On Saturday we were privileged to join our friends at their annual prestige cuvée Champagne dinner. Alongside a delicious multi-course dinner we sampled (and sometimes re-sampled) ten Champagnes before commissioning an Uber for the ride home. There was no spitting on this night.
One of the quirky features of the tasting is that that long-time organizer requires that each person pick a single word to describe each wine. He then mashes them together into a tasting note. After my thoughts on each wine you can read the Mad-Libs train wreck group “note.”
We started with the 2012 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, which turned out to be my wine of the night. What grabbed me was the expansive (my single word) yet elegant mouthfeel. Substance without weight. Magical.
Group “note”: The 2012 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne is an exuberant, crisp, elegant, expansive diamond with an even, lemony and yeasty razzle dazzle – delightful.
Next up was the 2017 Pierre Peters Cuvée Speciale les Chétillons, which was more laser focused than the Taittinger, but couldn’t match the presence. I thought it was a lovely bottle, but it was in a tough spot. I would love to revisit this wine on its own, especially after a few more years. My word was spicy.
Group “note”: The 2017 Pierre Peters Cuvée Speciale les Chétillons offers sharp crystalline clean and spicy mineral notes with a lively yet sour, brawny, and toasty impression.
The final wine in the flight of three was the 2013 Perrier-Jouét Belle Epoque, which showed a somewhat weightier profile than the Peters, but still stood in the shadow of the Comtes. Again a lovely wine, with some toasty elements, and also a boatload of fruit. Lots of time to spare here. My word was fruity.
Group “note”: The 2013 Perrier-Jouét Belle Epoque features bready, toasty, candied qualities and a tantalizing, lingering fruity pastry all steely, complex and balanced.
To start the second flight we had the 2013 Vilmart Coeur de Cuvée. This was a wine that competed with the Taittinger on the mouth-filling (my compound word…kinda broke the rules) scale, and really popped in the mouth with a whole bunch of lemony fruit. Loved this. My #3 wine of the night.
Group “note”: The 2013 Vilmart Coeur de Cuvée displays scintillating, mouth filling, fragrant currants balanced by fruity yet woodsy and sinewy citrus tart qualities.
Next up was the 2013 Piper-Heidsieck Rare. Classy, classy stuff that seemed to be the driest of all the wines. This showcased the soils more than fruit, and was a good counterpoint. Unfortunately, like the Peters, it followed an amazing wine, and so got overlooked in the voting.
The 2013 Piper-Heidsieck Rare conveys a stately, dry, steely, chalky, balanced brulée that is chewy with persistent bruising toasty and yeasty qualities.
From there we moved on to the Krug Grand Cuvée (172). Classic Krug! Rich yet perfectly proportioned, with so much depth. What struck me was a truly “winey” (my word) mid-palate that made it so much more than just a Champagne. Wonderful. Almost made my top 3.
Group “note”: The NV Krug Grande Cuvée (172nd edition) is Oscar worthy winey exhibiting vibrant, bold and titillating toasty vanilla and yummy floral features.
Next was the 2012 Bollinger La Grande, and I was in my happy place. I am an avowed Bollinger fan, and I thought this was a great bottle. A couple of people commented on lightly sherried notes, but I did not pick up on it except perhaps lightly on the finish. Mostly this seemed to be carved out of marble, and statuesque was my word. This was my #2 wine of the night.
Group “note”: The 2012 Bollinger La Grande Année is a statuesque fighter piloting imposing zippy appley, vanilla, Amontillado fruit with sweetish and sherry overtones.
We had the last three wines before dessert, starting with the 2016 Roederer Cristal. I am not a Cristal fan, but this was a pretty convincing bottle. Not the depth of my favorites, but a grace and polish that exuded class. A very complete (my word) wine.
Group “note”: The 2016 Roederer Cristal is a complete, flirty musical, polished, vibrant and gripping with round sour on sour succulent airs.
Another 2016 appeared next, as the 2016 Perrier-Jouét Belle Epoque took the stage. Spicy ginger hit me immediately, so ginger (not Mary Ann) was my word. Similar profile to the 2013 served earlier (I did retaste them side by side later to confirm) but this one was predictably much more primary.
Group “note”: The 2016 Perrier-Jouét Belle Epoque razor clean and ginger, green, with lovely lemon in a brackish but ebullient dolce frame.
Finally we had the 2015 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame. It started down two strikes, as I don’t like Veuve, and I don’t like 2015 much either. That said I did enjoy it, and its zesty (my word) profile. I tend to find Veuve rather dour (like the Dame), but this one was much more friendly. Just not my thing.
Group “note”: The 2015 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame is zesty, posh and spicy, balanced by fantastic and biting minty features both stunning and disappointing.
Final group voting saw the Taittinger as wine of the night, followed by the Bollinger, and the Vilmart. So call me the bellweather!