Which Champagne are you drinking?

WINE TALK
3021

On Saturday my family got together to celebrate my Mom’s 70th. It was a lovely evening with very fine champagnes, which are my mom’s favorite. As I think I’ve noted before, she loves champagne and my dad and her are fairly well secure, financially, but she’s quite cheap. I’ve tried giving her nice bottles and she’ll save something like a Bereche Brut Reserve for years waiting for a special occasion. That said, if I open it, she’s happily in. I consider a 70th a special occasion, so brought some fun ones.

Laurent Perrier Brut Grand Siecle I believe this was No. 24, a blend of 2004, 2006, and 2007. This is lovely, showing honeysuckle, cool pear and citrus, with a flinty finish. Smooth and cool in profile with the faintest cherry note and a soft mousse. Lovely stuff, though not the most compelling Grand Siecle. 93ish

Laherte Freres Les 7 Extra Brut 2005-2018 This is a bit of an oddball in that it is a 14 year solera of all 7 authorized grapes for champagne. The blend is 18% Chardonnay, 18% Meunier, 17% Pinot Blanc, 15% Petit Meslier; 14% Pinot Noir, 10% Fromenteau, and 8% Arbanne, bottled at 4g/l. This is a medium to full bodied and fairly rich offering showing some time in wood. It is a noticeably deeper gold color than the LPGS, and shows a leesy note with backed apple, spice, citrus, and bread. Creamy and complex. A fun and very interesting wine. Similar quality to the LP, but very different in style. 93ish.

2012 Dom Perignon Exceptional, and reminiscent of a young 2008 with just a tad less stuffing. Intense and expressive aromatics of kiwi, kafir lime leaf, pear, flinty gun smoke, and mint. This is creamy, cool, and absolutely delicious with very nice complexity and an irresistible nose. Nice acidity and chalky finish. Lovely stuff. This should develop nicely. Almost like the LP but on steroids and of patently superior quality. Delightful. 96ish

2008 Dom Perignon Losing some of its reductive notes and showing less of the smoke and flint than it did on release, though it is still there adding to the complexity. This has developed so well in bottle and retains the cool pear and mint which was its signature to me on release, which transitions into lemon tart, white flowers, a hint of nuts and fresh bread. It’s really lovely and long and aromatic and compelling. It’s excellent. I am already starting to hoard cash into a 2008 P2 investment account so I can get a bunch of it when it’s released. Given my recent experience with the 2002 P2 and past experiences with 96 releases, I think this 08P2 is going to be a legendary champagne. 97ish

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3022

I chuckled at this. Me too! My wife’s appreciation for bubbly is actually what dragged me to it. Boy I fell in hard. I drink more bottles of champagne each year than anything else now.

3023

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3024

But the most important question is, what did Mom think of them? I hope she had a great birthday champagne.gif

3025

+1

3026

She had a blast. She’s happy as a clam just about any time she has all the kid and grand kids around. We had Darren McGrady, The Royal Chef, cook a wonderful dinner and dessert, and the champagne was flowing. She was smiling ear to ear the whole evening as the adults talked and the kids played. She knew she was drinking great champagne and loved them. She’s a wonderful woman. HS valedictorian. Went to St. Stephens, a 7 sisters school in the NE but was a kid from the Texas beach and hated it. So she transferred to Pomona and got a degree in marine biology and hung out with Cathy Corison some, who happened to be a classmate at the time. Eventually moved back to Texas, married my dad, had a couple of kids, was an absolute rock for our family as businesses failed and then later succeeded. A strong leader for her family, took care of her mother’s care until she passed away at 97, managed her mother and father’s estates. And she’s an incredible grandmother. So involved and fun and loving. She’s also very creative, can draw well, and made jewelry for years including some really special hammered silver pieces. She is the heart of our family.

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3027

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3028

I think this is a really interesting topic and have been wondering if something like Parker/Rolland’s influence in bordeaux, which has been a rollercoaster of positive, then negative, then a levelling off, has yielded great benefits to champagne. I mean that in the sense of farming and viticulture since the 90s. I can’t help but wonder if a push for better vineyard management and picking riper grapes and pursuing lower dosage has yielded more phenolic ripeness, which in turn yields more expressive, aromatic wines that still retain great acidity. The Parker/Rolland downside of excessive ripeness and high alcohol is not nearly as great a concern given the cooler climate in champagne. I’m too ignorant of the region, growing trends, and the like to know whether any of that is true. Add to that a lack of experience with new releases when released in the 70s, 80s, and earliest 90s. Pure speculation and hypothesis, but it seems to make some sense.

3029

My birthday is next month and I’m looking for Champagne recommendations

Last year I had Dom Perignon (2008) and it was outstanding, I couldn’t stop talking to my friend about how good it was. But I don’t want to spend $200 this time, so I’m looking for something the $80-$120 range that is still more memorable than the typical entry level NV.

This is the best wine store near me and I’m thinking about choosing something from this page

3030

I like Jacques Lassaigne, seems like a bargain against your target range!

1 Like
3031

Looking at that page 5 link only, my first pick would be Larmandier-Bernier “Terre de Vertus” Blanc de Blancs Non Dosé 1er Cru - 2013.

