Thanks Brad (and to Scott for the question).
I’ve always liked that cuvée, but this most recent bottle truly impressed me. I prefer to believe I don’t judge wine by appearances and am unswayed by labels, but maybe I should reassess! (what happened to the “I’m new here” emoji?). This bottle seemed like a step up, though it’s been a while since I last opened the Brut Reserve. I bought more based on this bottle, for a good price. It will make a good house wine and gift as well.
Cheers,
Warren
This is great news! You can still find this under $50 if you shop around. I feel like an idiot for not trying this earlier.
For the sake of everyone, none.
Warren,
I suspect this realease is starting to enter a good phase. It has been disgorged for probably a little more than two years, the base wines are going on seven years old. I’ve always felt that Charles Heidsieck’s NV really shines with some age on it. We will likely never see the days when this was seeing 6-8 years on the lees and then sometimes another couple years of post-disgorgement age on release, but giving the current version a little bit of time to rest certainly can only help it.
As a data point to this discussion, I opened a base 2016 CHeidsieck Brut Reserve just last week. Its just starting to show some mature notes which added that tinge of an extra something that made it better than popping a more recent disgorgement.
Posted from CellarTracker
Have a bunch put away for my son.
No 2023 DP for you
The good news - lots of White Star 
I thought that was a very misleading headline and then found the article extremely short on details. It reads like short length copy for clickbaity news orgs like USA Today…oh, I see.
Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, also known as the World Wine Guys, are wine, spirits, food, and travel writers, educators, and hosts. They have been featured guests on the Today Show, The Martha Stewart Show, Better TV, and the CBS, FOX, and NBC networks.
But some wine focused site published that!? Yeesh.
It really came down to nothing standing out enough at DP in 2023 to warrant trying to make something in the quantity they were comfortable with (my guess would be they wouldn’t release a vintage unless they could make at least 3 million bottles to cover P1, P2, P3 releases). Nothing was bad, but the Pinots were boring and the Chardonnays while nice, didn’t jump out and grab you.
2023 was a difficult year to make a prestige cuvee in quantity especially if the wine was a Chardonnay/Pinot blend or Pinot dominant cuvee. The larger producers that are aiming to release a prestige 2023 cuvee will, in most cases, make a lower quantity than normal due to the challenges of the vintage. For example, 2023 Cristal will be a smaller than normal release and there will be no 2023 Cristal Rose.
That doesn’t surprise. In fact, I find houses that are willing to make strong moves due to vintage extremes to be more respectable. We’ve seen the opposite here in CA recently.
My point was that the “article”, such as it is, frames it as if Dom Perignon is a singular wine house so no wine is being made from all their fruit. This of course purposely ignores that the wine is made my Moet Hennesy and the product is likely to end up in some bottles somewhere. An article written by ‘wine guys’ should be a touch more clear on what it all means.
It is tough to say where all that wine will go. Moet will certainly get a lot of it for NV base/reserve wines and if Moet declares a vintage some will land there too (I don’t know if they will release any 2023 or not). The LVMH family will also get a chance at the wines based on character and need. Overall, I expect most will go to reserves which should help the NVs in terms of quality and consistency.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. When we were in Reims in October, no one seemed very excited about the vintage to put it mildly.
Frank, stay tuned we are drinking ‘12 and ‘13 Emotion tonight.
Oh…yes! Please do post back once you have a good handle on the contrast. That will be very good info.
I had this last December. Super beautiful wine!
I really like the '16 champagnes that I’ve tried.
Hey @Steve_Nordhoff …so, we’re nearing 12,000 posts to this wonderful topic you started back in 2016. Tell me, have you disabled the alert that tells you someone else has posted in this thread? I mean, if you still had that alert turned on you might never get anything done. 
We managed to save a glass for the second night, and it was even better. The rest are going to get more cellar time.
Frankie,
I think I have read them all! Maybe that is why I do not have time to add very often.
2014 Grand Cellier d’Or from magnum (it was 5 pours from 3 magnums 
)-superb. As time passes the quality difference between this and the CDC seems miniscule. Lovely, balanced and super bright. Laurent is a genius.
Thanks,
Steve
Go get 'em! The 2014s from Vilmart are excellent.
