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The Reign of Champagne: Part 4 of 4

Written By: Dylan York on Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Once you acquire a taste for Champagne you may want to focus on a wine with more specific qualities. This is when choosing a wine gets interesting. Within the realms of Brut, which refers to how dry the wine is, there are Rose, Blanc du Blanc and Blanc du Noirs which refer mainly to how they are made. In the previous article we looked at Rose so now its time to discover the next two.

If you like the toasty, creamy, and fuller bodied styles then try out a Blanc du Blanc. Remember this style means that the wine has been made with Chardonnay. When a cuvee of Chardonnay is aged in oak it takes on flavors of the barrel more than any other varietal. The 2002 Pierre Moncuit Grand Cru Blanc du Blanc has everything you want out of a Blanc du Blanc because it's a Grand Cru from Mesnil Sur Oger, the same region as Krug. The wine has a silky biscuit quality with a stream of tiny bubbles that dance flavors of apples and toasted almonds over your palate. Also try the Pierre Peters Grand Cru Blanc du Blanc. This wine is also from Mesnil Sur Oger but is a multi-vintage blend (m/v). Since it's a blend of several vintages, you get a more half-baked bread center to this wine rather than crisp flaky biscuit. Younger vintage champagnes have higher acidity and toast quality, so this wine is great because of its developed flavors.

Now if you are looking for Champagne that is more dry and crisp, then Blanc du Noir is for you. These wines are made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. One of my favorites is E.Barnaut Blanc du Noir Grand Cru. This wine has crisp aromas of red fruits, wet stones, crisp acidity, and a dry finish. There tends to be more earth qualities in this wine compared to Blanc du Blanc. You taste and feel the phenolics (skins, pits and flesh of the grape) more so in a Blanc du Noir compared to a Blanc du Blanc.

It is much more difficult to find Blanc du Noir than Blanc du Blanc so consult with your local wine expert to find others. Be sure to try a handful to find the right one for you. Different producers make different styles so it is important to taste around. In the next article I will tell you about some great older vintage champagnes that I tasted this week before I leave for the island.

Drinking good Champagne can make every occasion a little more special. Drinking great Champagne can make that occasion timeless and unforgettable. As I prepare to leave for the island I have gathered with several of my closet friends to share some great Champagne.

It started with a bottle of 1995 Charles Hiedsick. The wine was showing great. The aromas were rich and nutty and a touch oxidized. The fruit was crisp and bright with lemon zest and you could feel a touch of toasted green apples on the mid-palate. The finish was extremely long lived so all together this wine showed very well.

Next there was the 1990 Duval Leroy Cuvee Femme. I was very surprised with the life and complexity this wine still had. 1990 in Champagne was a great year. The Femme started out with notes of orange marmalade and brioche and had an amazing amount of acidity. I could tell this wine was going to get better over time, and it did. After 30 minutes the center of the wine developed a creamy richness with apricots and peach. I would like to revisit this wine in three years and see what it does. There are small pockets of this wine available still so ask around.

For the finale I decided to drink a bottle of 1995 Krug Clos du Mesnil. I was going to save it for News Years on the island but I decided against packing it out of fear that my luggage would get lost. I decided to drink it the night before we left for Grenada. The first thought I had when I tasted this wine was thank god I have another bottle to age. It was a baby. I knew it was early to drink this but it was more youthful than I imagined. Clos du Mesnil is a Blanc du Blanc so in its youth it was rich in oak and high in acid. The wine was crisp with green apple and ginger and had a toasty (not creamy) center. In the finish you could feel citrus oils of Meyer lemon and lime from the solid structure. I can't wait to give this wine another 5-8 years to develop. So if any of you have a bottle of this, Save It!

Some other great Champagnes that I will never forget are the 1988 Pol Roger Winston Churchill and 1990 Dom Perignon Rose. If these are in your cellar crack one for me and enjoy. Happy New Year!

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