2008 Dom is top for me so far but I’ve had a number of great ones, including two special wines courtesy of Jay Miller, the mag of 2004 Vilmart CdC he mentioned above and the 2012 Lahaye Violaine he brought to a dinner.
Had to think about this a bit.
For me it’s been several “years” of “champagne.”
In order of preference;
A perfect bottle of 79 Cristal-
Several and each consistent 96 Comtes-
96 Deutz William Rose-
Krug Private Cuvée 62 or 66, unable to be sure-
I always have so much fun drinking this one. It’s very powerful and just alive on the palate. It’s so electric that more subtle wines tasted next to it probably suffer a bit, but I seem to love this more than others.
I think it is for me too, and I’ve had a few impressive ones. Close second is 2008 Sir Winston Churchill. Maybe it should actually be a tie. They’re such different styles and were both so impressive that it’s really tough for me to make that call. I think the '96 Taittinger is it. Another recent bottle was not nearly as impressive, but this one was amazing.
This has been the year I finally started following through on my annual promise to myself to buy more Champagne. I’ve purchased far more than I’ve drank.
I’m torn between two nominations, both of which are quite lowly, given their company in this thread.
For a real eye-opener, I nominate 2012 L. Aubry “Ivorie et Ebene”.
For a revelatory house sparkler, I nominate NV L. Aubry Premier Cru Brut.
Hard to pick between the two because they exist in different spheres. I’ve only had one Ivorie et Ebene, and have lost track of how many P.C. Bruts we’ve gone through.
And, yes, Envoyer is largely to blame/thank for me.
I’ve had about six bottles of champagne this year. No MVP, but I enjoyed
Marie Demets Brut Tradition for its texture. I was just happy to sip this and let it dissipate in my mouth.
Ployez Jacquemart Brut for its structure. It made me feel confident in the producer.
Roederer Brut Premier for the complete package. Tasty, nice mouth feel. This is just solid, so I felt comforted by that.
The 1996 Taittinger Comtes was probably my favorite Champagne of this year. It’s also the wine we opened with our wedding party once we got back to the rental house after we were married. So there’s a strong positive memory associated with this as well as it was enjoyed while we were surrounded by those that are such special people in our life.
I quoted dbailey because my biggest disappointment was also the 1996 Salon which followed the '96 Comtes and fell flat on its face. It was like a very good aged Champagne, but there was nothing that special about it and for my thoughts it paled in comparison to every Champagne we opened that weekend. We waited hours to see if it would/could come around…and the next morning it was still pretty much the same. Enjoyable, sure…but so were the $55 2008 L. Aubry Premier Cru Aubry de Humbert’s that we opened.
I didn’t take formal notes but I was amazed at how fresh the 85 PJ Belle Epoque was drinking! I do remember a good bit of green apple, some soft caramel/brown sugar notes, with still wonderful acidity and just an elegant and balanced champagne. The Taittinger Art Series had much more brioche and weight but was unctuous and complex. It showed its age more and certainly more reductive but was an incredible contrast/experience drinking the two side-by-side. Both were just incredible bottles. I had these in the same night as 88 Dom, 04 Krug Clos du Mesnil, 83 Cristal from mag and 02 Dom P2. 02 Dom was by far the “worst” wine of the group which is saying something.
Old: a 1940s Krug Private Cuvée
Young: 2008 Egly-Ouriet
Some old runners-up:
1964 Henriot
1961 Gimonnet
1966 Lanson
1973 Bollinger RD
1988 Krug (though this should really be classed as a young runner-up)
1961 Dom Pérignon