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New to champagne hunting: question have I

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Patrick Martin

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New to champagne hunting: question have I

by Patrick Martin » Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:09 pm

I don't always drink champagne, but when I do I've enjoyed very much Taittanger, Aubry, Dom Perignon, Agrapart, and others I can't seem to recall. Some have seemed too austere for my tastes, like some vintage Vilmart and maybe a Pierre Peters or two. Pol Roger has been a bit of a head-scratcher in my limited experience.

Which producers (and vintages and or reserve bottlings) should I seek out? In general, I'd like to stay below $60 for the premium stuff. Low $30s works well for NV brut.

Any thoughts on these producers are welcome:
Laurent-Perrier
Bollinger
Bruno Michel
Legras

Also, in general (if that's possible), is vintage brut champagne (but not a reserve bottle) worth the premium over a NV brut?
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Peter May

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Re: New to champagne hunting: question have I

by Peter May » Sat Mar 22, 2014 5:00 am

I do buy and drink a lot of Champagne, but I don't think I can give you the answers you seek, except for one suggestion which is to mature your Champagne for one-three years. You'll find an improvement and ones that you may currently find too austere will change for the better.

Also I think you'll find it worthwhile learning the cepage of the Champagne you prefer and those you don't.

For myself, I prefer blanc de noirs or ones with a preponderance of black grapes. I now avoid blanc de blancs and chardonnay dominated styles.

Is it worth paying more for vintage? Not for me, but I drink Champagne at least once a week and would rather spend my money on two bottles of a good NV than one vintage.

For an everyday Champagne I like Lanson Black label, since that is made without MLF. I have been disappointed with recent Taittingers, and I have found a cracker of a unknown brand frequently on huge discount in a supermarket.

But mostly its boots full of Francis Boulard's artisanal Champagne brought back from Reims.
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Howie Hart

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Re: New to champagne hunting: question have I

by Howie Hart » Sat Mar 22, 2014 6:12 am

Peter May wrote:...For an everyday Champagne I like Lanson Black label, since that is made without MLF...
How prevalent is MLF in Champagne? I'm curious, because, as a home wine maker, I've made many batches of bubbly over the past 30 years (using a variety of grapes), but have never put any of them through MLF.
Chico - Hey! This Bottle is empty!
Groucho - That's because it's dry Champagne.
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Re: New to champagne hunting: question have I

by Victorwine » Sat Mar 22, 2014 8:00 am

Tom Stevenson’s article “Oak in Champagne” might be of interest.

http://www.wine-pages.com/guests/tom/oa ... mpagne.htm

Salute
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Re: New to champagne hunting: question have I

by Richard Fadeley OLD » Sat Mar 22, 2014 9:10 am

Taittinger has always been one of our favorites and someone said that Piper Heidsieck has made improvements recently. Duval-Leroy is another solid wine, while NV Louis Roederer is always a sure bet, but for everyday drinking I tend to favor the various cremants. Usually around $15-$20. Lucien-Albrecht (Alsace), anything you can find from Burgundy and the Loire. For a cheap date even the St. Hilaire is decent at around $11. And don't forget Gruet (new Mexico), surprisingly good. I like their Blanc de Noirs. I agree with Peter about the vintage wines, as well as aging.
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Re: New to champagne hunting: question have I

by Howie Hart » Sat Mar 22, 2014 9:57 am

Thanks Victor - interesting article.
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Groucho - That's because it's dry Champagne.
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David M. Bueker

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Re: New to champagne hunting: question have I

by David M. Bueker » Sat Mar 22, 2014 10:24 am

Gosh I love Bollinger, but their NV is now about $60, which is above many delicious grower Champagnes. I find Laurent-Perrier to be generally disappointing, and again price creep has left them non-competitive in my eyes. Louis Roederer has kept their NV in the 30s, and also maintained a high level of quality. Great value to be found with that wine.

If I am looking for an overall experience I try to stick with grower wines. Aubry is good. Gaston-Chiquet is another favorite. The Chartogne-Taillet Cuvée Ste. Anne is another fine NV at a good price. If you like a Pinot dominated wine, Mousse Fils is another one to look out for. I could go on for a long time on this topic.
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Re: New to champagne hunting: question have I

by Alex Judge » Sat Mar 22, 2014 10:35 am

Personally I don't drink Champagne a lot, but when I have I've found that I really enjoy Piper-Heidsieck. It's a very crisp, fresh, citrusy/apple Champagne, medium body but seems lighter because of the fresh acidity. Generally falls in the $30-$40 range. Made with mostly noirs - only like 15% chardonnay

If you would prefer something a bit fruitier, you may try Perrier-Jouet, which I've seen to be $35-$45 usually. Ligher in body than the Piper, but bursting with fruit. Around 45% chardonnay.

