December Wine Focus: I’ll take Champagne

[Jenise]

Peter, there are so many great bubbles being made around the world now, aren't there? Are any of your SA wines Graham (is it) Peck or Beck? Really impressive stuff. We used to get the vintage bottlings imported here and I was a buyer, but they dried up.

Last night we opened a 2009 Marie Copinet Cuvee Leonard. The chardonnay really shows. Green apple, raw almonds and just a hint of onion skin. Not my favorite Copinet but interesting and big enough to pair with a cassoulet.

[Jenise]

Might there have been low level cork taint, just enough to suppress some fruit flavours?

I've not had an example where keeping a NV traditional method sparkling wine hasn't seen improvement.

Might be, Peter. Like you, my experience has been to expect improvement. Of course, what I don't know is how old they were when I bought them.

Had a few bottles of Sparkling wine over the past week.

Laurent-Perrier La Cuvee Champagne
I needed a bottle of true Champagne, and this one came with two free glasses in a holiday gift pack so why not. This was a Brut, but a bit of a higher dosage I would assume from the taste. Smooth for a Champagne, not the lightning bolt of acidity I expected, but enough to keep it interesting. We had this with a quiche and it worked perfectly, but I question how well it would work with Oysters... I would buy again, especially to pair with Quiche...

Varichon & Clerc Vin de Savoie Privilege Blanc de Blancs
Made from the Jacquère grape. Soft with apple and almost a slight almond or marzipan aroma. Does have just a slight mineral edge, but just a hint. Lower acidity than many sparkling wines, which leaves it tasting a bit flat.

For under $15 this is a nice sparkler, but nothing special. Likely good for sparkling wine cocktails.

[Jenise]

You took one for the team with that Savoie, Kasey. Had I seen it, I'd have jumped on the chance to taste a sparkling Jacquere as I really love the still wines I've had.

Here's one you'd have loved, I opened it last night to serve my brother (who's in my bubble), who came over to help trim my tree, and who is newly besotted with Vouvray. He'd loved chenin in South Africa but hadn't really familiarized himself with Vouvray. Two weeks ago I opened an '08 Huet Premiere Trie Le Mont for him, and last night I introduced him to sparkling chenin. And it was a masterpiece: 2013 Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant Brut Chenin Blanc Weirdly, a bottle in 2018 and another in 2019, all from the same source as this, left me neutral. Neither seemed finished nor carried even a glimpse of what I remembered from past great bottles. Well this time, NAILED IT. A great bottle, rich and complex, honeyed and savory, a true wine of substance. We were all swooning.

You took one for the team with that Savoie, Kasey. Had I seen it, I'd have jumped on the chance to taste a sparkling Jacquere as I really love the still wines I've had..

The Jacquere was not bad, but was not special at all either. Like I said for $15 you get what you pay for, but was hoping for more.

I have 4 bottles of the 2014 Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant Brut, and I'm hoping they show like yours did recently! I love Loire Valley wines, probably my favorite region, so excited to try Huet's bubbles...

Jenise wrote>>>>>2013 Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant Brut Chenin Blanc Weirdly, a bottle in 2018 and another in 2019, all from the same source as this, left me neutral.

Guess opened too early. I buy when available and always cellar for a few yrs.

[Jenise]

Bob, did you note that this was a 2013? I would have thought 5 and 6 years old bottles would have been safe targets, but no; it took 7.

Are any of your SA wines Graham (is it) Peck or Beck? Really impressive stuff.

It's Beck.

Graham Beck was a coal magnate - he owned two wineries making wine under the Graham Beck label, one for still wines, one for sparkling. The still was sold in the last decade (I remember it but can't remember when) to concentrate on traditional method (known as MCC - Methode Cap Classique - in Robertson, South Africa.

The chief winemaker is Pieter Ferriera (nicknamed 'Bubbles'), who recently released his own label MCC

Anyway, at the moment I don't have many MCC wines, and I finished the last of my Graham Becks a couple of months ago. I do have Pongracz ( love the shape of the bottle, though the base it too wide to go in racks and it won't stack on its side) and an unusual traditional-method sparkling Sauvignon Blanc from Steenberg Winery in Constantia (also owned by Graham Beck.)

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tasting J C Le Roux and Pongracz at The House of J C Le Roux winery, Devon Valley nr Stellenbosch

Sunday for aperitif I opened

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N.V. Codorníu Cava Selección Raventós Brut (Spain, Cava)

A really enjoyable Cava (i.e. traditional method sparkling wine) made from the traditional grape varieties of Macabeo, Xarello and Parellada that’s all the better for not pretending to be Champagne.

I think it was an end-of-line brand as I can't see it on Cordoniu's website and it was being sold off at a ridiculous price. Though I only bought it in January it seems to have plenty of age on it, soft and gentle and very easy drinking. Had a glass last night and will tonight and probably will tomorrow.

With opening at least one bottle of fizz a week at home and not going away as usual, I'm using my fizz faster then it can age. Never mind.

[David M. Bueker]

NV Laherte Frères Champagne Rosé de Meunier Extra Brut - France, Champagne (12/24/2020)
Served with a Christmas Eve dinner of grilled pork tenderloin, herb quinoa and roasted cauliflower, this was a good, if unexciting wine. It’s quite forward with its red cherry fruit, and has some nice spice notes on the back end, but no excitement. It’s a pleasant accompaniment to a meal. I wanted to like it more, but it didn’t have a spark. Pretty much summed up the 2020 holidays.

I have one more bottle, which I will let rest awhile, and try again.

France is under curfew from 8pm to 6am until mid-January but an exception was made for Christmas Eve, which is the day when French families have their main Christmas meal. Our daughter from about 30km away together with our son-in-law and grandson joined us. Champagne was of course on the menu.

