By Rick Riozza
We can’t imagine a more lovely scenario than Champagne and the like, continuously streaming into our wine glasses this holiday season. Even those whose willpower to hold back is impressive, they lose their verve stat when facing the bottomless Champagne flute.
Anyway—there is more sparkling wine produced in the world today than at any other time in wine history. Just a couple decades ago, Champagne and world class sparkling wine was considered a wine to enjoy celebrations. These days bubblies of all sorts—high end and garden variety, are on our meal tables no matter what day it is or what’s cooking. And the world is better for it.
However, as the end-of-year holidays approach, the Champagne, bubbly, and sparkler do in fact take on an especial gleeful feel. What’s more festive than the pop of a Champagne cork and the fizz of the bubbles as everyone gathers around with fun antics while you pour liquid sparkles into holiday flutes!
And despite worldwide competition, France’s Champagne region maintains its premier position for the best bubbly and beyond. There is great sparkling wine produced all over the globe, but Champagne is where the king is crowned. (And historically speaking, every king in France was crowned in Reims—properly pronounced “rance”.)
Champagne’s reputation for luxury makes it the quintessential happy gift to friends, family, and oneself. No one comes away from a Christmas party complaining that they received a bottle of French Champagne. À votre santé
So let’s take a little time before the holiday stress starts to creep in, to think and consider some of the Champagne on the market today. You know how we do it here: probably some high-priced French and a couple of easy priced California bubbly for an easy pick-me-up. We can tell already we’ll be writing on more sparklers next week as well.
I think it was last year when we recommended the stellar 2004 Louis Roederer “Cristal” Rose Champagne; it was selling for around $550. Even though it was a great wine from a great vintage, most of us were extremely hard pressed to even consider to shell out those sheckles. But we offered some consoling advice: “be it for just once a year, or, even just once in a lifetime, we’ll venture out to a really expensive wonderfully delicious wine where we follow our vino hearts to culinary sensibilities that we might have missed ever experiencing. One can still find it around—now at around $800.
Well—here we go again with another “Cristal” recommendation, this one is “only” around $400. It may not be a Champagne for the ages like the 2004; but it is a fabulous bubbly that will be the treat for this season or the next decade. Have you been saving up for something like this?
The 2016 Louis Roederer Brut Cristal starts off with a brisk mineral aroma, with blood orange, tangerine, and Meyer lemon following. You know already this in Boardwalk bubbly! The palate is a great combination of honey, crème de cassis, pastry cream, and toast—sounds like a beautiful breakfast in bed! The wine remains fresh, even through the finish. Critics give it 96 points, what do you think?
We’ve always loved the non-vintage Taittinger Brut La Francaise ($50) an eccentric blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier wines from at least 35 villages around Champagne, France. The high proportion of Chardonnay (40%) is unique among fine non-vintage Champagnes. It’s dry, fresh and delicious with aromas and flavors of apples, fresh lemons and minerals. Full-bodied and focused! The white pepper and salt in the finish keeps us coming back for more!
For you wine nerds who care—what also sets this Brut apart from other cuvées is that after the manual harvest, cold pressing and cold fermentation processes, the wine sits on the lees for almost four years, more than doubling the legal minimum of 15 months. The result is a delicately balanced Champagne that’s reached the peak of aromatic maturity.
Getting back to a festive French rosé that won’t break the bank, the Moet & Chandon Rosé Impérial ($75) displays a pink color with amber highlights. “This radiant and romantic expression of Moet & Chandon’s style”, is certainly lively and intense, with an exuding bouquet of red fruits—wild strawberry, raspberry, and cherry, with floral nuances of roses and a slight hint of pepper. Flavor wise, the wine shows a juicy intensity of berries—strawberry, raspberry, and red currant) rounded out by some juicy peach and a subtle note of mint
Now for the times we’ll be prepping meals or casually lingering about, here are a couple of great Pacific coast sparklers at easy lingering prices:
The Non-Vintage Decoy Brut Cuvée ($20) is an enticing sparkling wine that offers alluring layers of baked apple, white peach and orange zest, as well as aromatic hints of honeysuckle and vanilla. On the palate, a delicate sweetness is perfectly balanced by bright acidity, which adds poise and energy to the lush, pure fruit flavors. What’s not to like here for the price!
And a nice holiday shout-out to the Domaine Ste. Michelle Winery who produces a very tasty Brut in the Méthode Champenoise — or the traditional Champagne method. “A classic American rendition of French sparkling wine” as the PR goes.
Delicate aromas of green apple and bright citrus notes along with a persistent bubble and balanced acidity make it a perfect accompaniment for a wide array of foods. A blend of 63% Chardonnay, 19% Pinot Noir, and—wait for it! 18% Pinot Gris from Columbia Valley, Washington. Around $12!
See you next time—Cheers!
