Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve NV

I love the story about how Champagne came to being. The climate near Reims is cold with even the summers being very mild but with good daylight hours.  The grapes ripen slowly and are normally picked in autumn just before the big chill kicks in. What would have happened back in the time when the area was establishing itself was that the temperature drop would have resulted in the yeast and ferments slowing down to a standstill while the yeast goes into hibernation.  Many wine-makers would have bottled, what they thought was a still wine, only to find that when the weather warmed up they would have wine bottles exploding around them. The bottles would have needed to change to accommodate the bubbles and a new closure developed.  Now bubbles are opened on a mass scale and I have to congratulate the leaders in Champagne for persisting with the development in the early days.

 

Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve NV

 

My wife sucked down half the bottle before I could put the first sip to my mouth so I was thinking this was going to be good. The wine has precision and drive with plenty of champagne goodness. To start with moments of roasted nuts and glazed sweet bread emerge before transitioning to strawberry meringue, lemon rind and cut quartz. The flavours hold long enough to be recognised before moving onto the next delightful experience. There is depth of flavour and structure to keep this going for a while but I would recommend drinking this now and just buying another bottle if you run out.

 

Alcohol: 12%

Price: $65

Rated: 92

Drink: Now

Importer: Domaine Wine Shippers

 

Lanson Gold Label 2002

Lanson is owned by Lanson International and has 0 vineyard holdings. The house purchases grape from 110 different communes and supplies some for the royal family.   

 

Lanson Gold Label 2002

 

Champagne this time of year is a must but at this price you could drink this all year round. It seems that Champagne is getting cheaper. Is it that we are drinking more so they can buy bigger shipments or is it the price of our dollar? These bubbles of joy have complexity wedged with acidity and creaminess. On the palate there are flavours of lemon curd, sea salt, roasted nuts and spicy grapefruit that slowly unfold. Open on Christmas day!

 

Alcohol: 12.5%

Price: $55

 

Rated: 93

Drink: Now - 2020

Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial NV

New Years Eve is the best time to crank out some bubbles and oh did the bubbles flow last night. I hope everyone had a great night with friends and family with a safe trip home at the end of the night.

There seems to be a trend in terms of the pricing of Champagne in Australia. They are all getting cheaper which might be a result of the strong Australian dollar, increased consumption of the fine wines which leads to an increase in the buying power or increased competition between retailers and distributors. 

Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial NV

This is made by one of the big boys which may mean that this wine is made for the masses. It definitely tastes a little bready on the initial attack of favours but then a mass of sweetness takes hold. The sweetness comes across as candied pears or sugared lemons. While I liked the bready component the rest of the wine wasn't up to the what I thought I was going to get. If I was buying this I would slap down another 40 and get the vintage version as it offers so much more. That said, it was still not a bad wine. 

Alcohol: 12%

Price: $50

Rated: 87

Drink: Now - 2015

La Maison Ruinart Blanc de Blanc NV

Ruinart was founded in 1729 and produces Chardonnay dominant style of Champagne. As I've been tasting Blanc de Blanc's a lot over the past month, I have come to the conclusion that this house is one of the leaders  in this style. They are the king amongst the kings!

Ruinart Blanc de Blanc NV

Light and delicate yet with power galore. The lightness comes across as flowers and grapefruit before the power of honeysuckle and toasted bread takes over. My wife decided to join me as I was tasting this and she finished off three glasses before I had finished my notes which is more of endorsement than the note or score that I am giving to it as my wife is a very discerning drinker. The Ruinart would be a perfect wine to drink at a big event like Christmas day so I hope everyone has a great day and open something special.

Alcohol: 12%
Price: $99
Rated: 93+
Drink: Now or over the next 8 years

Cedric Bouchard Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs Brut NV

This Champagne is made by one of the rising stars from Aube in Champagne. Cedric own a tiny 1 hectare plot of top quality vineyards with the average age of the vines sitting at a mature 30 years of age. In 2008 he was awarded the prestigious award of finest winemaker in Champagne by the most influential wine guide in France. This wine comes from vines owned by his father but is treated the exact same way as his own label.

Cedric Bouchard Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs Brut NV

Made from 100% Pinot Noir, disgorged in 2010 and doesn't it taste exotic and artisan. The fruit was picked by hand and crushed by foot but there is no taste of tinea, instead it is fresh as a daily. The wine starts out with morello cherries but soon a razor sharp fresh picked raspberry mixed with lemon rind takes over. It the sort of wine that you could get lost in the complexities and forget about the mouthfeel but as i'm obsessed with mouthfeel I sit back and take notice. It draws every inch of my mouth in sucking it dry and leaving in bouncy.  I would have to say that this would be the best drink to serve people as they arrive at you place for dinner or lunch, just to spark conversation amongst the group. This wine balances lovely minerality, chalkiness and brillaint flavours from start to finish.

Alcohol: 12.5%
Price: $99
Rated: 95
Drink: Now or later
Importer: Eurocentric Wine

Claude Carre et Fils Cuvee Passion Millesime 2000

Cuvee Passion is the top Champagne from a small producer from the Trepail region within Champagne.


Claude Carre et Fils Cuvee Passion Millesime 2000

Right out of the gate this screams richness and full on enjoyment.  There are layers of flavour such as lemon curd, toasted nuts mixed with creme frais but it how they are framed in my mouth that is most invigorating. There is a line of torte acidity holding the richness in balance and the flavours reach out to 3/4 of my tongue.  You should use this to kick off a special occasion as it will impress.

