Which Champagne are you drinking?

[K_John_Joseph]

Good wines over the Thanksgiving break at a beach house in Galveston (all of my grandparents and many aunts, uncles, and cousins are from Galveston and many still live in the area). My folks have a house on the bay, so we went down, did a little fishing, brought the dogs, had a little party Tuesday night with redfish a barbecued on the half shell over mesquite charcoal along with boiled shrimp and fixings.

Some champagnes over the week:

2012 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne I’m going to shoot you straight. I am beginning to think that 2012 is a bit over-hyped. This is a very good champagne, but not as giving as the 2013 or as rich as the 2008. This is more lemon citrus driven with nice chalky chardonnay notes, paired with some light pastry notes and a faint touch of white flowers. I would not have guessed this is dosed at 9g/L. It does not show it. This has a ways to go before reaching a peak drinking window and perhaps this is a prime 30 year Comtes. High class, but is all the potential really there? 94-95.

2013 Louis Reoderer Cristal - I opened this right after the Comtes on Thanksgiving. If you’re going to make the argument that Comtes is extraordinary, then put it up against something else top tier and see how it compares. And it just doesn’t. Of 5 drinkers, 5 preferred the Cristal. It is just spectacular, full of peachy and white cherry goodness and stunning complexity from citrus to stone fruit to spice to rich shortbread and orange blossom. It is intense and carries a big fruit profile but with wonderful acidity. 60/40 p/c, malo, 8g/l. Spectacular. An excellent rendition of Cristal and that’s saying something. I’ve had this a few times this year and every time it just stops me down and blows me away. 97+? Wonderful. A joy-inducing champagne.

Billecart Salmon Le Rose - Magnum Big bottle of rose champagne to start off our little Tuesday night seafood shindig. This has to be one of the best party champagnes. It’s so slutty and open and giving and everyone wants some. Lovely strawberry, raspberry and citrus profile with a soft fruity sweetness, refined bead, and lovely salmon color. BS now makes this Le Rose with an extra brut dosage, and this cleans up nicely with good cut. Guests obliterated this magnum with impressive speed. Probably 91-92. A really enjoyable wine that is not at all a slouch. Can’t go wrong here.

2014 J. Schram Noirs - No picture here. This was also drained pretty quickly. Profile is expressive of pinot noir, with rich spiced pears and white cherry driving the fruit profile, along with uncooked pie dough, some leesy notes, and a hint of vanilla cream. Perhaps a faint hit of mint late. It’s a bit sweet and the pear fruit and spice lingers. Enjoyable and easy, if not particularly refined compared to some of the other champagnes of the week. Just a different style, and nice for the locale. 92+.

Goodfellow Willamette Valley Extra Brut - This is the mid 2024 disgorgement. Wonderfully crisp and bright in a reductive style the settles in quickly. Crisp green apple, lemon citrus, asian pear, lovely florals, adding a bit of weight on the palate with a touch of shortbread. 2.5 g/l. This is lively and serious and fun. It’s also a bargain and worth a buy. Improving with time in bottle. 91+

[Sarah_Kirschbaum]

I think when comparing these kinds of wines, it helps to think of what you want from them. Cristal is not only one of the best champagnes made, year after year, it’s one of the world’s greatest wines, period. Comtes is an absolutely delicious, exceptionally well made and highly consistent giver of pleasure that, up until recetly, was ridiculously affordable for what it was. It’s still pretty solid value if you like the style. But I don’t look for Comtes to drink like Cristal, and I’m not the least bit surprised it suffered by direct comparison. That said, I can and do drink Comtes a lot more frequently than I drink Cristal and don’t feel sad about it.

[Nick_Christie]

@K_John_Joseph

An excellent rendition of Cristal and that’s saying something. I’ve had this a few times this year and every time it just stops me down and blows me away. 97+? Wonderful. A joy-inducing champagne.

2013 Cristal is one of my favorite Champagnes around. Totally agree that it merits such a high evaluation .

[K_John_Joseph]

@Sarah_Kirschbaum

But I don’t look for Comtes to drink like Cristal, and I’m not the least bit surprised it suffered by direct comparison. That said, I can and do drink Comtes a lot more frequently than I drink Cristal and don’t feel sad about it.

I completely agree. I don’t expect them to drink like each other. They’re really very different wines. That said, I’ve had some qualitatively stupendous Comtes that have provided pleasure on par with Cristal. Given the raves about the 2012 vintage, generally, I thought it would be fun to see if, while different, the wines were qualitatively similar. They were not. And that’s totally okay. 2012 Comtes is an excellent bottle of wine that I would be ecstatic to drink any day of the week. 2013 Cristal is just sublime and on another level.

And like you I can and do drink Comtes a lot more frequently than I drink Cristal and don’t feel sad about it!

[KhaN]

Balletto 5+5 BdN 2012. DG Dec 2022. Gifted 4 of this.

Enjoyed over 5 days. Golden color, gentle, almost vinous bubbles. Nose is consistently golden apple, underbaked croissant, sea spray. First 2 days it was straight up green apple, lemon curd, some creamy lime and chalky underbaked croissant. Totally devoid of typical BdN characteristics, drink like savory Chardonnay.

