WTN: Champagnes - Taittinger, Dom 95, Krug 88 plus Burgundy

My lucky day last Friday. I got a call in the morning from a friend of mine who had signed up for a Champagne dinner. Unfortunately, he wasn’t feeling well and asked me if I would like to go in his place. Champagne is probably my favorite wine so this was a great chance for me to try some impressive stuff.

Dinner was at Je Suis Gourmand featuring an all Champagne menu created by Chef Guy Martin of Le Grand Vefour Restaurant:

Ravioles de Foie Gras A L’Emulsion de Crème de Truffes
Taittinger Brut Reserve en Magnum

Langoustines Justes Saisies, Croustillant d’Aubergines & Basilic
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 1995

Pave de Turbot Roti, Seve de Citron au Sel
Dom Perignon 1995

Almond Souffle
Krug Collection 1988

The dessert was supposed to be some kind of biscuit with five spices but there was some difficulty in figuring out what the spices were so the souffle was substituted.

My notes:

Taittinger Brut Reserve NV en Magnum – Light gold. Not all that dry. Medium-weight. Very fresh with good length. A real easy drink.. This wine had the weight to stand up to the rich, creamy ravioli with foie gras and truffle cream which was a spectacular way to start the meal.

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 1995 – I have a few of these but it’s been about a year since I last tried it so this was a good chance to see the wine’s development. Lovely cookie or biscuit-like nose. Crisp wine with great depth of flavor. Very fine. On the finish, slightly spicy, some orange as well and a totally unexpected hint of chocolate. Drinking very well now and probably at peak. A good match for the langoustines although I found the crusted aubergine more interesting than the langoustines.

Dom Perignon 1995 – Real smooth. Creamy, almost sweet. Again, oranges on the finish. There was a very gentle whisper of oxidation. Young wine but oh so good. The match with the turbot in a citron sauce was brilliant, the almost sweet flavor of the wine and the orange in the finish coming together with the citron sauce beautifully.

Krug Collection 1988 – On the nose, like sweet pastry. Slightly oxidative but much fresher than its age suggests. Tobacco leaf. Very fine. My first vintage Krug. While the souffle was very good, I think it killed the Krug so I made it a point to drink the Champagne first before dessert.

Since there were some complaints about not having any reds to drink, the were two bonus Burgundies to go with some cheese:

Marquis d’Angerville Volnay Champans 1er Cru 1990 Magnum – Quite youthful color. Initially smooth but with a bit of tannic kick in the sweetish finish. Milk chocolate nose after a bit of airing. Dry, dried herbs. Drinking very well now with no further improvement expected.

Sylvie Esmonin Gevrey Chambertin Clos St. Jacques 2002 – Meaty, flowery nose. Sweet, fruity, smooth. Dark chocolates. New Worldy taste, French body. Dry finish. Very forward, easy to drink wine.

Excellent wines and dinner prepared by Chef Marc Aubry of Je Suis Gourmand. I guess it also helps that he’s from Champagne and so understands the wine and the food to go with it very well.

Nice! How do I get on your buddies speed dial?

When you say Krug "Collection" was this some kind of library release?

Best,
Joe

Yes, as I understand it, the Krug Collection bottles are late-released from the Krug cellars.

As a fellow Champagne and Burgundy lover, I thank you for your report.

Funnily enough, over the last few years, I've been lucky enough to try all on your list (except the Esmonin, although I have tried older vintages from this vineyard and producer). I, too, have noted the oxidative character on the bouquet on the 1988 Krug from the several bottles I've been lucky to share. I've never thought of it as truly "great", albeit always getting a very high rating; I like and rate the 1982, 1985, 1989 and 1990, better. If you're now a convert to Krug try and grab as much 1996 as you can afford. Although I have not seen a bottle yet, the few reports I've received thus far (from people I completely trust and whose opinions I rely upon to make en primeur purchases) have been simply awesome. Just remember, all reports have mentioned this wine needs many years of cellaring to be anywhere near its peak.

I still have a few bottles of the '95 Taittanger BDB and Dom Perignon in the bat cave.

Thank you for your insights. Unfortunately, vintage Krug is virtually impossible to get here and anyway, my Champagne budget doesn't go that high! I will pass on your recommendation for the 1996 Krug to some friends who might have the resources to find some and hopefully they will be kind enough to share a bottle with me.

Hi, Jay.

It was nice to meet you at the dinner; and I hope you will be able to join me in one of my wine dinners after I get back from France in mid-October.

Nice notes. The '88 Krug, though, is not, as far as I know, from the Krug Collection series, rather, it is from their regular vintage bottling.

I think the latest releases are '81 and '85.


Best,

Noel

Hi Noel,

Nice to see you on this forum. Looking forward to more wining and dining with you.

Regarding the Krug, the menu listed it as Krug Collection. Perhaps we could ask Bernie to clarify if indeed it was a late release or not.

Jay

Hi, Jay.

It was nice to meet you at the dinner; and I hope you will be able to join me in one of my wine dinners after I get back from France in mid-October.

Nice notes. The '88 Krug, though, is not, as far as I know, from the Krug Collection series, rather, it is from their regular vintage bottling.

I think the latest releases are '81 and '85.


Best,

Noel

Welcome, Noel!

The menu was wrong then. It's happened before. I recall it also happened the first time I attended one of Bernie's dinners (years ago). On the menu, I noticed that the Sauternes, "Ch. de Fargues", was listed as "Chateau Faugeres" - a totally different wine, not even a Sauternes.

Anyway, I've confirmed with Bernie and Bernd Koehling (the German fellow seated in front of you) from whose collection one of the '88s came from. I actually drank from that same batch of '88s before Bernd sold them to Bernie. They were not from the collection series.

I also read an interview of one of the Krug representatives conducted earlier this year. Their latest Collection series releases were the '85 and an older one, I think the '81.

Noel

Thank you, Joe, for the welcome.

Although I signed up only the other day, I've actually browsed through this site several times in the past.


Noel

Thanks for clearing that up.

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 1995 – [...]Drinking very well now and probably at peak.

Already? You must like your Champagnes much younger than I do, or else this has taken a funny turn in its development. This is only a hypothetical headache for me though, since I don't own even a single bottle - sadly. I really loved this wine when I tasted it.

-O-

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 1995 – [...]Drinking very well now and probably at peak.

Already? You must like your Champagnes much younger than I do, or else this has taken a funny turn in its development. This is only a hypothetical headache for me though, since I don't own even a single bottle - sadly. I really loved this wine when I tasted it.

-O-

Otto,

I thought this needed years to reach its zenith when I first tried it almost two years ago. My last (recent) bottle was decidedly softer and mellow albeit still quite rivetting in its own way. I like my Champagne's relatively fresh and I would say this has definitely reached its peak drinking window. How long it stays there is something I can't predict on the rather quick development shown between trying these two bottles.

Otto,

I checked my previous notes on the Taittinger. I tried it last in May last year and my note says:

A refreshing medium bodied champagne with lemon peel character. Not a weighty champagne. Excellent but will surely improve. Has some bready character in the nose and palate followed up by a bit of toffee.

So it would seem my experience is the same as David's.

I generally prefer my Champagne with more age than this but I would happily drink Comtes de Champagne.