NV Moet and Chandon Imperial - Another stupid winelist with nothing I want to drink. But wait, there is Champagne! Thats one thing I really like about Champagne: its pretty much the only acid-driven wine embraced by the mainstream and thus almost always an option. It was either this or Veuve Clicquot so I went with this. I actually have to say this is better than the White Star they used to produce (or do they still produce it?). Pretty good concentration of one note flavors with nice yeast-driven aromatics. Perhaps a bit sweet but that actually made it versatile enough to go with the wide range in dishes we ordered. B
Berry,
Thanks for the note. I agree with you that this Champagne isn’t too bad. Not what I normally choose to drink, but far better than what it was in its White Star clothing just a few years ago.
There is no more White Star. Imperial has taken over this mantle and is less sweet in the US (13-17 g/L of sugar depending on the release) than the White Star was (20 g/L or a little bit more). In Europe it is even less sweet (7-9 g/L of sugar) and has a higher proportion of Chardonnay. The overall goal is to take this wine down to a little below 10 g/L and standardize the world on one “Imperial” cuvee, but this will take time. Essentially it will become Moet’s entry level NV Brut offering with the Nectar Imperial wines being the sweeter cuvee.
Thanks Brad
Didn’t realize they had realigned their line up - I won’t miss White Star - their entry level was always too sweet for me. It makes an interesting statement - are tastes changing with less demand for sweeter styles?