This light, elegant, easy drinking sparkler with a bouquet and taste of ripe melons is made primarily from grapes grown in the Grand Cru villages of Avize and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Produced from a blend of Grand and Premier Cru grapes harvested in 2003, '04 and '05 that were blended together and aged for over five years, this classy bubbly shows a bouquet and flavor of ripe peaches with undertones of apricots and lime and a long, smooth finish. Lanson Extra Age Blanc de Blancs NV - $120. It shows a steady stream of pinpoint bubbles, with a bouquet and taste of pears and apricots and a long pleasant finish.įrom one of the oldest champagne producers (founded in the early 1700’s and now part of the LVMH conglomerate of luxury goods), this sparkler had a lively, long lasting fizz and a light, delicate bouquet and taste of wild strawberries with a dry, crisp finish. Made from grapes mainly from the Côte des Blancs and Grand Cru villages, this bubbly contains about 30% “reserve” (older) wine to achieve the style desired by the producer. Prices listed reflect typical retail cost for a 750ml bottle, and do not include tax. While grapes from the 17 Côte des Blanc “Grand Cru” villages (just south of Epernay) purportedly make the best wines, I did not necessarily find that just to be the case – with bottles containing less than 100% Grand Cru grapes showing quite well. In the following, the wines are listed in three groups: My favorites those I liked less but would not turn down and those that I found too pricey for what was offered. Moreover, the right dessert, like a light lemon sorbet or crème brŭlée (rather than a dense, chocolatey creation) is needed to favorably mate with these wines and not overwhelm their graceful finish. Also, almost all the wines were enjoyable alone and most paired quite well with the likes of salmon and scallop crudo, seafood risotto and poached salmon. Of note, the wines were more similar than dissimilar in bouquet and taste, with only a few outliers. All wines were first tasted without food and then during a specially prepared luncheon at Felidia restaurant in Manhattan. To assist consumers in purchasing these bubblies, a tasting of fifteen currently available bottles was held by the Wine Media Guild (a New York-based group of professional wine communicators and educators). On the other hand, there are now a number of excellent delicate Blanc de Blancs offering great aesthetics at much more reasonable tariffs and with relatively wide availability. And for those willing to pay the price, a statement of luxury can surely be made by toasting with one of these rather rare prized wines or serving them with carefully chosen fare. Arguably the most elegant style of champagne, Blanc de Blancs are also some of the most expensive – with hard-to-find bottles of recent vintages of Krug’s Clos du Mesnil selling at retail outlets for well over $500 a bottle, and Salon’s Le Mesnil not that far behind in price. Most champagne is blended from three grapes (pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay), but Blanc de Blancs is made exclusively from chardonnay.
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