Your House Champagne?

At one time, mine was Bollinger Special Cuvee, but then it got too expensive. It then shifted to Laurent Perrier Brut. I continue to enjoy it but now find myself shifting to Drappier’s Carte d’Or. What is your house Champagne, defined as what you have most frequently or what you would open without hesitation with nothing more than a sandwich? Thanks.

Out of many choices, these come to mind in NV Brut and Brut Rose:

Ruinart Brut/ Brut Rose
Laurent-Perrier Brut/ Brut Rose
Billecart-Salmon Brut/ Brut Rose
Henriot Brut Rose
Jose Dhondt Brut Rose
Lanson Cuvee Noble Rose
Camille-Saves Brut Rose
Bollinger Brut Rose
Henri Giraud Esprit Rose
Feuillatte Brut Rose
Charles Heidsieck Brut/ Brut Rose

Gosset Grande Reserve

If I could afford it, it would be Krug.

Unfortunately that’s the problem, as I’ve not found a cheaper alternative that I could honestly say I would look forward to opening. Thus there are usually 3-4 bottles in the cellar, for those evenings when food, mood or company demand it.

House fizz more likely to be Pinon’s Vouvray Brut / Petillant, with Lambrusco (proper stuff, not the supermarket sugar water), Brachetto d’Acqui, Moscato d’Asti or Trento doc vying with Champagne for a limited presence in the cellar.

For the past couple years, we’ve kept enough Egly-Ouriet Les Vignes de Vrigny Brut Pinot Meunier around to make it the “house pour”. I love the tart green apple and not quite ripe pear notes. When I’m lucky enough to find it, I also stock up on Christophe Mignon Pur Meunier Brut Nature…also 100% Pinot Meunier and around $50.

Used to be René Collard before he passed away :frowning: The venerable alchemist who turned pinot meunier into a golden elixir long before it became a hip trend. His wines were aged before release…and yet priced in a humble fashion. Collard was my introduction to Champagne -and what an honor it was. Bio before it was cool, champion of pinot meunier back when the grape was just ‘filler’…aging before release yet priced so low it defied the imagination as the quality was heavenly. My regret is not going to visit before René Collard passed away.

Collard-Picard - Olivier Collard (René’s grandson) and Caroline Picard, a perfect marraige of two Champanois…think meunier meets chardonnay. The entry level (I hate that term) Selection Brut is pinot meunier dominant but with a fabelous electric streak of chardonnay…my favorite and in the $35 range, a bargain, pure robbery!

Val-Frison Goustan - pure pinot noir power for $42. Really tastes far better than the price - my hidden gem. A mix of ripe pinot noit fruit & grape skins - fabelous.

Yves Ruffin Brut ($42) and their Extra Brut ($45-47)…,the Brut is aged in oak & some wine taken from solera, more rich and opulant, pinot noir dominant in my opnion. The Extra Brut is aged in Acacia wood & is chardonnay dominant…the acacia wood is more neutral (to my palate) but still a very intense wine. Both are powerful wines as opposed to ‘insipid swillers’.

Vouette et Sorbée Fidèle…if you buy pre-arrival the price is great for the quality. Just go see Frank Murray III’s thread on his visit to Champagne …his visit to Vouette et Sorbée …and you will see what a fabelous bargin this wine is! Come to think of it, Frank’s thread has several wonderful producers on it…all of whom have a few wines in the ‘house wine’ catagory :wink:

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Lately Paul Bara, grand cru, both the rose & reserve, perhaps just because I have a fair bit of each. Used to drink a fair bit of Tarlant Zero Brut & still have some.
If I had my druthers it would be Vilmart, day & night with the occasional Pierre Peters thrown in for counter-point, but both just a bit too dear in this market to be a regular drink.

I am fond of Diebolt-Vallois Fleur de Passion, Veuve La Grande Dame and Dom Perignon for serving
family & guests.

Well, I guess it depends on price point. It seems like you like Bollinger and Laurent Perrier, both heavier bodied champers but the Cate’ d’or is a bit lighter so not exactly if what you like is changing.

I like heavier champers with food, so maybe a heavier blanc de noirs like the Jean Laurent NV. There is always Lanson’s Black label, Clouet’s silver label, Guiraud’s brut esprit. Also I recently got a bunch of Bolly 1/2 bottles for like $25/per. A couple places had them at that price. I’m just not sure what price point works for you.

The ones that are opened most frequently (many times each year)…

Camille Saves Millesime
Margaine Special Club
Taittinger CDC

House Champagne:Pierre Peters Cuvée de Reserve
House Sparkling Wine: Ultramarine

Various bottlings from Bereche.
Various SVD bottlings from Chartogne-Taillet.

-mark

If I had enough ultramarine that I could consider it my house sparkler…I’d be looking super hard at the recent prices being realized for a bottle on Winebid :wink:

Salon

I have a separate mortgage for it! :slight_smile:

Coutier BdB
Dethune Rose

NV Diebolt-Vallois Blanc de Blancs Brut
NV Lombard & Cie Brut Nature
NV Drappier Rose de Saignée Brut

I like Chardonnay with bubbles and no/low dosage:

Bereche Beaux Regards
Vouette et Sorbee d’Argile
Taittinger CdC when purchased at release pricing

These three are usually in our refrigerator, along with a bottle of this and that. My wife complains that the Champagne and white wine leave little room for food.

Recently- Jean Velut Lumiere
Now- Marguet Shaman 13

We usually drink Champagne no more than once or twice a month but it is almost always something from Vilmart. I have a large supply of various Rose Champagnes for my Daughters in law.

Roederer NV
Cedric Bouchard NV