Champagne and Celebration time.

Champagne and Celebration time. – Episode #79

August 25, 2006

1998 Dom Perignon

Today Gary Vaynerchuk tastes 4 Champagnes and talks about the area and the reasons for celebrating. Please watch and answer todays question of the day!

82 Responses

August 25, 2006

DougG
Hello. Great show.
August 25, 2006

Bill T.
Nice Episode, Gary! Congrat’s on getting into the WSJ! Gotta love the bubbly …solid 91 today! BTW …am I really first? Have a great weekend!
August 25, 2006

SeanM
Gary, I gave you today off, what are you doing?
August 25, 2006

diego de la p...
hi gary, nice job
August 25, 2006

Larry
Gary…My admin brought the WSJ into my office and set it down on my desk (she always does) and I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw your face. I laughed out loud..saying something along the line of “I can’t believe it”.

Anyway congrats and continued success.
August 25, 2006

Jaye
Never been a fan of champagne or sparkling wine. Just doesn’t do it for me. Sorry, even watching this episode is not likely to change my mind. The dozen or so varieties I’ve tried over the years have just brought me to that conclusion.

Oh, and thanks for the “shout out”. Start collecting your own!
August 25, 2006

DougG
1990 DP that I had a couple o years ago when seeing a childhood friend after years and years past. Found out he was into wine as well and I opened this, my only bottle, for the reunion. I guess it was just the company but that was the finest by far.
August 25, 2006

garyv
Doug the 1990 DOM P was AMAZING stuff, 1990 was just an amazing year for Champagne!
August 25, 2006

Steve
CONGRATS MY FRIEND! Not everyday that one lands on the front page of the WSJ. Also thanks for answering my question.
As for my favorite Champagne….Gary, I don’t have one. I was never a big fan of Champagne. Maybe time for a new exploration into it. So much wine and so little time…………
August 25, 2006

SeanM
Prosecco, good taste, good price.
August 25, 2006

Jim J.
Gary:

Fun episode. I’ve never been a fan of the sparklers; it seems like I’m always looking forward to the “real wine” that is served after the Champagne. Most of the ones I’ve had are too acidic, die on the palate, and are simply uninteresting. I think I’ve probably just never been exposed to a really good one (although, if the prices in this episode are indicative, I doubt that I will be searching one out).

The episode does raise a question related to some of the earlier one’s you’ve addressed — namely, how do you properly serve a Champagne? Specifically, what temperature? should the bottle be opened and left to breath for any period of time? and why the narrow flutes?

Also, for non-vintage Champagnes, how do you compare a bottle purchased now with a bottle purchased, say, five years ago? Are they supposed to be the same? If so, how does a producer ensure this? If not, how do you know really what you are buying?

Inquiring minds want to know . . .
August 25, 2006

Tony S.
Hey Gary,

Nice episode. I was about to ask if you were ever going to do a Champagne show, so I guess that answers my question.

As for my favorite, although I usually like to save Champagne for a toast, or with appetizers or something, I’m not that big into “drinking” them. BUT, when I worked for a previous wine auction company before the one I’m with now, we had a pre-auction tasting that featured a few Champagnes. Among them was the 1985 Krug, man…that bottle opened my eyes to what a great Champagne is. It was crisp, yet had that rich, buttery thing going on that I never thought could happen with a Champagne.

The only downside is, that’s way out of my price range, so unless I have it at another tasting or something, it’ll just be the memory and I’ll be stuck with the $20-30 hit or miss bottles.

See you later, and I’ll be popping some Champagne when Da Bears beat your Jets in the Superbowl!
August 25, 2006

Matty Van
jets in the super bowl I know its friday but no need for crazy talk

HOW TO SERVE CHAMPAGNE……

“SERVING CHAMPAGNE with style â€” removing the cork quietly, cooling the wine to right temperature, and to keep it in the glass and off your guests â€” is not a natural gift. It requires a little dexterity, concentration, and a good dose of practice.
Champagne should be served in long-stemmed flutes or tulip shaped glasses. These are designed to enhance the flow of bubbles to the crown and to concentrate the aromas of the wine. Never chill or ice the glass as it would take away from the enjoyment of the wine. Incidentally, since the surface texture of crystal is rougher than ordinary glass, more bubbles form on these glasses.

