Which Champagne are you drinking?

[AlexS]

Holy crap:

http://www.beaujoiechampagne.com/

From ridiculous presentation to super cheesy stock sound effects and the knight standing on a yacht, this is one of the better wine websites I've seen in a while...almost Ghost Horse-tier.

[Warren Taranow]

Last week I drank one 2006 Philipponnat Champagne Cuvée 1522 Rosé that was so good, I opened a second one on Saturday. Very light copper colored, barely visually identifiable as a Rosé. While it's a blend, the nose is all pinot fruit. Opens up beautifully with air, adding white floral notes. Nice bead, crisp. Very dry, but the abundant fruit almost gives it a sweet sensation. I quickly reordered that last three bottles I could find.
I love Philipponat; they don't seem to generate much chatter around these parts.

Cheers,
Warren

[Scott Butler]

A couple of bubblers that won't make any ones QPR list.

• NV Agrapart & Fils Champagne Grand Cru Terroirs - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (5/22/2016)
  I'd call this a "tweener" as it has a little of everything but not enough of anything to stake a claim. Very light colored and done bubbles. Nose shows mineral and citrus. Light ripe lemon and some salinity. But lacking any depth or body to make exciting. Medium acid and decent pairing with the plethora of seafood. Not a good QPR.

Posted from CellarTracker

• NV Beau Joie Champagne Special Cuvée Brut - France, Champagne (5/22/2016)\
  What the heck is that? A copper cage? Looks like the gate to a dungeon. This was OK, I liked it slightly better than the Agrapart champagne as it supported a fuller body. But again, a basic champagne and enjoyable. A really poor QPR here.
  

Posted from CellarTracker}

I saw this at Total Wine today, glad I didn't buy it

[Brad B a l l i n g e r]

2008 Pierre Gimonnet "Special Club" - Very clean. Generous acidity. Silky mousse.

2007 Pierre Callot "Les Avats" Avize Grand Cru - A bit oxidized in style (noticeable more on aroma than taste). Layered, complex.

[Steve Nordhoff]

Two Meuniers

2008 Christophe Mignon Pure - no dosage, well balanced and generous fruit, tasty and a nice value.

2013 Prevost - very young, but I bought a six pack and wanted to try one. Wound up, shows a smoky barrel nose, but no vanilla, lots of structure, interesting now, better in the future.

[Blake Brown]

MV Krug Grande Cuve in 375s
06` Moet & Chandon Brut
06` Moet & Chandon Brut Rose
06` Jacquard Brut
NV Coutier Brut Rose
NV Charles Heidsieck Brut Rose
04` Joseph Perrier Cuvee Josephine Brut

[Russ Williams]

2004 Le Brun-Servenay Champagne Exhilarante Vieilles Vignes - delicious wine we with lemon/lemon pith, lots of minerality, plenty of acidity and a very lengthy finish. My kind of bubbly and at a great price. Glad to have a couple left. Great with and without food.

[Scott E.]

Popped a couple of bottles of 2002 Dom Ruinart Brut at our anniversary party this weekend. Very tasty stuff - it had rich flavors of stone fruits, balanced by a nice finishing cut - very creamy mouthfeel. Too bad I didn't get more than one glass...

[Sarah Kirschbaum]

Two nice ones this weekend:

1999 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Rosé - very satisfying, easy drinking but not simple

1988 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne- perhaps a bit past its prime, but still a lovely mature champagne

[rick m]

i know these will get better with some age but can't keep my hands off of them.....
'06 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne
'06 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut

[Blake Brown]

i know these will get better with some age but can't keep my hands off of them.....
'06 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne
'06 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut

I`m with you as well. They are really good now and promise to be even better much later on, but.........

[Jay $$ Winton]

The 2002 Pommery "Louise" cuvee was excellent recently.

