Which Champagne are you drinking?

Nude Zero has a good shear edged champagne glass that is pretty break resistant.

Resistant not proof.

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Are people planning out what they’re drinking on Oct. 27th for Champagne Day?

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Why do we need a special day to drink Champagne? Is this a Hallmark holiday?

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You checkmated me.

Well, You’re the guy with the Hallmark card.

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And a very loving wife.

What did she buy you for this Friday? Besides the card, obv.

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The card was from my last birthday months ago. There is no reason to buy me anything for this Friday. I’m sure we’ll drink something nice.


The Les Pommiers 2018 from Philippe Lancelot is new in the selection. The nose is redolent with aromas, including floral aspects and ripe peaches. When it comes to the aroma, this champagne possesses one of the most beautiful bouquets I have encountered in a champagne.

In terms of palate authority, this champagne has it all – red fruits leaning towards red currants and raspberries, complex agrume notes of blood orange, kumquat, bergamot, grapefruit, ripe peaches, a light saline-driven acidity, and gently yeasty brioche aromas. One could easily get carried away while tasting this champagne. It’s better to shut off the analytical side and simply revel in how decadent and beautiful this champagne is.

I was of the opinion that this was a Chardonnay, but it turned out to be 100% Meunier. In my mind, this is a seminal Meunier. I have never tasted a Meunier quite like this, and to be honest, I didn’t believe Meunier from the south had such potential. Over the past weeks, I have enjoyed Leclapart’s L’Aphrodisiaque, Emanuel Brochet’s Haut Meunier, and Agrapart’s Venus. This champagne easily belongs in that league. If points have any meaning for me, this is a 98 to 100 point candidate. I’m not sure about its ageability, but does it even matter? It’s so good right now; how could it possibly get any better?

In my eyes, Philippe Lancelot is the most promising talent in Champagne at the moment.

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Yesterday was a day when the champagne gods looked down on us favourably. Pierre Baillette ‘Coeur de Craie Rilly la Montagne’ Blanc de Noirs Premier Cru Extra Brut is 100% Pinot Noir from 2018 from the parcelles Les Melachets with dosage 0,5 g/l dosage and degorged on december 2020. (Perine Baillette is the wife of Alexander Cahrtogne/Chartogne Taillet)

A blanc de noir with lots of red reflexes, a red fruit dominated nose. A beautiful pinot noir champagnes with crunchy red fruits, cranberries, red currants and blood orange with an intens minerality and beautiful fresh acidity. The champagne has great presence, is full bodied and a really persisitent finish.I love this style of champagne with cold roastbeef with horseradish or a beef tatare. Yesterday with a beef tatare form Charlolais beef, this champange was fantastic. 95 points. If you like Ruppert Leroy/Salima & Alain Cordeuil/Clandestin or Vouette, this champange is a must.

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I had a half bottle of Philippe Fontaine “Tradition” and really enjoyed it. I think this is what I’ve seen described as “vinous” in that it had a beginning, middle, and end. I guess I’d say it had a sort of richness to its flavor that my wife and I both really enjoyed. The flavor was something like applesauce or apple pie even which maybe sounds unusual, but don’t let that give you the impression of it being sweet, so something like those flavors but still being quite dry. I could have just enjoyed a bottle of that all by itself but as it was we had it with seafood at Kimball House (that @Dennis_Atick previously mentioned in this thread), including a bunch of oysters and fried grouper, and it went very well. 17/20 will drink again!

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In that case, you are best off with the machine blown glasses.

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Extracted from a thread just posted re a trip to NW Arkansas:

2014 LOUIS ROEDERER CRISTAL- 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay sourced from 39 plots; 32% aged in oak, disgorged 6/21, dosed at 7 gpl; thanks to my NYC Cristal brother, I knew to get this vintage and the first live opportunity occurred on this trip in a wine shop across the Arkansas border in Missouri where wine selections and prices are generally better; it was balanced and ready to give over the course of our dinner and can be easily described as being lemon oil deluxe from the nose through the tail including the texture; initially, the lemon faded off at the end with lime coming in, but after 20 minutes or so, the lime was enriched by yellow apple, mango and yellow peach; it was not as rich and powerful as the 2008, but it was superlative and provided pure pleasure; I’d liken it more to a young 2002 and certainly better than any other vintage since then other than ‘08; if this one bottle is typical of where the others are, I’m in.

Cheers,
Blake

@Jon_Lawrence @Chris_Seiber @AstridKG @Steve_Nordhoff @Viet_Ly @Mikael_OB @Warren_Taranow

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Wow, better than '09, '12 and '13? I might need to look for more.

Yep, that was my take on the one and only bottle. Hopefully, this was typical.

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A. Lamblot’s Mouvance 17 Brut Nature is composed of 66% Pinot Meunier, 22% Pinot Noir, and 12% Chardonnay, with a dégorgement date of November 8, 2021. When approaching this producer’s champagne, it’s essential not to let their past affiliations influence your perception. Lamblot has worked with Jerome Prevost, and his vineyards are situated next to Prevost’s. Additionally, Prevost has mentored Lamblot. This is not a champagne for casual enjoyment, not for a one night stand; it requires a more thoughtful and time consuming approach. It is not suitable for beginners and needs around three hours to fully open up. Initially, the champagne’s impact is strongest at the front and middle of the palate, which may lead one to think it lacks depth. However, this is not the case. Many champagnes aged in wood require time to fully express themselves and can seem clipped upon first opening. After about three hours, the champagne starts to engage the back palate, and that is when its true complexity reveals itself. Its aroma profile is intricate, featuring notes of grapefruit, cracked white pepper, and spicy ginger broth. To me, this champagne aligns more with the winemaking style of Selosse, prioritizing stylistic elements over the expression of terroir. It is reminiscent of Guillaume S. Selosse’s ‘Largillier’ Extra Brut, and in my opinion, surpasses it. I would rate it 95 points.

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Last night, had the 2013 Billecart Salmon Brut out of magnum, with some Thai food. For my money, these wines are seriously underrated, especially the vintage bottlings. They deliver every time. This was a beautiful, fresh wine with underlying yeasty notes. It was brightly acidic and had a really luxurious finish. Great stuff. Highly recommend.

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Tom,

I am big fan of BS. The '96 Elisabeth Salmon was an epiphany wine for me. I attended a lunch with Mathieu Rolland-Billecart today as a part of La Fete du Champagne and they have a really impressive lineup of wines, something for everybody, or everything for someone like me. His goal is to make the best of everything they do. To that end, he has been making lots of changes, most notably longer time on the lees. The '08’s were all drinking well today, but the Louis Salmon was my favorite. He said he will be releasing the '12 next year and it will be available in magnums for the first time.

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Wow, what a treat, Jon! And a great way to celebrate the Fete du Champagne! About to do that myself with some fun grower stuff. Will report back. :grinning:

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NV Jacques Lorent Grand Reserve Brut… lowkey forgettable. Golden apple, baked pie, little bit savory and round. Bubble structure being so large made it taste like prosecco.

Bride Valley 2017 was quite good. Minerally, medium+ acidity, really juicy mid palate which made it very fun to drink. Very good as an aperitif with pear and apple notes with fresh lemon.

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