Champagne is to be served cold at about 43 to 48Â°F (7Â°C). In this range the smell and taste of the wine can be fully appreciated. This temperature can be achieved by placing the unopened bottle in an ice bucket â€” one-half ice and one-half water â€” for 20 to 30 minutes. Or, you may refrigerate it for 3 to 4 hours. The refrigerator temperature is too cold for the bottle to be left in there for extended periods. It should never be placed in the freezer.

The champagne cork is not a toy. There is about 70 pounds-per-square-inch of pressure behind it, thus making it a formidable missile. It helps if the champagne is properly chilled â€” at 45Â°F the gas is reduced one atmosphere of pressure â€” and you avoid shaking it as much as possible before opening it.

Only remove enough of the foil to be able to loosen or remove the twisted-wire hood. It is wise to keep a finger or thumb over the cork at this point as it could pop out of its own accord. If the cork is loose, remove it carefully with the wire hood. Most often though, the cork has to be eased out. To do this, hold the bottle away from you and anyone else, at a 45 degree angle. It is prudent to place the mouth of the bottle nearest the first champagne glass to be filled in case the removal of the cork is mishandled and the wine begins to gush out of the bottle. Hold the cork and gently turn the bottle in one direction. Turn the bottle and not the cork.
The cork should not pop. As the saying goes, “The ear’s gain is the palate’s loss.” You waste bubbles when you pop the cork. When properly executed it should come off with a quiet sigh.

Before pouring, the neck should be wiped with a clean linen.Then begin by pouring a little â€” an inch or so â€” into everyone’s glass allowing the froth to settle. Then go around and top up to about two-thirds. This will prevent any frothing over.

The correct way to pour a bottle of champagne is to hold the base firmly in one hand with the thumb in the punt and the fingers spread out along the barrel of the bottle.

Champagne has reached its maturity and is ready for immediate consumption as soon as it leaves the champagne house. See Champagne Vintage Chart. However, champagne may be stored in cellar-like conditions for several years. (see Basic Storage Conditions) The important conditions are a constant, cool temperature and no light. The bottles must be stored horizontally to keep the cork moist and thus retain its elasticity. This will keep the gas in and the air out.

Once opened, a bottle of champagne need not be consumed in one sitting. If properly closed â€“ inexpensive champagne stoppers are made just for this purpose â€“ and it is placed in a refrigerator, it should be good for another “bubbling” for up to several days. More of a popular myth than a solution, placing the handle of a silver spoon dangling into the neck of the bottle, will keep the wine sparkling for a few hours. This may be a quaint “solution” if you run out of stoppers. ”

courisy of google

QOD – I dont have a fav. champagne have only had the cheap ones and have yet to find one worth remembering. I look forward to the champage episode and hope it points mt to a good bottle under $20.

In closing why to they call it champagne when there is really no pain involed shouldent they call it Cham-pleasure???
August 25, 2006

LMA
Gary… really enjoyed the show. Though, I really really can’t wait until you go through some of the grower/producers in Champagne. I have a hard time imagining not being a fan of Champagne. I guess there’s a couple different camps in the wine lovers circle. I’m in yours, evidently. I love the stuff (of course, just the good ones). I,too, am a BIG fan of the smaller grower producers. I got hooked after a New York Times article about them a few years ago and I went searching out for whatever I could find.

And again you are right about 1990 Champagne. It was a great year. Which leads to the QOD: my favorite Champagne so far has been a 1990 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs. Maybe it was because it was the first “vintage” Champagne, but it was just eye-opening. I also really liked some of the NV wines by Egly-Ouriet and Gimonnet. As far as the bigger houses go, I had a glass of NV Billecart-Salmon as an apperatif at Blackbird not too long ago that really impressed me.
Needless to say, like the Champagne!
August 25, 2006

Matty Van
Link to gary’s WSJ interview on WSJ’s site…

http://online.wsj.com/public/page/8_0000-qW7GfptE5NzdGNxjPC9y4fwR_HvKPTNf-qW7GfptE5NzdGNxjPC9y4fwR_HvKPTNf.html?mod=ARTICLE_VIDEO
August 25, 2006

ChrisR
I love Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs, but the best I ever had was Dom Perignon. I don’t remember the vintage (might have been the 1996) but it was year’s ago at Brennan’s during a New Orleans convention and we drank bottle after bottle with great New Orleans seafood. Luckily, I was the client so I didn’t have to pick up the check!
August 25, 2006

Ed R
92 pt. episode, now I need a copy of WSJ.
August 25, 2006

TimF
Gary – Fantastic episode. I _LOVE_ sparkling wine. I love them all. I haven’t had one I don’t like. My favorite bottle is probably the last one I had (okay, not really Champagne): Domaine Chandon Etoile Rose at Mustards Grill in Yountville earlier this week. I think roses are way underrated in general — would love to see an episode about them.