[Sarah Kirschbaum]

NV Diebolt-Vallois Champagne Cuvée Prestige Blanc de Blancs last night with a lovely sous vide halibut dish. This is our house NV BdB and is the Little Engine that Could of champagne - always refreshing, crisp attack, with plenty of citrus and minerality. There's creaminess, too, with a bit of air, that does nothing to take away from a satisfying bow-on-it finish. This bottle has been in our cellar for a few years at least, though I'm not sure of the disgorgement date.

[SheilaAdams]

1985 Jean Laurent Champagne Millésimé Blanc de Noirs Brut- this was wonderful. It showed a bit of age, but still fresh, and full of fruit and toast. Just amazing! This was imported by a friend who has cellared it since.

[T. Altmayer]

Agree with Rick and Blake above. A friend opened a 2006 Taittinger Comtes, young but beautiful. Great fruit up front with just a hint of a creamy finish. Loved this wine.

[Al Osterheld]

Also had a 2006 Comtes this weekend at an exceedingly enjoyable dim sum morning. It's a particularly lovely 2006.

-Al

[alan weinberg]

Krug NV, actually "multi vintage." Love this current batch of 375s.

[Warren Taranow]

1999 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Rosé - very satisfying, easy drinking but not simple

Love this one. I've been through several bottles, and I can't believe they were just $70 last year.

i know these will get better with some age but can't keep my hands off of them.....
'06 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne

It's embarrassing how fast I'm depleting my stock of these. They are so good now, yet hold so much promise for the future. It will likely be empty promises for me.

1985 Jean Laurent Champagne Millésimé Blanc de Noirs Brut- this was wonderful. It showed a bit of age, but still fresh, and full of fruit and toast. Just amazing! This was imported by a friend who has cellared it since.

The '96 was one of my all time favorite wines. I'm down to my last bottle. See if your friend has any of those!

Cheers,
Warren

[Jay $$ Winton]

Krug NV, actually "multi vintage." Love this current batch of 375s.

agree as I think we're drinking a recent disgorgement. We drank one the other night and it was fabulous.

[Frank Murray III]

Good thread, and I credit the thread's author, Mr Nordhoff, for introducing me to champagne. It's rapidly approaching 20% of my cellar profile, when just 18 months ago I owned none. With that, I continue to buy and get different bottles open, although I will say that Dethune is my go to, especially the NV Rose that I am on my 3rd case of that now. The C-T Millesime 08 was really good recently, so that was also a re-buy. The Saves Rose, drinking even better now than a year ago, with a distinct bitter, savory quality. And I guess of note, as much as I wanted to like the Laval and it's razor edges, it was too much for me. Probably a shock to Mr Nordhoff.

