I would pick Pierre Peters over most of the ones on your list.
From my experience, you’re right about their house style. But, the '88 Grand Dame Rose is no wall flower, it can head to head with Krug in terms of power; honestly, I liked it better than the '88 Krug. Definitely one you don’t need food with.
In this case, I’d recommend the Lassaigne Le Cotet. It went through Malo, so it is quite creamy. In terms of complexity, it’s certainly not as complex as e.g. the Selosse as it doesn’t have any oxidative notes and not as much reserve wine. I agree with m.ristev that the Selosse Substance is super-complex, but it’s also quite special with its nutty and dried fruit notes. What I like about the Lassaigne Le Cotet is that it has a more expansive aromatic profile than many Blanc de Blancs Champagnes which is going in the direction of orange blossoms, tangerine juice, Tarte au Citron.
Me too
Chetillons? Millesime? Brut? Brut from Magnum?
If it’s Chetillions, I’ll second that emotion.
Yes. Also extra brut or Albane.
1988 Krug
or Cedric Bouchard inflorescence or whatever it’s called now.
DP 1996 for me, I preferred the oenotheque to the regular when I tasted them together, but I seem to be alone in that opinion.
I can’t comment on many of the others mentioned here, not (yet) drunk any vintage krug older than 2000
Mark,
Congrats on the recovery. If I had to pick one bottle on your list of wines it would be the '96 Dom because it is very good and more approachable than a lot of the other '96’s. My second choice if you can find it would be '95 Comtes. The '95 Heidsieck may show too many oxidative notes for you. That could also be the case with Selosse, but you never know what you are going to get with his wines. I would avoid '88 Krug as I am not a fan of the vintage, not enough fruit for me. The only exception would be '88 Krug CdM. I know a lot of folks, myself included, who find '97 Salon to have lactic/milky taste, so I would avoid.
If you want something younger, I would go '04/'06 Comtes.
2002 Vilmart Coeur de Cuvee for a grower Champagne??
Based on the OP, which mentioned a preference for oxidized but also complex as desirable qualities, a lot of the suggestions in this thread are puzzling.
Basically, you should go with Krug. Since you’ve had the '90 and loved it, try 85/88/89 or 96, the first two in mag if you can find them.
If you want to try something new, then get vintage Selosse from 1999 or older, or a Substance with as much bottle age as you can find (earliest disgorgement) – even better if you get a “Cuvee Origine” – its former name.
But if you really want a killer Champagne experience, try to get your hands on a 1982 Clos des Goisses, especially from the cellar release of about 10 years ago.
Problem with the '96’s is provenance.
Well cellared bottles of say '96 Krug, Salon, DP can be excellent (had brilliant examples of all 3 recently), but I have also seen a LOT of variation in not so good condition bottles.
I like the '96 Dom Oeno also, it reminds me a bit currently of the '02 standard Dom. Both lovely champagnes that will still get even better.
The '98 Comtes is drinking brilliantly now, and blew the '96 away last time we had them. The '04 is also very, very good.
Been enjoying some '04 Pol Bdb, lovely stuff, and the '08 is brilliant, if very young. Great value for money.
This would have been my suggestion, too.
Or:
Pol Roger Winston Churchill 1990
Or, for vintages that are easier to find, I’d suggest 2007 or 2001. These are really fantastic wines.
Based on the examples of memorable Champagnes given in the initial post, there is a very, very wide array of Champagne styles to work with as Dom, Churchill, Comtes, and Krug cover quite a bit of the spectrum. You have a number of Pinot heavy blends and a pure Chardonnay; you have styles that are both reductive and slightly oxidative; the wines are a mix of pure oak, pure steel, and in-between; some have malo, some don’t, and some are in between; I could keep going. There is no easy answer to this and I would probably stick to something similar to what was mentioned.
I really like this suggestion and the 98 vintage right now is drinking very well. 1998 Krug would be another great choice and the original release of 98 DP is strong too. If I was going outside of the wines mentioned as being favorites 98 Peters Chetillons or 98 Vilmart would be good choices too. I am focused on 98 as it is an upfront and richer vintage like 1990 and is also an earlier maturing one (like many 1990s). It doesn’t have the same overall class and length as many 1990s did, but the best 98s are underrated and show very well right now. The Comtes is a bottle full of buttery Chardonnay sunshine.
Of course, there are lots more, but I think the above will not only shine, but invoke great memories of previous experiences.
I agree Brad - I can honestly say that I can drink Champagnes of many styles and be happy. I can say that the profiles I don’t like are the lactic/milky style. I also don’t like when a Champagne leaves an overly bitter note. Yes that Taittinger Comtes I had was the 1995 I believe and it was probably the most vanilla cream almost buttery Champagne I have ever had. No sense of bitterness. If I had a dissent it would be a lack of complexity. Pure hedonism. But some Doms I’ve had and that Winston Churchill had an earthy complexity that was memorable. Krug 1990 was powerful, layered with flavors from Chard/smoke to that oxidative thing. I remember thinking that it wasn’t the most “hedonistic” Champagnes but rather really a “statement”. I couldn’t drink Dom all day nor could I drink Comtes, Krug or Churchill. I like one on one day and then another on another day. I guess I would like to try something different that sits as high on a pedestal as those other wines.
Drafting on your thread Mark: Brad, I just got a magnum of 1990 Pol Roger Champagne 2000 Selection Brut sort of by chance. Where do you suppose this will be on its maturity curve? The only 1990 I have had in the last year or so was the Paul Bara Special.
Congratulations on your recovery.
1996 Salon
1996 Dom Ruinart Rose
These are two wonderful growers if you want to try really excellent grower Champagne. Others I really like are Bouchard, Bereche and Chartogne-Taillot.