This episode raises a great question. You mentioned that you want all producers to go to screw caps. Domaine Chandon went to bottle caps on some of their wines. This is ironic given the advertisement they have when entering Napa (a huge billboard with a regular cork and a sparkler cork side by side, with the caption that says something like “Which is more fun?”). So do you want to give up with “ppft” you get when opening Champagne?

Along these lines, the subject of screwcaps seemed to be huge in Napa/Sonoma. At Ridge we discussed it and the tasting room manager mentioned that they test screwcaps out and taste the wines blind. She said that they _always_ prefer the wine with a cork. I’m starting to think screwcaps might be good for a young chard or sauv blanc but that’s about it…
August 25, 2006

TimF
Gary – I hate to be a stickler on pronunciation but the way you pronounced Pinot Meunier sounded more like Pinot Manure. I think it’s supposed to be more like Pinot muh-NYAY.
August 25, 2006

mwf
In October 2004 we headed to the Napa Valley. There we had two great champagnes.

The first was from the Frank Family VIneyard (frankfamilyvineyards.com) and is called Champagne, Rouge. This is a fruity champagne. The bottles we shipped home were wonderful at Thanksgiving!

The second comes from Mumm (mummnapa.com). It is a winery exclusive called Demi Sec. This is a sweeter champagne with about 3% added sugar as I recall. A very interesting and tasty different kind of champagne.

The bubblies from Domaine Caneros were disappointing.

Pictures from our trip at:

4dice.com/napa_web/start.html
August 25, 2006

Rick E
Gary –

Congrats on the WSJ. It’s like seeing a drinking buddy on the front page of a major publication (but without all that extradition talk).

I also watched the video, and concluded that maybe Vanessa O’Connell could have used a drink or two to help loosen up a bit.

QOD: I guess I should be a little embarrassed by this but when I worked in NYC we had just signed a hard-fought contract with one of our clients and my partner bought a bottle of Dom Perignon to celebrate. We popped it open in the conference room and drank out of 6oz dixie cups. To your point about atmosphere and environment, it was one of the best champagnes I ever had. Plus I think I remember Big Bird’s picture when I got to the bottom of the cup. Show me a champagne flute that can do that…
August 25, 2006

Kai
Gary,

You were awesome on the WSJ interview. Keep up the good work.

Kai from Hong Kong
August 25, 2006

Alan H
The best champagne i’ve had was the 1985 Champagne Charlie by Charles Heidseick, which I had on a special birthday occassion in 2005. The only other bottle that had ever come close was a bottle of N.V Krug which I had kept in a cellar for around 5 years, the development that even this N.V wine went through was well worth the wait. Keeping N.V champagne to age is probley something that slips most peoples minds, but certain cuvee’s I think require and benifit from it.

And Gary if you do do barbaresco I’d love to see a bottle of Gaja in the line up!
August 25, 2006

Tony
Gary,

Congrats on the WSJ! You’re starting to be famous. A year from now, you probably won’t even talk to us “little people” who knew you before you were the rock star “wine guy”.

I’ve never really gotten into Champagne for a couple of reasons:

1. The good stuff seems to be hideously expensive.
2. Aside from a few big names, champagne is very confusing, and I don’t drink enough of it to become familiar with what’s good and what’s not.
3. I was raised on Cold Duck and Andre Brut, so I never developed an interest in champagne. I just thought it was yucky sweet bubbly stuff.

As a result, I don’t have a favorite bottle.

Maybe that will change if you review some good, affordable bottles.
August 25, 2006

JohnM
Big ups on the WSJ! Way to go.
August 25, 2006

Russ J
Gary: Well done on the WSJ interview. If only that stiff who interviewed you was half as at ease and comfortable as you were!