• 2005 Argyle Extended Tirage Brut - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (7/9/2016)
  Served blind, perfect temp. Good core of lemon peel, green apple fruit. Some shading of mineral and yeasty notes, finishing with a little savory fennel. This could stand in with Champagne, something I don't say much about CA bubbly.
• NV Camille Savès Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé Bouzy - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (7/9/2016)
  Drank with a dinner of Mexican food. This stuff continues to drink so well--terrific balance, fruit and acidity, with nothing out of place and it's really a satisfying bottle of bubbly. Need to source more, as between the Dethune NV Rose and this one, I could probably set myself up for a long time with just these two excellent bubblies.
• NV Georges Laval Champagne Brut Nature Cumières - France, Champagne (7/5/2016)
  Drank one of these yesterday. I had obtained the bottle after reading about it in one of Bonne's past articles. And as much as I am hassled (in a good natured way) about liking everything with so much acid and swearing off high levels of dosage, I gotta say that this Laval was too lean for me. As much as I dislike the flavors of lemon-lime soda and sweetness in my champagnes, I've at least got one experience now where I can say, man, I found something too lean. This bubbly here has a lot of energy and tons of cut but I personally did not like it as much as I thought I would. Will there ever be fruit tones emerge? Some folks are finding it in their TNs, but I just didn't find much fruit to speak of. Was a good experiment to try one but I'll pass on any more of these for now.
• NV Paul Dethune Champagne Brut Cuvée Prestige Princesse des Thunes - France, Champagne (7/3/2016)
  I kind of agree with Brig's last TN below. While he didn't drink y/day's bottle with me, it did show medium acid and the green apple this time was quite prominent with the dosage seeming to reflect more sweetness, or at least my perception of it. I'm starting to think that this is how it will normally show. Keep in mind that my ' no to low' dose preference is going to color how I see things and what I lean towards, too. PS--have several more of these so I will keep sharing them and posting notes to bring whatever consistency I can add to the discussion of these notes.
• NV Bérêche et Fils Champagne Brut Réserve - France, Champagne (6/26/2016)
  First bottle of two that I purchased, and no experience with this producer. Disgorge date of 12/2015. We drank this chilled and then let it warm some to trace the profile during dinner. When chilled, it exhibits a defined sense of green apple, drizzled with lime. When warmer, the green apple softens some, and the wine richens up just a bit more, too. What I enjoyed about the wine was robust apple flavor and moderately zesty acidity.
• NV Paul Dethune Champagne Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (6/19/2016)
  Not sure what else I can offer about these.....Father's Day 2016 with family. More green apple this time, same delicious, zesty raspberry. Gonna be time soon for another six bottles, I'm getting low again. I dig Dethune.
• 2008 Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Brut Millésimé - France, Champagne (6/12/2016)
  Like the previous bottle from late 2014, this continues to show excellent, low dose energy. Lemon, grapefruit, light apple and bread dough with a clean, lean profile. We polished the whole thing over dinner!

Posted from CellarTracker

[Warren Taranow]

Another ridiculously good showing for the 2006 Taittinger Comtes tonight. It might be my WOTY. We followed it up with a 2002 Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Brut, which while nice, with an interesting savory nose. came up short by comparison.

[JLee]

Pierre Peters Brut NV - Liked this very much; it's reasonably good QPR

Jacques Lassaigne La Colline NV - Taut, almost shrill, this wine was too ascetic for my tastes. Food didn't improve it and vice versa.

Krug Grand Cuvee - Agree with above on this. Loved this though Krug's style is not my preferred one. Had from a recent disgorgement. Quaffable, this wine disappears quickly.

[Shannon Perdue]

Krug Grand Cuvee NV - very good and maybe excellent for NV(MV). Ours are intentionally cellared 3 - 5 years.

[alan weinberg]

Krug Grand Cuvee NV - very good and maybe excellent for NV(MV). Ours are intentionally cellared 3 - 5 years.

I do the same w Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé, age it for 3-5 years--so much better than when released.

[zack harris]

Last week I drank one 2006 Philipponnat Champagne Cuvée 1522 Rosé that was so good, I opened a second one on Saturday. Very light copper colored, barely visually identifiable as a Rosé. While it's a blend, the nose is all pinot fruit. Opens up beautifully with air, adding white floral notes. Nice bead, crisp. Very dry, but the abundant fruit almost gives it a sweet sensation. I quickly reordered that last three bottles I could find.
I love Philipponat; they don't seem to generate much chatter around these parts.

Cheers,
Warren

On the recommendation of Brad, I tried this recently as well and agree completely with your assessment. So good in fact, I ordered more from overseas as there wasn't any in the US.

[Warren Taranow]

2002 Pommery Champagne Cuvée Louise Brut
I enjoyed this, although Marybeth was less impressed. I found it less dry, a little more sweet than other CT tasters (looking at the notes, this wine is all over the map). Focused, citrus and tart apple and a nice floral note. It seemed more a crowd pleasing easy drink than one to analyze. Not quite up the the level of other '02 tête de cuvées I've had, but still a nice wine with dinner.

[Sarah Kirschbaum]

Thanks for the note, Warren. You're right about CT, the notes are all over the map. I have some of this sitting in storage, but have not tried it yet, and am now very curious....

[dbailey]

I'm drinking a truckload of Deutz as per the separate thread!