NV Champagne Lagache Champagne Brut Réserve Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne (24/12/2020)
A disappointment. Finding myself short of blanc de blancs I took a chance with this unknown name at a local caviste. Without the label I would have taken this for a bubbly from another region. It was pleasantly fruity but had an absence of crisp focus and little champenois elegance. Only fair.

NV Louis Roederer Champagne Brut Premier - France, Champagne (25/12/2020)
The contrast with the preceding Lagache B de B was quite striking. Champenois elegance was back with a vengeance.There was definitely more body, better focus, richer but finer fruit, refined minerals and strong backbone yet dry. IMO one of the best NV cuvées. Very good.
Posted from CellarTracker

[David M. Bueker]

The Roederer Brut Premier remains a stunning value.

Merry Christmas Tim.

Merry Christmas Tim.

And to you and yours, David!

[David M. Bueker]

Opened a Moussé Fils Blanc de Blancs NV with Christmas dinner. So tight. Almost mean.

We need to open a Krug or Bolly to rescue this holiday weekend.

Opened a Moussé Fils Blanc de Blancs NV with Christmas dinner. So tight. Almost mean..

Just too young? Or a less-than-successful bottling? My local merchant has the 2013 Moussé Special Club, which I've been eyeing for a while and trying to talk myself into a Meunier Moment. But I keep getting cold feet because the price is $110, which is very high from what I can tell. (Due to distribution issues, we get horrible deals on Champagne)

[David M. Bueker]

Opened a Moussé Fils Blanc de Blancs NV with Christmas dinner. So tight. Almost mean..

Just too young? Or a less-than-successful bottling? My local merchant has the 2013 Moussé Special Club, which I've been eyeing for a while and trying to talk myself into a Meunier Moment. But I keep getting cold feet because the price is $110, which is very high from what I can tell. (Due to distribution issues, we get horrible deals on Champagne)

Others I trust have really enjoyed it, so perhaps just a bad time or bad bottle.

Cedric’s Special Club bottlings are delicious, but that is rather steep. I got the 2015 Special Club for $85.

I keep getting cold feet because the price is $110...

Cedric’s Special Club bottlings are delicious, but that is rather steep. I got the 2015 Special Club for $85.

Yes, I like buying local and am not the guy to scour the internet to save $5 or $10 on a bottle of wine. But at these levels, when the differential between local and 'normal' gets to $25 (or upwards of 20% of the price), it starts to feel uncomfortable.

[David M. Bueker]

FYI, we had save a glass of the Moussé to try tonight, and it was downright disgusting. I now have to think the bottle was lightly corked. There is no way Cedric made a wine this bad. People I trust love this bottling (and disgorgement).

Friday, Christmas Day, I opened another bottle of
N.V. Lanson Champagne Brut Black Label (France, Champagne)
from the case I bought in December 2016. (Details and label picture at top of this thread).

We had it before dinner as an aperitif and Zoomed with our eldest and his SO in Wales. They should have been drinking it with us and demolishing the turkey crown and all the food we'd ordered before the rules suddenly changed days before they were due to travel to us. So they'd opened another, different, Champagne for 'Sparkling Six' and we clinked glasses at the Zoom screen. (Screen of Zoom sounds wrong

Sunday and another roast with an assault on the yet untouched South Face of Turkey Crown. Before that an aperitif of

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N.V. Fresne Ducret Champagne Le Chemin du Chemin Premiere Cru Brut (France, Champagne)

We've spent an evening at the winery with our wine tasting group, and owner/winemaker Pierre Fresne showed us the old vaulted cellar while his Canadian wife Daniella cooked us dinner, then we loaded our coach with box after box of their Champagne.

Well, all that was drunk, but our club went in 2017 to the annual Independent Vignerons wine fair in Lille where Pierre & Daniella were among hundreds of winemakers exhibiting and I bought more cases of half-bottles. Champagne 375ml bottles are very expensive in UK but bought in France they're closer to half the price of a 750ml bottle.

This was nicely mature, and with more than 3 years bottle age a light golden colour. The bubbles were fine and plentiful and the taste exquisite.

Le Chemin du Chemin is my favourite from Fresne Ducret's portfolio: it's a blend of 35% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier, 35% Chardonnay, with 30% reserve wines, and aged five years before disgorgement

[David M. Bueker]

2013 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Millésimé Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules - France, Champagne (12/28/2020)
Hard to beat a holiday time day off with some popcorn, a movie, my wife and a spectacular bottle of Champagne. This was in fact spectacular. It’s pointless to break it down into components, because it was seamless. Individual aromas and flavors were there, but completely integrated, as in a perfect course of food. Refreshing and fascinating, we said “wow” multiple times. We were drinking it faster than I could pour it. This was likely the best wine I had in all of 2020.

This was likely the best wine I had in all of 2020.

Wow indeed!

[David M. Bueker]

Sipping on the Krug MV at lunch with gougeres. Not a bad way to ring in the new year. This particular bottle is from prior to their codes, so I don’t know the base vintage or disgorgement date. It took some time to unwind, and it was initially too cold. Now that it has had time to open up it’s deep, nutty, spicy and has good length. That being said, it’s not a great bottle of Krug. Just a good bottle of Krug.

[Jenise]

There is no way Cedric made a wine this bad. People I trust love this bottling (and disgorgement).

I'm one as well. Loved it.

[Jenise]

And my final one for this Focus topic:

2013 L. Aubry Fils Champagne Ivoire et Ebene Champagne Blend
Gorgeous. I don't know what made up this wine, but had presumed it's a chard/pinot blend based on the cuvee name. However, I did not taste the 'noir': the chardonnay flavors were generous, good concentration, lots of lemon curd and cream. Not 'austere' as someone else on CT noted recently noted, just dry. Putting this on my shopping list for more if still available.