Veuve Cliquot is also a nice Champagne - fuller than either of the two above, about 33% chardonnay, and loaded with baked apple and brioche. It's a wee more expensive, generally running $40-$50.

You may consider widening your price for NV a bit to closer to $40, because from my experience (more observing than buying and tasting) there are a great deal of Champagnes that you'll find close to that figure and it would increase your options by a whole lot. If I had tasted more of these, I'd give opinions, but alas I have not. From what I've seen there are much fewer that fall around $30. Price will depend on where exactly you're located, though, of course.
Last edited by Alex Judge on Sat Mar 22, 2014 2:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New to champagne hunting: question have I

by Joy Lindholm » Sat Mar 22, 2014 12:25 pm

I will echo what David said about hunting down grower-producer (RM) Champagnes. You will get much more bang for your buck than you will from the big houses. I have had great luck finding value with the RMs from these importers: Michael Skurnik (Terry Theise selections), Charles Neal, and Rosenthal. See if your local (or online) wine shop carries anything from them - that would be a good place to start.
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Re: New to champagne hunting: question have I

by Dale Williams » Sat Mar 22, 2014 2:18 pm

I mostly buy NV because I tend to serve Champagne as an apertif when greeting guests. I do think good vintage offers a good step up for situations where the Champagne is more the focus. If you ever run across the Special Club bottlings of growers they are frequently a very good value -basically the tete de cuvee of their producers.

I drink a fair amount of farmer fizz, but don't neccessarily think RM is in itself mark of quality. There's plenty of good quality stuff from houses (big and small) and growers. And plenty of lesser efforts. But good RM stuff appeals to me from a intellectual standpoint.

I like lots of the suggestions above -Aubry, Chartogne-Taillet,etc. Not so fond of Veuve-C. I love both Pierre Peters and Camille Saves, though prices have spiked. Personally I like Taittinger a lot (and Comtes is probably my ideal Champagne). Hebrart, Moutard, Laherte are other good choices. Ployez- Jacquemart and Ellner are 2 smaller houses that offer good quality to me at frequent low prices, in totally contrasting styles.

I agree that even NV can often be helped by a couple years in cellar.
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Patrick Martin

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Re: New to champagne hunting: question have I

by Patrick Martin » Sat Mar 22, 2014 2:59 pm

Great feedback, thanks.

I've been hunting around locally and I see that one of my neighborhood shops with good storage conditions has the 2002 Laurent-Perrier Brut on sale for $40. Sounds like a winner for the price? I've always enjoyed 2002.

I guess I should try one first but I think they will sell it all too fast for that.
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Re: New to champagne hunting: question have I

by Peter May » Sun Mar 23, 2014 11:56 am

Howie Hart wrote:
Peter May wrote:...For an everyday Champagne I like Lanson Black label, since that is made without MLF...
How prevalent is MLF in Champagne?



I believe it is common.
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Re: New to champagne hunting: question have I

by Jon Peterson » Tue Mar 25, 2014 8:34 am

Patrick, echoing what others have said, I enjoy the smaller grower/producer champagnes. I was afforded the opportunity to try many champagnes about a year ago and now actively avoid the big names under most circumstances. In my cellar I have Montaudon, Mailly and Moncuit. The best advice: buy and try.
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Re: New to champagne hunting: question have I

by Oliver McCrum » Tue Mar 25, 2014 12:46 pm

Dale Williams wrote:I mostly buy NV because I tend to serve Champagne as an apertif when greeting guests. I do think good vintage offers a good step up for situations where the Champagne is more the focus. If you ever run across the Special Club bottlings of growers they are frequently a very good value -basically the tete de cuvee of their producers.

I drink a fair amount of farmer fizz, but don't neccessarily think RM is in itself mark of quality. There's plenty of good quality stuff from houses (big and small) and growers. And plenty of lesser efforts. But good RM stuff appeals to me from a intellectual standpoint.

I like lots of the suggestions above -Aubry, Chartogne-Taillet,etc. Not so fond of Veuve-C. I love both Pierre Peters and Camille Saves, though prices have spiked. Personally I like Taittinger a lot (and Comtes is probably my ideal Champagne). Hebrart, Moutard, Laherte are other good choices. Ployez- Jacquemart and Ellner are 2 smaller houses that offer good quality to me at frequent low prices, in totally contrasting styles.

I agree that even NV can often be helped by a couple years in cellar.


+1 to everything.
Oliver
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