[SheilaAdams]

a wonderful bottle of Rene Geoffroy's 2008 Empriente

[scott c]

2006 Ledru Brut Nature over the weekend was stunning. Really digging her wines. Some can taste like a baby Krug Clos d'Ambonnay.

[Charlie Carnes]

I'm in love with the stuff right now. I cannot drink enough it seems as most of these are in the multiple bottle consumption. And yes, I know they are not all from Champagne, nor even France:

2006 Pol Roger Rose
NV Duval Rose
2013 Ravintos i blanc de nit
NV Voirin Jumel rose de Saignee
NV Ruinart rose
2005 Roederer l'ermitage Brut
NV Voirin Jumal BdB
2006 Besserat Cuvee des Moines Brut
NV Tattinger Francois
1991 Lauer Sekt reserve two different disgorgements
2004 Dom
2006 Dom
2002 Pol Roger r.d. extra brut
NV Selosse initial
Laurent Perrier rose
2011 Merieou (sp) Bulles from Loire two different vintages

[A Yambor]

2004 Delamotte BdB: Beginning to enter its window and beautiful after about an hour of air. Laser-like acidity, delectable Chardonnay fruit and beautiful texture make this really complete. I think this has a long life ahead.

NV Selosse Initial (one 2013 disg & one 2015 disg; both imported by RWC): Our group unanimously preferred the older disgorgement bottle and have found that we usually appreciate the complexity brought through time on the Intial. It is a shame where the price has gone for this bottle.

NV Pierre Gimonnet Rose de Blancs: Luscious bright and crunchy fruit, this Chardonnay-heavy rose is delightful if you aprreciate airy and elegant rose. Mineral-driven like all of Gimonnet's wines but also with excellent fruit.

[Frank Murray III]

2002 Pommery Champagne Cuvée Louise Brut
I enjoyed this, although Marybeth was less impressed. I found it less dry, a little more sweet than other CT tasters (looking at the notes, this wine is all over the map). Focused, citrus and tart apple and a nice floral note. It seemed more a crowd pleasing easy drink than one to analyze. Not quite up the the level of other '02 tête de cuvées I've had, but still a nice wine with dinner.

I have enjoyed this the 2X I have had it. Funny, saw this in London a few weeks ago, but at 160L, I could not bite on it. I went with a Hendricks and Fever Tree, saved myself about 150L.

[Warren Taranow]

It's getting embarrassing how often I add to this thread...
Tonight was NV Vilmart Grande Réserve. I could drink this every night. In fact, if I had been smart and bought more when it was offered for $36, I would be drinking it every night.
A very pretty champagne. The full spectrum citrus bubbly; lemon juice, zest and orange blossoms. Very fresh, a little sweet in the mid palate but by no means off-dry.
I'll buy cases if it comes around at that price again.

[Steve Nordhoff]

06 Taittinger Comte- believe the hype. This was as good as any wine I have had this year. Floral, precise and long, yet round and some fat in the middle, finishing with that steely Chardonnay acid. Glad I went deep as pricing was very favorable.

[Robert Panzer]

'09 Agrapart Minéral:
WOW. My second bottle of this after they landed in the spring is in a very very good place, showing much more compelling harmony of elements than the first bottle a few months ago. The richness of the vintage gives it volume/body without any ripe tropical notes, with citric cut and shape almost weightlessly harmonized with the citrus fruit. The long salty finish invites the next sip. I had to be careful not to crush the whole bottle before we got to the eating portion of dinner....! Seems that it is set for a long and satisfying evolution in bottle.
disclaimer that I import Agrapart.

[Warren Taranow]

06 Taittinger Comte- believe the hype. This was as good as any wine I have had this year. Floral, precise and long, yet round and some fat in the middle, finishing with that steely Chardonnay acid. Glad I went deep as pricing was very favorable.

I agree. I listed it as my WOTY (so far) on another thread, and gushed about it here.

