Which Champagne are you drinking?

WS Pro is showing it as available from several suppliers in Europe at US$70-80.

Is it? I only see one offer from Italy at much more
Edit - oh you mean the Neige…

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Sorry yes - I apparently didn’t associate my reply correctly. I meant the Neige where @N.Lehto was suggesting that ~€60-65 wasn’t a realistic market price.

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Forgive my amateur attempt at posting pictures.

Enjoyed the 09 DP rose over Christmas. Such a nice wine and super easy to drink. At one point my wife pointed out we were going through the bottle fast. That said, it seemed almost a little too easy to drink, if that makes any sense. For the price I kind of wanted more, I don’t know, depth? And as much as I really enjoyed it, I’m not sure I buying any more. Also, didn’t have much of a nose at all. I’m not the best with smell, but I do think of DP as having a distinct nose and I didn’t get that much (if at all). But maybe I’m just not as familiar with DP rose?

Enjoyed Krug Rose (the 27) over New Year’s. It, on the other hand had a complexity and depth that I found amazing. Still very drinkable now (again, maybe too drinkable given how fast we finished the bottle?), but I felt like there was much more here for the future. Oh, and an amazing nose on this in contrast to the DP. Anyway, the price is silly high, but I’m a buyer of a couple more bottles if I can find a decent price, to see how this develops over time. I’ve aged the grande cuvee over the years with great success so hoping the rose develops similarly.

Was a nice holidays - now need to go back to drinking less obnoxiously priced champagne. Heh.

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No no, you misunderstood me, Paul. The “actual price” for the Neige is €60-65 at the correct vendors, which is a fair price.
But it goes for up to €200 on international auctions…

Fools and their money are easily separated!

Extracted from a thread just posted re a couple’s celebrative party:

2002 R&L LEGRAS PRESIDENCE VIEILLES VIGNES GRAND CRU BRUT in magnum- my bring and the first guest bubbly opened; following its yellow golden hue came aromas of ginger laced stone fruit which on the palate translated into yellow peach, mango, nectarine and yellow apple; after some time, lemon and orange joined in while all was being delivered in a creamy, heavily textured medium; it was very rich, complex and full bodied and yet graceful enough to allow one to sip with ease and delight; this is made from 40+ year old vines and dosed at 5 gpl.

NV CHARLES HEIDSIECK BRUT RESERVE in magnum- this is made using the maximum amount of reserve wines allowed, 40%, and comes from 150 different wines and a limited amount of crus, 60, as opposed to the previous 120; the blend is 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier, dosed at 9 gpl; this bottle had loads of toasty brioche and ginger laden citrus and stone fruit while being delivered in a light frothy mousse; there was perceptible sweetness, firm acidity and a finish that included chalk and saline.

NV LAUNOIS PERE et FILS LE MESNIL-SUR-OGER GRAND CRU RESERVE in magnum- this delicious bubbly was hallmarked by its lovely citrus, pear, apple and cherry fruit with lemon and lime most prominent; it was light and frothy and yet had some depth and complexity with an underlying streak of acidity that was presented with grace and ease; this bottle was consistent with others I’ve had in the last few years.


{I did not taste the P-H}

Cheers,
Blake

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They were good to very good. I have had a lot of miss experiences with '89 and was hopeful that my friends magnum would be a hit. He had sat it up a couple nights before and decanted it for an hour before leaving his place. It was quite poopy on the nose when I poured my first glass. That smell mellowed out after a while and it showed more herbal/garrigue notes. It was a bit lighter on the palate than I was expecting. I had stood up the '90 Beaucastel as well as a '91 La Landonne a few days prior. After tasting the '89 I decided to go with the '90 figuring it would be more complementary to the '89. The '90 showed both cork and brett when I first opened it. In fact with the last 2 cases of '90 I have bought, both OWC’s had a corky smell to them. I don’t know why that is. In any case, the cork smell blew off, the brett stayed though much more in line than the '89, it showed white pepper, licorice, forrest floor and roasted meats. This bottle was clearly in better shape than the '89. I had bought a Kurobota ham from Snake River Farms and these paired really well with the ham. Easily the best ham leg I have had. The whole house smelled like bacon for 2 1/2 hours while the ham was heating up.

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I think you are probably correct that there is some sort of bottle variation.

7/2021 disgorgement; ‘13 base. This was lights out last night.

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I agree; it’s a fantastic wine. I bought two cases before, during and after the price escalation. I wish I’d have bought five cases when they were $89.99. I’ll still buy most of the time if I see them under $150.

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Thank you for your response. Aside from the Brett, that all sounds quite marvelous!

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So good. Most of my buying has been post-increases but I’ve seen them for ~$130 periodically.

Popped this one “by mistake” — and what I mean by that is I had totally forgotten that I had consumed my only other bottle a mere four days prior. :expressionless: … perhaps that says something, in and of itself.

2015 Marie Courtin Champagne Efflorescence Extra Brut - France, Champagne (11/16/2023)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over 2 hrs. –
– etched code: E1501221ND –

NOSE: medium-pitched apple-pear combo; a touch chalky; Nose is “fine” – not bad, but nothing remarkable, either.

BODY: light brassy yellow color; active, fairly loose bead, which dissipated quickly.

TASTE: quite dry, but rich — actually has a buttery edge; broad; not oxidative; palate is impressive! Paired well with sushi.

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NV Larmandier-Bernier Longitude - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (12/3/2023)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over 3 - 4 hrs. –
– Extra Brut dosage –
– Etched code: LON201122 –

Medium-light brassy color. Light bodied. Some spice; quite dry/crisp; typical BdB apple/pear combo; high-pitched; pleasant ginger note emerged about three hours in; high acid; good cut. Overall, I liked it, and it did get better as it warmed from fridge temp. and got some air. That said, I don’t feel compelled to rebuy.

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This one is still rockin the party, but now starting to calm and show a little more class. Bright beam of citrus, with a slight tinge of tropical exotics…LOVE the crushed rock minerality and salted caramels…white flower florals…such a lazerbeam of precision, yet has that pillow soft gingery mousse that creams it up nicely. Shows a wonderful purity and subtlety…I’d drink this all day long if I could! 95pts

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First experience with Mousse and this is the L’or d’Eugene perpetuelle blanc de noir. Disgorged 4/2022. 2.5g/l RS and same on the dosage. 2003-2020 reserve years. 80% meunier and 20% Pinot noir.

The wine is golden, with a tinge of rose, let’s call it rose gold. It has wonderful full aromas of pastry, but not the overly sweet varieties. There’s a nice mix of red and yellow apples here too with some nuts and honey along for the ride. On the palette, the aromatics show up in full force, with some additions of red raspberry and strawberry that come in toward the finish. Acidity is medium plus here, and well balanced. Personally, I’d like a touch more to hit that extra high note, but it’s by no means lacking.

Really impressive entry level wine at a solid price (paid $50/bottle). I’m a fan and will seek out more from Mousse.

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Heck yeah! Solid stuff right there. Nice note.

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This statement caught my eye. Could you elaborate on this allowed “maximum amount of reserve wines”? Allowed by whom, for what? I have drunk many wines where 50% (maybe more) has come from vintages prior to the “base vintage” (i.e. the one from the year in which the wine is made).

I had that same thought too. Genuinely curious by what that meant. The case of Heidsieck’s I own are closer to 50% reserve.