3 days later some BdN characters started to come through. Faintest hint of underripe orchard fruit, rainier cherries came through. Lime and green apple are gone on palate, croissant intensified, some underripe red berries emerged.

Medium-medium plus acid, medium-medium plus finish. Quite simple, needs 5-7 more years under cork.

[Nate_Rulis]

Phil – sorry for the delay in responding to this. I enjoyed it very much and definitely got that nuttiness/slight cheese rind aroma I’ve seen you mention in prior posts about this bottling. It makes sense that this spends time in old Meursault casks.

I couldn’t find any disgorgement info on the bottles and, unfortunately, the cork was nowhere to be found (so I’m not sure if it’s on there or not). I have a couple more bottles and will check next time I pop one.

[P_a_u_l_Christensen]

I was previously a bit unimpressed with this producer’s rosé, but this evening quite the contrary with their Cuvée Perpétuelle which is rather excellent.

• NV Bonnet-Ponson Champagne Cuvée Perpétuelle Extra Brut - France, Champagne (02/12/2025)
  40/30/30 PN/C/M, Premier Cru. Base vintage 2019, 40% from perpetual reserve. 85% inox, 15% 228l barrels. Not filtered. Bottled 5/2020. Disgorged 10/2023, dosage 1g/l.
  
  On the nose there is yeast, candied lemon, hints of vanilla and herbs, floral notes - rather complex and interesting.
  
  And the palate follows: quite full and well-rounded, but crisp and not at all austere despite only 1g/l dosage. Citrus, (unsweet) honey, red apples, light oxidative notes; just slightly drying on the clean and rather more-ish finish.
  
  Overall this is an excellent wine, and definitely a repeat buy at the ~US$47 that I paid. (91 points)
  

[JeffK]

NV Henri Giraud Champagne Hommage au Pinot Noir Aÿ

Opened by a friend and tried on day 2. 100% Pinot Noir with 40% of the wine from a solera reserve. 5g/l dosage. A rich sparkler with almond and nutty notes. I liked the feel of this wine. 91 points.

VM

[Blake_Brown]

Extracted from a thread just posted: 4 wines tasted blind at a white truffle dinner: 2012 Dom Perignon, 2018 PYCM Corton-Charlemagne, 2011 Jean Grivot Clos de Vougeot, 2005 Potel Clos de Vougeot

2012 DOM PERIGNON- blind; It had been 3 years since I last visited this vintage; so, it was pulled to get a read on its current place as well as future openings and to compare it to the 2006 and 2008 which we had also blind tasted earlier this year; I poured it blind for the others and was super impressed and delighted in how this showed out of the gate and over the course of the entire evening; following its medium yellow color came aromas of spice laden citrus fruit which on the palate translated into lemon, lime and orange zest with some ginger accented yellow apple coming in late along with an unexpected note of peppermint; it had bright if not bracing acidity, was super tangy and exuded class and sophistication. The others struggled to get the vintage with most calling it 2008, whether it was a BdB or a blend and the house, but one eventually concluded it was 2013 DP. It is comprised of 51% Chardonnay and 49% Pinot Noir and was dosed at 4 gpl.
IMHO, this held its own against the 2006 and 2008 although the former was much more mature and ready and the 2008 was bigger and better with promises to be even more formidable in a few years.

Cheers,
Blake

[Nick_Christie]

When @MChang brought a side-by-side of 12 & 13 Dom to a dinner in May, we were very enchanted by the 2012. One of my very favorite recent showings of any Dom in fact.

Interestingly, the 13 has underperformed for me (and did on that night). Unclear if it’s simply in an awkward phase or if I will never be as enamored with Dom in 2013 as I am with other big houses.

Lovely to see the Group back at it, Blake. I hope to join you guys again before too long

[Warren_Taranow]

I went deep on the '12 and shallow on the '13

[JeffK]

NV Petit & Bajan Champagne Grand Cru Obsidienne Brut

Opened by a friend from magnum. First time having a Champagne from this producer. 100% Grand Cru Pinot Noir. Disgorged July 2022. 3g/l dosage. Medium yellow color. Moderate bead. Steely profile with notes of citrus fruit. Fresh finish. 93 points.

VM

[B_Buzzini]

Anyone have this? Restaurant only, 50% reserves compared to 40% for the reg, back to 20yrs, compared to 10yrs for the reg, 7g/l comp to 9…$44! No brainer buy!

[Blake_Brown]

As this point in time, it would appear that was a good move Warren, but I’m holding out for the 2013 to get it together and shine like the 2013 Cristal is doing.

[G.ocampo]

Watched this morning, interesting for the price.

- YouTube

[KhaN]

Grabbing one this weekends for Xmas party, will report back.

[Warren_Taranow]

I had the last three in my cart but they were sold out by the time I got through the checkout process

[JustinP]

Interesting, haven’t heard of a restaurant-only Heidsieck Brut Reserve cuvee… out of curiosity, where’d you see this?

[KhaN]

There’s gone my weekends plan

[B_Buzzini]

@JustinP

Interesting, haven’t heard of a restaurant-only Heidsieck Brut Reserve cuvee… out of curiosity, where’d you see this?

See the vid above! Winex