'09 Agrapart Minéral:
WOW. My second bottle of this after they landed in the spring is in a very very good place, showing much more compelling harmony of elements than the first bottle a few months ago. The richness of the vintage gives it volume/body without any ripe tropical notes, with citric cut and shape almost weightlessly harmonized with the citrus fruit. The long salty finish invites the next sip. I had to be careful not to crush the whole bottle before we got to the eating portion of dinner....! Seems that it is set for a long and satisfying evolution in bottle.
disclaimer that I import Agrapart.

Thanks Robert. I seem to have missed the '09's, but have a small horizontal of Agrapart '08's; Minéral, L'Avizoise, and Vénus. I was planning on leaving them horizontal for a long time.
Cheers,

Warren

[m. ristev]

09 venus for lunch is not too shabby...tremendous richness and volume paired with huge acidity

[Michael Klein]

2004 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs

Precise. Showing beautifully.

[Blake Brown]

i know these will get better with some age but can't keep my hands off of them.....
'06 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne
'06 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut

I`m with you as well. They are really good now and promise to be even better much later on, but.........

I just had another bottle of the 06` CDC last night and it was even better than those stellar ones before. This latest bottle had more complexity and was in really nice balance with everything in the right place. Now, to stash my remaining bottles and track them many years later on. "Famous last words".

[Shannon Perdue]

'09 Agrapart Minéral:
WOW. My second bottle of this after they landed in the spring is in a very very good place, showing much more compelling harmony of elements than the first bottle a few months ago. The richness of the vintage gives it volume/body without any ripe tropical notes, with citric cut and shape almost weightlessly harmonized with the citrus fruit. The long salty finish invites the next sip. I had to be careful not to crush the whole bottle before we got to the eating portion of dinner....! Seems that it is set for a long and satisfying evolution in bottle.
disclaimer that I import Agrapart.

Robert - Agrapart has a lot of fans here in central Texas with very little access to the wines. No legal interstate shipping from retailers. Any chance you point the Agrapart junkies in the right direction? PM me if you like. Cheers!

[Jay Miller]

i know these will get better with some age but can't keep my hands off of them.....
'06 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne
'06 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut

I`m with you as well. They are really good now and promise to be even better much later on, but.........

I just had another bottle of the 06` CDC last night and it was even better than those stellar ones before. This latest bottle had more complexity and was in really nice balance with everything in the right place. Now, to stash my remaining bottles and track them many years later on. "Famous last words".

Wait. I had the 1996 last night (notes to follow) and it has both really repaid aging and is still very young.

[brigcampbell]

• 1995 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Blanc des Millénaires - France, Champagne (8/13/2016)
  Awesome. Looking like apple juice in color. Very light yeast and apple aromas. Superb palate of yellow apple and lemon creme brullee. Amazing how young this wine taste, probably still on the upside for improvement. Paired with Filipino food, perfect.
• 2008 Olivier Horiot Champagne Sève Rosé de Saignée En Barmont - France, Champagne (8/13/2016)
  Very unique wine in both appearance and taste. Salmon colored but with a brassy tint. The primary fruit flavor is a distinct orange rind note. No signs of yeast or brioche. That rind flavor is tart and there's not much sweet fruitiness. I enjoyed it for it's uniqueness. Definitely a food wine but more like a red.

Posted from CellarTracker

[Warren Taranow]

1995 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Blanc des Millénaires - France, Champagne (8/13/2016)
Awesome. Looking like apple juice in color. Very light yeast and apple aromas. Superb palate of yellow apple and lemon creme brullee. Amazing how young this wine taste, probably still on the upside for improvement. Paired with Filipino food, perfect.

Agreed! I've been tapping this one for at least five years. I love both the early and the recent disgorgements, and have recently reloaded several times.

[Frank Murray III]

3 from yesterday. Really impressed with the C-T Le Rose.

