Champagne Warrior brings you the latest Champagne and sparkling wine tasting notes, news, & updates.

In addition, please note that I have discovered that two wines in this issue have their tasting notes switched. On page 54, the note and rating for the 2004 Pascal Doquet Vertus is actually the 2004 Pascal Doquet Le Mesnil and vice versa. This mix-up may explain why I “Yellow Box Highlight” the Le Mesnil yet give it a tasting note saying it is from Vertus and then rave about the wine listed under the Vertus. The correct notes and scoring are below and subscribers will be sent an updated copy with the corrected notes.

2004 Pascal Doquet Vertus Blanc de Blancs
	(100% Chardonnay; Vertus; Fermented in stainless steel and oak; $70-100 US)
B+ 87-89		Full of pure minerals, apples, and touches of floral spice, this wine is extremely refreshing and a perfect expression of just how wonderful and fruity Vertus wines can be. Be on the lookout for this when it is released.

Watch Out For This Knockout 2004 Blanc de Blancs 2004 Pascal Doquet Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Blanc de Blancs
	(100% Chardonnay; Le Mesnil-sur-Oger; Fermented in stainless steel and oak; $70-100 US)
High A- 91-93		Floral citrus dominates the nose and leads into a structured, powerful body. Slightly sweet oranges and hints of spicy minerals characterize the palate and lead into a long finish of citrus and warm minerals. This wine is really something special and is the best wine I have ever tasted from Doquet.

August 3, 2009

1993 Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame – Quite Surprising For a 1993 Wine

I recently decided to give myself the treat of a mini Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame vertical with the vintages of 1990, 1993, and 1996. I’ve had the 1990 and 1996 fairly regularly, but had not had the 1993 in over three years. As the 1993 vintage tends to lend itself to open and fairly forward wines that have matured sooner rather than later, I was expecting a big, spiced laced, fruity wine that wouldn’t have much in reserve. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

This 1993 was rather restratined and fairly elegant with lemon, lime, and orange citrus waves crashing over gentle biscuits. Rather restrained and nowhere near its peak, this wine charmed the pants right off me. While it isn’t a knockout wine, it is one of the better wines from the 1993 vintage and one that often shows up at a very nice price. If you have a bottle or two of this, you can continue to cellar it with no worries. If you have quite a few bottles, pop one now and enjoy the elegant youthfullness that it is still showing.

August 2, 2009

Do You Save Your Champagne Caps?

Over the years, I have marvelled at the array of Chamapgne capsules that you can find on top of a bottle. Some are vary basic simply stating Champagne or nothing at all while others display exquisite artwork that changes from year to year and cuvee to cuvee. While visiting Champagne I have come to learn that a growing collector base exists for Champagne capsules with some of the most in demand capsules going for top dollars and global trading occuring on a daily basis. Maybe I shouldn’t have been giving my capsules away to people all these years!

Getting back to being serious, if you are interested in Champagne capsules, you may want to check out John Sekora’s informative site: http://www.champagnecaps.net/

It is full of information and even gives collectors a chance to buy capsules for their own collection. I have no interest in this site, but think it is pretty cool and that it adds an extra dimension to enjoying Champagne.

July 17, 2009

When Should You Drink Your Vieilles Vignes Francaises?

1998 Bollinger VVF Label

In Issue 3, I highlight Bollinger’s extraordinary wine Vieilles Vignes Francaises and review every vintage since 1970 (missing only the 1969 which saw a very, very limited release). I won’t go into all the details on what makes this wine so special or how it came to be (if you don’t know, you have to read Issue 3 to find that out), but I will say that I believe this is a wine that is absolutely captivating and amazing at a fairly young age and loses its uniqueness as it ages.

I know there are those who disagree with me and rave about vintages from the 1970s, particularly the 1970, but I just don’t see it. The 1979 is certainly still drinking very well, but every other vintage older than 20 years old (1986 and before) has lost that “special something” that it had in its youth. If you enjoy these wines as they mature into their 20s and 30s then by all means cellar them, but for those of you who aren’t intimately familiar with this cuvee and who have bottles from the late 1980s and early 1990s, I would encourage you to open them. The 1988-1992 vintages of this wine are really drinking nicely right now and deliver a wonderful experience full of power and concentration. Waiting any longer only risks the loss of these characteristics which make Vieilles Vignes Francaises so special.

July 5, 2009

Taittinger’s Artist Series – Just What Is In Those Bottles?

2000 Taittinger Artist Series

Most of us are familiar with Taittinger’s outstanding Millesime Artist Series bottlings. These bottles are released every 1-3 declared vintages by Taittiner and feature a Champagne bottle that is covered in a plastic cladding which is decorated eith attractive artwork by a famous/upcoming artist that is selected by the Taittinger family. For a long time, a discussion has gone on as to whether or not the Artist bottles are identical to the regular Millesime or not.

I’ve long wondered exactly what is in these bottles and during my last visit with the Taittinger team and family, I asked them if there were any differences in the wines. They told me that the 1978 and 1981 Artist bottles were slightly different from the Millesime, but that since then the wines were the same… probably… mabye… we think so.

Wanting to experiment, I opened a 1985, 1988, and 1990 Artist bottle along with a 1985 and 1990 Millesime. I clearly preferred the Artist series bottles to the regular Millesime bottlings as the Artist bottles had an extra freshness and zip factor to them. Were they different wines? I couldn’t say as there was a clear similarity, but the Artist bottles were much better.

I know that Taittinger has long said the plastic cladding adds an extra layer of light and heat protection and maybe that accounts for some of this difference? I honestly don’t know, but intend to continue investigating. Regardless, the Artist bottles were very tasty and as a bonus, my wife loved the artwork (it is always good when my wife likes a Champagne). I intend to keep digging into exactly what is in these bottles and wll let you know when I get to the bottom of this mystery.

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