Champagne ramblings 10 years in the making...

WINE TALK
1

Hi all

so i thought i share some thoughts on a decade plus of semi-seriously reading, buying, cellaring and drinking champagne (mostly farmer fizz).

I started out as a serious BDN lover and found little to appreciate in BDBs. i needed something to hit me over the head to “get it”: Rene Collard, bolly, egly, philliponat CDG… Now in the past 4+ years i find myself almost (85%?) incapable of loving anything but a BDB. i find BDNs and ones with pinot or pinto meunier driven cepage to be bulky, new world red versions of champagne. if there is an element of “raw” angular acidity its with these wines. If there is an issue of dosage, i find its with non BDBs that it ends up distracting me (minus few BDB samples like gaston’s nv bdb, which i find too sweet).

while BDNs are the new world reds of champagne (to me), BDBs are the chablis, the muscadet, the riesling and the corton charlie of the champagne world. I find a rare krug or vilmart and even more rare a dom happens to still get my interest and be a guilty pleasure, but even then apparently is when the wines tend to have or show my chard character that i dig them.

i find i appreciate BDB from many villages: avize, chouilly, cramant, oger, mesnil sur oger and the awesome vertus…

i do however find mesnil sur oger and in particular pierre peters both nv and cuvee chetillon, salon, and the special club by launois to be the holly grail for me. second nod goes to sellose’s extra brut (version originale), desousa (i believe its entirely avize), diebolt’s cramant and larmandier bernier’s terre de vertus. i also gotta send a nod to vouette et sorbee blanc champagne, for its singular uniqueness.

i love the minerality, the zest, citrus essential oil, the barely or just ripe white orchard fruit and above all the tension. the linear at same time full, the mineral at same time fat, the floral yet austere qualities of these wines. the white pepper notes, the fennel pollen…

lets here it from you. how hows your palate evolved? where are your to go villages and producers for BDB?

and finally a selfish question to ask:

having gained some insights in what i tend to appreciate the most, do you have any recommendations for me? esp on the entry to mid level?


thank you

2

I had a fantastic value Mesnil just the other day - J.L. Vergnon 2006 - just about $50 US.

3

Keith,

This producer deserves way, way more respect and attention. Vergnon is absolutely killer across the board and the best is yet to come. Great call on your part.

4

Interesting comments Rasoul.

We probably should not drink Champagne together, as I am pretty much 180 degrees opposite from you. While I do enjoy BdB Champagnes (Pierre Peters is my personal favorite, Salon as well, but too pricey), I am much more a fan of Champagnes with high percentages of Pinot Noir and even high (up to 100%) Pinot Meunier. I find intense depth in many red fruit dominated Champagnes, and they help hit that red wine pleasure center in a household where white wine (and white wine friendly food) is the focus. My wife shares my fascination with the red fruit Champagnes, favoring them from NV to vintage to prestige level. For every bottle of Chardonnay focused Champagne we probably have 10 botttles focused on the Pinots.

That being said, we are always open to trying wines and producers new to us, so thanks to Keith and Brad for the comments regarding Vergnon.

Our real decision these days is 750 ml or magnum, and lately we have been buying more magnums, since with the exception of mid-weeknights, a 750 seems to disappear too quickly, especially if we have a couple of friends for dinner.

5

I also tend to prefer Blanc de Blancs, especially partial to Peters. Now down to my last 3 bots of the '96. Thanks to Keith and Brad for the tip on Vergnon.

6

For me, it was a bottle of Bollinger rose in Paris in 92` that started me off on a serious Pinot Noir driven Champagne passion and although I love and drink more rose , I now drink just about anything and everything bubbly. As with all other wine types, my palate changes and it now has moved into a lot of BDBs over the past few years.

7

keith and brad

thanks for sharing. don’t know anything about this producer. will see if i can source some.

David,
much like you i keep an open mind and don’t go in with an agenda. in fact almost always i get to taste/drink champagne is served blind to me.

unlike you i am finding myself buying more 375ml bottles. love starting off with a glass and then moving on to more bottles…