Alcohol: 12%
Price: $70 the cheapest vintage champagne I have ever come across.
Rated: 93
Drink: Now
Importer: George Street Wines

Larmandier Bernier Blanc de Blanc Premier Cru NV

This could be classified as natural champagne as it doesn't receive any assistance once they pick the grapes. Wild yeast kick off the ferment and they are left on lees for 3 to 6 months before being blended. Once disgorged this wine only receives 4 g per litre of dosage so it is a rather zippy style of wine.

Larmandier Bernier Blanc de Blanc Premier Cru NV

Once you pop the cork you can smell what you are in for as a vibrant lemon curd and grapefruit note oozes from the bottle. On the palate there is a razor sharp flint or struck quartz component that is both enchanting and exciting but it is the richness through the mid-palate with flavours of glazed melon and ripe pear that gets me going the most. This is a truly exciting wine to taste.

Alcohol: 12%
Price: $80
Rated: 94+
Drink: Now - 2015
Importer: Bibendum Wine Co

Chartogne-Taillet Brut Millesime 2002

So this blew me away in a tasting so much so that I left thinking about my best champagne experiences.  My top three in order are Dom Perignon 1996 (99pts), Krug NV (97 pts) and this one. Now for the money this rocks even more. If you can find some buy as much as you can. I should try and find an e-tailer that stocks this and link it to this site.


Chartogne-Taillet Brut Millesime 2002

Bursting at the seems with elegance and cerebral sexiness.  There is a creaminess to this wine, both in terms of the texture and flavour, that is so enticing I could just drink the whole bottle by myself. The flavours are intense yet there is a brilliant core of lemon tart flavoured acidity that leaves my mouth invigorated. While I could easily drink this now I get the feeling that that I would be rewarded if I could keep my hands off them. As the wine hits my mouth the flavours spread out covering every taste bud and them they latch themselves on tight and never let go.  Brilliant length and perfect poise.

Alcohol: 12%
Price: $99
Rated: 96+
Drink: 2014 - 2022
Importer: Eurocentric Wine

Vazart-Coquart Blanc de Blanc NV

This winery started out as a farming estate that focused on everything except grape but in 1954 that things started to turn around.  Now the estate is run biodynamically and all the old farming building have been converted into either tasting rooms or the winery.

Vazart-Coquart Blanc de Blanc NV

This is a step up in quality to the last wine and you can see it in the flavours and length.  The wine reminds me of a old comedy movie where the host pelts the guest with a lemon meringue pie at the end of the show but in this wine it is the first flavour you get. There are also masses of smoked oysters, bread dough and spicy marzipan that fill out the mid palate which make this wine rather inviting. Love it.

Alcohol: 12%
Price: $80
Rated: 94
Drink: Now
Importer: Heart and Soil

Launois Pere & Fils Cuvee Quartz Grand Cru NV

The vineyard that this little number comes off of are right next to Salon so I thinking this is going to be a good one.  The average age of this vineyard is around 16 years of age which puts it in the younger side leaving room for improvement in the depth of the wine in the coming years. What surprised me was the fact that the base wine sees not oak ageing at all.

Launois Pere & Fils Cuvee Quartz Grand Cru NV

There is a brightness to this wine which is really refreshing with the flavours of brioche, lemon, spicy grapefruit and bucket loads of cut quartz creeping up your tongue.  It is a classy reserved sort of a wine so you will need to have your thinking hat on for this one but if you do then you are in for treat.  The finish of this wine leaves me with a lovely mouthwatering acidity which gets me in the mood for some oysters.

Alcohol: 12%
Price: $85
Rated: 91 (whoops I had the wrong score down)
Drink: Now but will keep
Importer: Ross Duke Wine Company

Egly Ouriet Grand Brut Traditional NV

Coming into the Christmas period means you really need a quality Champagne to guzzle.  This producer is situated in the heart of the ambonnay district of champagne which is where a lot of super premium stuff comes from.  These guys have some seriously old vineyards so check them out.


Egly Ouriet Grand Brut Traditional NV

My god this is a change of religion kind of wine. The flavour burst from the bottle hugging your tongue for what seems an eternity. You get a bit of strawberry's and cream like you are at the tennis at Wimbledon but then it moved to a spicy grapefruit preserve with a fresh baked floral brioche. I just can't get enough of this wine!


Alcohol: 12.5%
Price: $100
Rated: 94
Drink: with friends
Importer: Bibendum wine co.

Chartogne-Taillet Saint Anne NV

The village of Merfy has a huge population of 660 residents. It's a wonder that any of their wine makes it out the village with that number of people.  I think the first place I'd like to visit again is Champagne as I could drink this all the time.  I feel happy when I drink it.

Image from Local Property

I think my wife would love to move over for the picturesque views and a glass of champagne.  Normally she drinks quite slowly but she devoured 2 1/2 glasses of this before my mate and I had finished our first.  Always a good recommendation.

Chartogne-Taillet Saint Anne NV

The wine is a real conundrum as there is richness with lightness all wrapped up in one which leaves you feeling refreshed.  It's the sort of Champagne that I would buy a case of come November and drink all of it by New Years day. Well you have to leave one for breakfast New Years morning to start the year off.  There is class and sophistication written all over this with its apple tart, lemon preserve, smoked almonds, brioche and toffee strawberries tumbling over each other to get to the back of your palate. Beautifully long and seductive.  The sort of thing that would sit fantastically as an entry level French Champagne on a smart wine list.

Alcohol: 12%
Price: $70
Rated: 93
Drink: Now or later what ever you like!
Importer: Eurocentric Wine