• NV Vilmart & Cie Champagne Grand Cellier Brut - France, Champagne (8/14/2016)
  This time, I really taste the grapefruit/citrus, as well as the green apple. Paired super with Thai food as the acidity and crispness stood up to the flavors well.
• NV Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Le Rosé - France, Champagne (8/13/2016)
  Drank this next to the Drappier NV Rose. For me, this C-T Le Rose beats it. Disgorged January 2015, 60 Chard, 40 PN. This is peachy/salmon colored, not the darker tone of the Drappier. Exhibits good energy when cool, then fattens up some and adds a nice creamy note when it gets closer to room temp. Lots of red fruits, lean apple and a mineral/saline-like finish. Worth seeking out more of this.
• NV Drappier Champagne Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (8/13/2016)
  This is brisk and has a lovely bitter, biscuit note in the finish. Good persistence of green apple, strawberry and black cherry that seems squarely Brut to me (no dose is listed)--just enough sweetness to work.

Posted from CellarTracker

[Warren Taranow]

• 1998 Henriot Champagne Cuvée des Enchanteleurs Brut - France, Champagne (8/14/2016)
  Big nose on this one. More orchard fruit than citrus, plus leesy dough. Fairly dense on the palate too, but energetic. It's a great food wine.

[m. ristev]

bulles de comptoir #4 is quite impressive

[Warren Taranow]

bulles de comptoir #4 is quite impressive

I had to look that one up. I've never heard of Charles Dufour. Unique label.

[Frank Murray III]

Able to work through a handful of bubblies and German releases last night. Didn't note the Germans but did the following bubblies. All part of the Thiese stuff. After 4 bottles now, I just don't get the Gimmonet Oenophile and I think maybe I have found my sweet spot for dosage. I seem to dig stuff around the 4-8 grams level so maybe it ain't Gimmonet's fault.

• 2008 Pierre Gimonnet Champagne Blanc de Blancs Extra-Brut Oenophile - France, Champagne (8/26/2016)
  Bottle #4, this one though as part of a champagne tasting. And again, I am just not a fan. There is some acidity here but I just keep coming back to the place of 'this is missing something'. My notes say 'lacks finesse' as what I found is the acidity over running the palate. It ends with some saline and I get the fact that this is Extra Brut and no dose but I'm just not impressed. In fact, reminds me some of the experience I had recently with the 08 Laval No Dose and not caring for that bubbly either. Maybe the moral of the story is I like dose, just stuff in the single digits.
• 2009 Jean Milan Champagne Grand Cru Terres de Noel Blanc de Blancs Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (8/26/2016)
  Very interesting bubbly. There are some nuances here that made me pause. My notes say briny, then cooked meat, then brown sauce....I was struggling to get something around this unique aspect. In total, this came off as leaner edged, clean, balanced and a nice cut. Dose=6g, Disg=June 2013.
• 2010 Marc Hébrart Champagne Spécial Club 1er Cru - France, Champagne (8/26/2016)
  Liked this. 55PN / 45 Chard. Zesty, green apple, mineral and what seemed like a dried raspberry, too. Nice creamy undercurrent. Dose=6.5g, Disg=April 2015.
• NV A. Margaine Champagne Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (8/26/2016)
  Probably my favorite of the flight of 5 bubblies I tasted. Interestingly to me, this showed a distinctly tight finish. Lots of energy, red/green apple, pear, mineral and little creaminess in the finish. Dose=10g, Disg=July 2013.
• NV Jean Lallement Champagne Cuvée Réserve - France, Champagne (8/26/2016)
  Lots of smoky notes here, a kind of toasty quality that was woven into the aromatic and palate. One person at the tasting called it like 'rye cracker'. 80 PN / 20 Chard. Lemon peel, smoky cherry and a savory quality. Unique and good. Dose=4g, Disg=June 2013.

Posted from CellarTracker

[Er€z _ L.]

PnP Etienne Calsac L'Echappée Belle from Berserkers Day deal. It drinks above its price range, and it is a very good return for a 'daily' champagne. Drinks well for those who like the floral nose on the dry side. More citrus, pears and some apple (not alot, though). Does get better with some time in the glass. Would have been nice with some crabs or light veggies