sure if I liked it as much as the C.B. "Les Ursules" i tried a month ago, but nevertheless, as someone who rarely drinks sparkling wine of any kind, I had no problem putting that down.

 

(All my C.B. has come through Garagiste).

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