The 3 champagnes you quote are completely different… and since most people don’t qualify their answers by saying which champagne should be a cheap version of which other, most answers leave me really puzzled.
Tarlant Cuvee Louis isn’t Krug, but it has some qualities in common and is excellent (I’m a fan of the entire Tarlant line up).
I’m looking for this:
Krug style = who??
Salon style = who??
DP style = who??
There are no exact or even very close matches at any price point for any of these. In my opinion, your best bets are:
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Pierre Moncuit Cuvee Nicole Moncuit Vielles Vignes for Salon: this isn’t exactly inexpensive and is creamier and fruitier than Salon, but it is the best I can come up with. They both are 100% Mesnil from a range of vineyards and use only steel although Moncuit does some malolactic.
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Alfred Gratien’s range for Krug’s range (as Russell mentioned): Gratien has always been considered a poor man’s Krug even though it isn’t inexpensive either. Both use oak, but only for a short time, both source from all over the region, and both use Pinot Meunier. I find Gratien to be a bit more rustic and oxidative than Krug.
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Godme’s Millesime for Dom Perignon: Once Godme hits around 15 years of age, it takes on a characteristic that is similar to DP as a creamy, Pinot led Chocolate/Coffee/Mocha character starts to come out. This is probably the best buy of the comparison wines.
As a wild card, Iron Horse’s Joy! is also similar to Dom Perignon, but it isn’t exactly cheap either.
There are plenty of other options for comparison wines at lower prices, but most are not going to actually resemble the three you mention. Really good Champagne at a great price is one thing and comparing it to another wine is something different.
Hi Brad,
Where do you think the wines of Eric Rodez fit in this conversation?
Brent,
He did a stint at Krug, but other than that I don’t think they fit in - Eric uses solely Ambonnay fruit, no Pinot Meunier, and sometimes does malolactic which makes it different from Krug even though he uses oak and once worked there.
Me, too. I haven’t had Salon, but I’ve never had anything else that I think is really the Krug or DP style. I get Vilmart as being sort of Kruglike if you’re talking about the vintage wines. For DP, I don’t know what even comes close. I love the '96 Legras St Vincent as well, and I think it’s CRAZY good given the price (downright great even if it cost significantly more), but no idea if it tastes anything like Salon. From what I’ve read about Salon, might it make more sense to compare it to something like Peters Chetillons, where it might need some years to strut its stuff?
Each house you list here is totally different and in it’s own category.
Krug style = NV Krug…suck it up and drop the coin if you want “Krug style” you’ll have to pay for it.
Salon style…there’s no other house out there that brings this kind of minerality and poise. So I’m going so say again…this is a costly style to try to replicate and I don’t see you getting it done.
DP style = This will be a bit easier. If you want the DP style for less then I’d buy the Brut Nectar and the Brut Imperial and do a 50/50 blend of each. However, at this point you’ve already spent the money you could have on ONE bottle of DP.