Champagne Recommendations

I will 2nd Warren’s recommendation for Heidsieck NV. Consistently good without breaking the bank. My wife and I each had a glass at lunch today and we enjoyed it as usual. We also had Roederer 242 and Les Mesnil on this trip. I like the former, even better in magnum, but the Les Mesnil does not do it for me. I agree with Alan’s calculation of 1/3 glass pp.

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Delamotte
Taittinger
Gimonnet Cuis
Coquillette Cuvee Diane

A fun curveball option, now that I’m thinking about it, is Peter Lauer Sekt Brut Riesling. Wouldn’t do that for the whole lot but if you’re getting a mixed case and it’s around, it’s $~40-50 a bottle.

1/3 bottle—don’t be stingy.

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Hah! Yes 1/3 bottle pp, not glass.

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I like drinking these every once in a while. Sparkling chenin too. But I always end up back at Champagne. Fun to offer a taste of something different. Just not sure how many people are going to give a shit at all at a Sip and See brunch. Though I’ve had some funny moments. My wife was clerking at a law firm one summer and we had an event at a guy’s house. I saw the wines in the cooler and had the servers pop one that wasn’t yet opened but that was a way better wine than what was open. The host saw me do it, and saw me sniffing and tasting the wine, which I think was a Vernay viognier or something mixed in with a bunch of middling wines. It was like he was waiting for someone to notice. He came over IMMEDIATELY and we talked wine for like an hour. He’s a great Dallas wine guy, my wife got a job at the firm, and I’ve done a number of great wine dinners with the guy, Mike J.

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Love this story! Wine geeks tend to find and love other wine geeks :slight_smile:

Agree that all sparkling roads lead back to champagne. But I’m optimistic some other regions, be it Germany or Uk or somewhere yet to be discovered can do sparklers that are interesting, priced well, and keep champagne makers on their toes.

Out of the OPs budget, and much harder to find are the reserve lauer sekts from the 1980s and 1990s. He disgorges a small offering every few years and, while not for everyone, they are very unique.

My spidey sense is tingling about good cava…

Where’s a Miles Morales / Peter Parker emoji when you need it?

I’ve really enjoyed a number of English sparklers, but they are not typically good value. There is plenty of really good Cava, and Franciacorta can be excellent, though expensive near the top end as well.

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Decotanne at $30. Decent for a crowd.