What makes for a celebratory Champagne (or wine in general)?

WINE TALK
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Hi everyone,

I will hopefully reach a few professional milestones in the coming months and, of course, would like to celebrate with some bubbly. Which leads me to the question, what characteristics of a wine do you think make for the best celebration? And…any specific recommendations?

I was thinking that the focus of the evening might not entirely be on the wine, so a super rare, complex, nuanced wine might not be the best choice. But it should be interesting enough that it’s something I’m especially looking forward to opening.

In terms of price, I don’t think it should be too inexpensive; that doesn’t feel like a celebration. But maybe it shouldn’t be the most expensive bottle either, again because it might not be the singular focus of the evening.

Finally, there are some wines that just have an undeniably “happy” character. Beaujolais always tastes happy to me for some reason. Red Burgundy can sometimes taste happy as well. Bordeaux tastes very serious. I’m not sure what makes something taste happy and celebratory vs serious, but it’s a real consideration. I think it should be something happy.

So those are my criteria:

  • Interesting but not too interesting
  • Expensive but not too expensive
  • “Happy” tasting

What do you think makes for the best celebratory wine, specifically Champagne? Do you agree or disagree with my criteria?

Also, any specific recommendations? I was thinking of Cristal (which I’ve never had and feels very special but is pushing my price), but I’m open to suggestions.

Thanks!!!

Noah

PS- And if the professional milestones don’t work out, then I’ll at least have the wine as a consolation prize!

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It has to come from you. Go to a retail store or online site and buy something you’ve always wanted to try but never convinced yourself to get. Bubbles or not. Just indulge. Cheers and congrats on the upcoming achievements!

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Magnums are particularly celebratory. But you have to be clear whether you want the wine to be the focus or not, and it sound like you’re wanting to have it both ways. In my view it should be either Cristal or some kind of gluggable grower Champagne (or even pet nat)

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Mags of course. 09 Cristal is pretty great in mag atm and won’t potentially break the bank.

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I often find that Celebration Wines receive less time and attention than Normal Course of Things Wines, as you’re going to be focused on the celebration and socializing more than you will be focused on the wine. So, with that in mind, I’d suggest something fun and at a price point that you do not deem expensive. Champagne is always good call. Congrats on achieving your milestones! :clinking_glasses:

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Context of when, where and with whom you’re going to be consuming wine with matter I think. If you’re going to be with tons of people, then I think the selection choice changes. But if it’s a more intimate setting, like just you and your partner, or with a few friends, like Phil said, treat yourself and indulge. Have it be something you wanted to try, but haven’t. Or maybe it’s something a touch older and rarer where you don’t have many bottles of it. It’s such a personal choice. Have it be something that resonates with you, that makes you go, “yes, THAT’S what I want to celebrate with”

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^that is easily the most important part. Let it have some sort of meaning to you and the rest will fall in place

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Whatever has (or will have) meaning for you. The night we got engaged in 2000 we had a 1990 Cristal Rose. When my beloved Cubs won the World Series in 2016 I opened a 1990 Bolly VVF.

Something really good, memorable and tasty. What that means is up to you.

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There is nothing wrong with the idea of treating yourself to a rare or expensive wine to note an achievement, but a celebratory occasion is a terrible setting for that kind of wine. Get something one cut above your normal drink and enjoy the occasion, Then plan a second event for you and your signif. other to bust out the gem

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10

Such a great answer.

I call that the “peyote button method!”

Cheers to you for wording it all so perfectly.

And, best wishes, Noah! :clinking_glasses:

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Vilmart Emotion, not cheap, not too expensive, everyone will love it.

12

I recently had a similar choice to make for a virtual celebratory good bye to my old team as I move to a new role.
I chose this White - Sparkling ### 2010 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Noirs Cote de Bechalin

It was happy and enjoyable, but here was my comment about my criteria:
6/6/2023 3:42:00 AM - The irony is I chose this bottle as part of a virtual goodbye tasting with my old team as I switch jobs. It was supposed to be everyone picks a $60 bottle and then shares what it means to them. I chose this for 3 reasons:
Value creation (60 at release but closer to 300 now)
Celebration
Innovation

In retrospect there are more classic champagnes I would have chosen for the celebration part. I will open one this weekend to celebrate with friends

13

The work milestone took a bit longer than anticipated, but tonight, I finally celebrated! I took the advice from this thread, and rather than just defaulting to Champagne, I opened something that I’ve been meaning to open for a while. A couple years back I found a half bottle of 1986 Mouton at a very cheap price. Storage was suspect, but the price was right, and at the time, I’d never tried a First Growth. And until tonight, I’d never had Mouton. I’ll post my overly wordy TN here, rather than as a separate thread, bc while good, I don’t think this was a representative bottle. Still a fun experience and a nice way to celebrate with my partner, just the two of us.

"Out of a 375mL with suspect storage: apparently found in a dusty corner of the basement of my local wine shop. It wasn’t cheap, but given the prices that this wine fetches at retail (at least $1000/bottle), I got a screaming bargain. This is the first 1st growth I’ve ever bought! Saved for a few years for a special occasion- That’s tonight!

Cork is mostly saturated, comes out in one piece. Wine pours a healthy looking crimson with just the smallest amount of bricking at the rim. Amazingly healthy looking.

One smell and I can tell that, while good, this wine is not at its best. The whole package is a little muted and lacks some intensity. The aromas that I do smell are nice though- the fruits are at the dark end of the spectrum, blackberries and black plums, black cherries, along with some cinnamon, and classic Pauillac unburnt cigar and cedar.

Gentle and suave in the mouth with a very pleasant surprisingly fruit-forward entry. Dark fruits take the lead, then some lovely leathery tertiary notes. Cassis, tobacco, wood, graphite, all those nice Bordeaux descriptors are there, though you have to hunt for them a bit. The finish is nice and pleasant, medium in length, medium in complexity. I’m left with the impression of a nice, though not profound, Bordeaux. I enjoy it, but it’s not the 100pt epic wine that I was hoping for. I’m not into scoring wines, but I’ll give it a B+. Not bad given the deal I got.

I’ve never had this wine before (never had Mouton before in fact), and there are no over-the-hill off-notes, but the giveaway that this wine is not at its best are the tannins; they’re super fine and almost entirely gone. The '86 vintage, and the '86 Mouton in particular, has the reputation of being a bit of a tannin monster, but not this bottle. I imagine the small format and so-so storage accelerated the aging of this wine. My guess is that I’m tasting the 1986 Mouton as it will be at age 50 or 60, instead of the 38 years that it is today. I’d love to try a well stored full sized bottle, and while this wasn’t profound, it was certainly fun and worth it for the experience of having tried Mouton."

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Congratulations.

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