Just wanted pop in here (no pun intended) and mention some of the NV champagnes that are $50 or less have been really enjoyable with a year+ of age on them. I felt like I had made a huge mistake buying 6 bottles of a few different producers and not liking the flavors at first sip.
A few of them have been M. Burgnon, Aubry, J.M. Labruyere, Salmon. Honestly, some of them we didn’t even want to finish the bottle so to me it’s a huge improvement.
I think almost all champagnes, vintage and otherwise, are better years after purchase with more age. Mousse is less aggressive and flavors have melded.
I’m starting to see that preference/logic for sure.
I’ve started a wine night on Sundays with customers that have shown great interest in wine and I’ve mostly been bringing bottles from my stock (which has helped A LOT with the inventory situation). It’s been also great to be able to split the purchase of grand cru bottles among a number of people if you’re only looking to try a wine.
Now, I just need to convince them we should do another champagne night and do Cristal 
Trying 4 different levels of Philipponnat was fun, but showed me that current vintage clos de goisses is physically painful. The acidity sits in your jaws like knives.
LWS recommendation, Marguet '17 Oger grand cru. Pretty cool no-dosage blanc de blanc. Severe. The nose isn’t showing much at first except something vaguely yeasty that reminds me more of fresh blood (!). In the mouth this has a very chalky texture that wraps around the tongue completely. I don’t know much about Marguet, and there are so many different bottlings, but I like…starts to open up nicely with some air.
adding to this, now that disgorgement dates are common, i won’t open anything less than a year from disgorgement.
Piling on - not less than a year from shipping.
Peter Liem’s approach to dosage is insightful as well.
P.S.
I’m new here, enjoying the content very much.
what other hebrart bottlings are favorites?
Edit - just saw jayson’s note above…
Rive Gauche Rive Droite by Hebrart
Congratulations on the win!
I sold my last '96 LGD seven or eight years ago because I didn’t like the trajectory it was taking. Fortunately, I believe the release price was less than $90.
Warren
If I wasn’t flush with the 1911, I’d buy more.
Charles,
I can’t comment on “Rosé vintages”, but '08, '12 were very good pinot vintages, better than chardonnay. 2013 was reversed, better for chardonnay than pinot (although the pinot was still good). Both chardonnay and pinot were decent in '14.
@Brad_Baker would know for sure.
Cheers,
Warren
Had a few nice bottles on vacation, including being able to check in on some I have stashed away and didn’t want to open yet from that stash:
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2008 and 2012 are both tremendous years for Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Roses, and Red Wines. The red skinned grapes are the stars of these vintages. There is some good Pinot Noir and Meunier in 2013 and 2014, but these grapes are not standouts in these years and Chardonnay did better. As a broad generalization, 2008 and 2012 are much better Pinot and Rose vintages.
Also, going back to Charles post and statement of great vintages for Champagne are associated with Chardonnay - it is actually the opposite. Chardonnay can normally still do pretty well in the most challenging years like 2010, 2011, 2017, 2021 or going back further - 2007, 1997. In 2001, there are even some decent Chardonnays relatively speaking. The great vintages are when Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are singing. Chardonnay is almost always going to be at least pretty decent in years where the Pinots are strong. The opposite is not always going to be true. Great Champagne vintages need all the grapes to be excelling. The recent great Pinot Vintages that have been released are 2012, 2008, and 2002 - these are probably the three most heralded Champagne vintages of the 2000s so far. 2009 was also very good for Pinot Noir. 2004 wasn’t bad for Pinot Noir, but really excelled for Chardonnay. The Pinots were also very good in the trio of 2018-2020 especially 2019.
I also love the NV Mes Favorites And Rosé bottlings.
NV Marc Hébrart Champagne Premier Cru Brut Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (10/04/2021)
55% chardonnay, 38.5% pinot noir, 6.5% Mareuil rouge (i.e. pinot noir from Mareuil vinified as red wine)
Dosage: "Brut"; disgorged 6 May 2020
Definitely a creamy edge to the nose; on first opening the palate comes across almost off-dry, but within a few minutes it develops a nice bite to go along with the very refreshing red fruit core (yes, perhaps slightly unripe strawberries to go with that cream). The finish is quite palate-cleansing. There's not a lot of complexity here, but it's definitely a crowd pleaser.
Overall, this is a rather nice fizz as an aperitif or with light food. And not bad QPR at ~US$36. (89 points)
I have far, far less experience than most posters here, and my champagne tends to be grower bottles and rarely priced (here in Hong Kong) above ~US$60. Having said that, the best rosé champagne I have had was from 2012. Here are my TNs for bottles drunk in 2020 and 2022:
2012 Dehours Champagne Extra Brut Œil de Perdrix La Croix Joly - France, Champagne (03/11/2020)
Disgorged October 2018; dosage 2.2g/l.
On first opening this is very gassy, and not very approachable. But after 30 minutes air and warming up a bit this is really a very nice champagne, and, as far as I can recall, the first 100% pinot meunier rosé/Œil de Perdrix that I have drunk.
As the earlier notes describe, the core of this wine is basically blood orange with chalky minerality, but there is much complexity in the palate with blackberries and a touch of mint; each sip demands attention. We have drunk this bottle on its own as an aperitif, but I'm sure that with canapés several other subtleties would be highlighted.
Although at ~US$55 this is a bit above my budget for normal everyday champers I definitely see it as excellent QPR for special events (or bigger budgets!). (92 points)
2012 Dehours Champagne Extra Brut Œil de Perdrix La Croix Joly - France, Champagne (05/07/2022)
The last of my 3 bottles. Decanted and started to drink immediately.
My impression is that this has evolved nicely since my previous TN 18 months ago. It's now immediately approachable, but still with that core of blood orange, still perhaps a hint of blackberry, a little bit of a sweeter fruit like peach, and a chalky minerality that lingers on the finish.
This is now a really wonderful champagne. Grab some if you can find any bottles still. At the ~US$55 that I paid these were stunning QPR also.
(94 points)
It’s been close to a month without champagne while walking the Camino and I think I’ve been going through fizz withdrawals. I’m drinking this right now in Leon and it’s hitting the spot.
This is very giving right away with nuanced and balanced tones of Baked apples, bosc pears, cherry pits, strawberries, vanilla beans, toast, roast nuts, chamomile, biscuits, yellow flowers, kumquat, nougat, and baking spices. The Medium bodied feel is poised with great length along with crisp, high acidity. This is very elegant and refined. Just lovely with a long finish.
Delicious. Nice mousse and full flavored. A surprise to me. Never had this producer before. Must source more!
Bara is a very good producer that’s generally their top bottling.
-Al
