We just recently finished off our 10 bottles of under $30 buck Champagne. Unfortunately things were too busy for me to constantly post the TNs over here. During this process I sneaked in a bottle of Kirkland Signature Champagne just to see where it landed.
Except for one, they were all decent. Would have no issue buying most of these again. There was only one standout - Pierre Courtois.
Charles de Cazanove was the worst of the batch. Drank more like a generic California bubbly and was not worth the $25 tariff.
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NV Château de Bligny Champagne Grande Réserve Brut - France, Champagne (10/8/2023)
Pale straw in color with a steady stream of tiny bubbles. Almost nothing on the nose other than light yeast rolls and saline. Light bodied, spot on acidity, and straight forward. Palate of pears, lime, light caramel, a bit of yeast, seashells, and a bit of marzipan. Short finish that follows the palate. (88 points) -
NV Vincent d'Astrée Champagne Premier Cru Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (10/6/2023)
Pours a pale straw with moderate fine bubbles. Nose light buttered brioche, stewed peaches, apples, and cherries. Medium bodied, light on the lift, and medium high acidity. Palate follows the nose with the addition of almonds and a bit of marzipan. Finish is moderate in length and continues down the path the palate has.
This is very linear, but that is not a bad thing. On the rich side, and I suspect this would be a major crowd pleaser. (88 points) -
NV Didier Lapie Champagne Blanc de Noirs Brut - France, Champagne (10/4/2023)
Disgorged April 2022.
Pale gold in color with a hearty stream of fine bubbles. Nose of hazelnuts, buttered brioche, saline, and a bit red fruit. Medium body, a lot of lift, spot on medium-high acidty. Palate of tart cherries, strawberries, lime, limestone, and lightly toasted hazelnut. Long finish of spices, toast, hazelnut, and a bit of lime zest.
Overall this leaves a good impression and a great value at $29.99. (89 points) -
NV Thierry Thibault Champagne Brut - France, Champagne (9/29/2023)
Pale gold in color with plenty of fine bubbles. Nose of green apples, pineapple, walnuts, almonds, and toasted oats. Medium heavy bodied, not much lift, high and bright acidity that flows through the entire sip. Palate starts off with green apples, apricots, peaches, and lemon. Then it veers mineral heavy with chalk/limestone along with spices and a bit of yeast. Moderate length finish driven by acidity and minerals. Crisp lemons with a hint of stonefruit, mild chalk and a bit of spice that sticks to the back of the throat.
Overall, a rather nice and fresh bottle at $29.99. (89 points) -
NV Kirkland Signature Champagne Brut - France, Champagne (9/27/2023)
Tasted blind.
Pale gold to straw ombre in color. Lots of medium sized bubbles. Faint nose of saline, lemon zest, and faint bread. Medium-heavy bodied but the bubbles help make it feel lighter. Medium high acidity. Palate of green apples and pears, lemons, a bit of lime, mild bread, and a little bit of lightly toasted almons. A decently long finish of saline, seasheels, blanched almonds, and some yeast.
Rather pleasant, nothing too complex, and easy drinking.
The reveal: Kirkland Signature Champagne. This is better than I remember it being and not bad for $20. (88 points) -
NV Derot-Delugny Champagne Blanc de Noirs - France, Champagne (9/26/2023)
Pale to medium gold with a few streams of slow meandering fine bubbles. The nose is full of freshly baked pie crust, baked peaches/apricots, and some browned butter. Light bodied and nice high acidity. But a bit flat from the lack of bubbles to provide lift. Palate of lemon, lime, and apricot. Moderate length finish of brown butter, lime, chalk, and spiced dough. (88 points) -
NV Duménil Champagne Premier Cru Brut by Jany Poret - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (9/22/2023)
Pale straw in color. A bunch of gentle tiny bubbles mixed in with aggressive large bubbles. A light nose of clean minerals, buttered brioche, apricot, and a little bit of lemon zest. Medium bodied with high acidity and a lot of chalkiness.
Palate of tart pears, lemons, orange zest, a hint of buttered toast, and lightly toasted almonds. As it gets more air, a bit of the apricot I detected on the nose starts to show up on the tongue. The main part of the finish is quick and follows the palate. Persisting spicy black pepper and chalk builds up with each sip.
Overall, this is pleasant and what I expect at this price point. (88 points) -
NV Pierre Courtois Champagne Brut - France, Champagne (9/16/2023)
Medium gold in color with a moderate amount of medium to large streams of bubbles. Faint nose of of light brioche, caramelized green apples, and saline. Medium bodied, a bit sweeter than I was expecting at 5.5g/l, and very balanced on the acidity. This very fresh and lively.
Palate of tart apricots, pears, tart oranges, lemon, just a hint of lime, limestone, and just enough yeasty and caramel notes to bring everything together. Finish is moderate in length with citrus notes, saline, limestone, and a hint of caramel.
This is a hit for us. Crisp and refreshing. Unlike some of the other $30 and below Champagnes we have tasted so far, this is not trying to be too much and push itself past what it is. Very honest and very tasty. (91 points) -
NV J.M. Gobillard et Fils Champagne Brut Cuvée Tradition - France, Champagne (9/16/2023)
Pale straw/gold with a moderate amount of medium sized bubbles. On the pour, the nose is very crisp with lemons. After it has some time to air out, it developed a nose of spiced Dutch butter cookies and crisp stonefruits.
Medium heavy bodied, decent lift in the mouth without being too aggressive, and a bit lower on the acidity than I personally like. Palate of underripe peaches, green apples, lemons, strawberries (which are more pronounced with more air), spices, a bit of yeast, and some lightly toasted mixed nuts.
Finish is moderate in length. Starts off lemon focused with limestone and a chalkly texture. Butter, cookie dough, spices, and a dash of mild toasted hazelnuts and almonds help finish it off. A lingering spiced peach pit/hazelnut skin bitterness builds up.
One thing we noticed is how quickly the wine lost its fizz.
Overall this is enjoyable at $27.99. While I am not going to rush out and buy more of this, it was enjoyable enough that I would buy again in the future. (88 points) -
NV Charles de Cazanove Champagne Brut - France, Champagne (9/16/2023)
Light gold with a few streams of medium to small bubbles. Faint nose of green apples and nuts. Medium bodied with bright acidity. Palate is very simple - green apples, pears, a bit of yeast, and a hint of spice. Quick finish that ends with green apple skin, saline, and a bit of limestone. As it warms, brioche developed on the finish.
Honestly, if I was served this blind, I would have assumed this was a entry level California bubbly. This is not awful, but doesn't justify the expense $25. Really feels like the wine Trader Joe's would have on sale for a low price.
Going to toss a stopper on it and see how it develops overnight.
Day 2: This was a bit better the next day, but not enough to sway my score or overall opinion. (85 points)