Second place goes to Laherte “Les Vignes d’Autrefois” Extra Brut but I haven’t tried the 2016 so caveat emptor.

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3032

I would agree with Phil. I had the L-B TdV 13 last month. I pasted my note below for whatever value you want from it. As for the LF Autrefois, I have had the 14 and 15 (the 15 was on NYE). That is good too, with a little more structure than the L-B TdV. Like Phil, though, I have yet to have the 16 but knowing LF, the 16 should be good.

  • 2013 Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Premier Cru Terre de Vertus - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (11/6/2021)
    First of three I bought this year. Disgorged March 2019, 100% Chard from a single plot (Les Barillers that faces southeast mid-slope), no dosage, raised in wood and about 5 years sur latte. Opened yesterday. When I poured that first glass, I thought the wine was dull and boring. But after an hour of air, it came around and began to fill in the energy and quality I would expect. Before I put the bottle away for to the night, my final glass had golden apple, mango, lime zest and wet stone/saltiness. Retasting today, it would be hard to put this wine as no-dose if you hit me with it blind, which for me is a testament of the work LB does with their fruit. No austerity at all. If you let this warm up, then some white flowers emerge in the aromatic, too. I find this vintage of TdV both approachable and imbued with tropical notes, a richness that I like. I’d like to see people who take a firmer stance against low to no dosage wines try this bottle, to see that wines in this style can illicit joy, flavor and plenty of varietal character. As a final comment, I recently finished my last bottle of the 2012 TdV (it was a mag) and I found it ready to drink. I see the 2013 the same way, maybe ready even sooner, and at least to me seems ready now.

Posted from CellarTracker

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3033

Love this thought! [cheers.gif]

3034

From Astor’s list, I’d also consider 2012 Louis Roederer Brut Nature Philippe Starck.

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3035

Lol, here was my note from December on this wine:

2013 Larmandier-Bernier Terre de Vertus Non Dose Blanc de Blanc - As one would expect, zippy acidity, bright citrus, and intense minerality evened out with nice citrus and orchard fruit. It is a champagne champagne, with a fairly classic if bracing chardonnay driven profile. This is super dry and quite crisp, but has enough body to remain not only pleasurable, but interesting. A very nice champagne that made me think of Frank Murray, who would love this. 93ish

I can only imagine how good it would be if bottled at 3g/l. New heights!

3036

not sure one should elicit “illicit joy.” Isn’t that illegal?

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3037

What champagnes do you typically drink and enjoy? The crew on this thread have tastes that vary fairly widely. Frank likes champagnes that will burn your skin they’re so acidic. I like champagnes pretty young. Others older. Some prefer malo or stainless or reductive or oxidative styles. It’s a crazy wide world out there.

Lassaigne and the Larmandier-Bernier 2013 are good. I would probably prefer the Larmandier-Bernier, though it is a no dosage champagne, which is not always my preference. It’s a quite good one, and has enough stuffing to be both crisp and giving. I might suggest Eric Rodez’s Les Fournettes, but that’s a bit outside your preferred range. I have a 2012 Roederer Starck at home and they’re typically very good but again, no dosage so a certain crisp acid-driven style.

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3038

Benoit Dehu - La Rue des Noyers (16) 100% Meunier, no dosage. For a guy who blathers on about preferring brut and extra brut, I admit I drink more no dosage wines than I rightly should. This is a fun wine, pouring a deep golden color. The nose tells a story, with musk, peach, tangerine, a pop of oak spice. Pretty bracing and crisp on the palate. The peach and tangerine notes are lovely, and the musk reminds me a bit of a dried apricot. The chalky minerality and bracing acidity keep the nice fruit and spiced oak notes in check. Really nice structure. I bet this ages well in bottle for a bit. Expressive, well made, good balance. This wine sparked a conversation with some Berserker pals about why Meunier seemed to fall out of fashion, but has no seemingly roared back as a preferred plaything of good growers. This is not flabby or too musky. It’s a strong wine and very enjoyable. 92-93ish.

3039

Part of a thread to be posted in a day or two:

NV EGLY-OURIET V.P. GRAND CRU EXTRA BRUT- I’ve been a fan of this house for some time now, but have not had this release and thanks to the encouragement of some fellow WineBerserkers and one in particular, I went for some of this and am delighted I did; this was full bodied and super rich with loads of honeyed white peach, red cherry, yellow apple and citrus notes delivered in a creamy, lush texture all the way through; it had layers of complexity and yet this has lots of finesse and charm and wonderful balance; VP stands for Viellissement Prolongé or extended aging; it is a blend of fruit from vineyards in Bouzy, Ambonnay and Verzenay, all Grand Cru villages and sees 84 months of extended time on the lees which explains the depth and complexity we experienced; although not noted on the back label, I’ve seen the blend is close to 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay.

Cheers,
Blake
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3 Likes
3040

I glossed past this one and I thought about it again. This could work for as a choice for Lowell, but eyes wide open, this is a more electric, acid driven style. I have had this wine before a couple times but it’s going to find favor with a more narrow audience.

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