I am not a big Champagne person either but I have had a couple of killer bottles. Most killer: 1996 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne followed closely by a 1995 Bollinger Grande Annee.
August 25, 2006

Tony G.
WSJ! Now that’s what I’m talking about!
August 25, 2006

Andre (aka asr2021)
Hi Gary et al.,
My first Champagne was the Moet white star. I bought it for my gf’s first birthday. We liked it very much with strawberries; it was a great experience.

I must say that my best sparkling wine experience was with prosecco. For Valentine’s Day I cooked a great dinner paired with Sauvignon Blanc, picked-up desert, and served the prosecco with chocolates and strawberrries. This was the best celebration I’ve had to date.

Nice suit Gary gar!
August 25, 2006

john maki
Most memorable champagne – Krug Rose in the late 60’s. A friend of my wife’s was getting married and had us over for a very casual event where this was served pretty much by itself. I had never heard of it before, but was it good! It had an immense mouthfeel and dry rich flavors. I don’t remember a year, so it was probably non-vintage, but I’m not sure. Never tasted anything like it since. Now I realize how expensive it probably was. It just snuck up on me and hit me over the head!!!
August 25, 2006

mwf
Andre (aka asr2021):

“gf’s first birthday” ?? Isn’t that a bit young for champagne?
August 25, 2006

mwf
GIANTS 13, jets 7
August 26, 2006

Tony
OMG, Gary! I just watched the video (I was having plugin problems)! That tie!! (sound of hilarious laughing)…

Sorry, buddy, but that tie just cracked me up. No offense, and please don’t hate me, but I couldn’t contain myself. Tell me when your birthday is, and I’ll buy you a nice-looking silk tie.

Too bad you didn’t talk about the vlog during the interview, there was a good opportunity when she asked about marketing and attracting sales. Too bad she didn’t ask about it.

Tony
August 26, 2006

PeteB
Way to go GV and Wine Library!!!

You get another 100pts from me on this one. I give the episode 95pts and another 5 for the Giants beating your Jets tonight!!! lol….

All kidding aside, I love the bubbly as well and look forward to your future episodes on some the not so well known producers “the growers”. I picked up the Brice earlier this week from your shop and can’t wait to try some more.

To answer your question of the day, I will have to owe my exploration into champaigne to just that, exploration- I fell victim to only cracking open the bubbly on special occasions and during the Sunday Brunch – but then I wondered into food pairings w/ Prosecco’s etc. and have come to love Champagne, as well as those sparklings and they have become a staple of the dining experience for my wife & I.

Great episode and great job!!!!!
August 26, 2006

Jim Vandegriff
Wonderful episode, Gary. I’m glad you explored champagne. I always seem to enjoy it when I have it, but that isn’t often enough. (Maybe I need more celebration in my life.)
I enjoyed the interview as well. The interviewer seemed well prepared, and you were both professional, and yet personable. Good stuff. Jim
August 26, 2006

StÃ©phane
Gary, another great episode. I’ve been a fan since episode one, and congratulations again for your feature in the WSJ. Now, here’s a request I’m really hoping you can carry out. This might be heresy for a wine cognoscenti like yourself, but knowing your love for Champagne and terroir flavors please seek out a Gueuze and tell me what you think. Yes, it’s technically a beer, a lambic to be specific but trust me here. Find yourself a bottle of Drie Fonteinen, Girardin or Cantillon (in that order of preference) and give it a try.

My father has always been an advocate of good Champagne, in fact our cellar is stocked with Laurent Perrier. Yet in my years of tasting them I have rarely found examples more powerful than a well blended and aged Gueuze. These sour beers tickle the same part of my palate as Champagne and are well worth seeking out.
August 26, 2006

MikeMe
Liked and congrats on your interview/exposure for store with WSJ.

QOD: Shramsberg is our current favorite. We made a trip to Nappa and spent time in thier caves doing several tastings and was really hooked. It is the only wine club we belong to and really like always having “bubbles” around. It really is a great tour (2 hrs) and I highly recommend it to anyone traveling to Nappa to make the appt. Then tour others like Domaine Carneros for comparison.

Gary – with a pallet as developed as yours I assume you have your prefernces with regards to oak. There is American, Hungarian, French…I get a different answer as to the differences between them and affect on wine from the wine makers when I ask – can you help clarify affect the region/oak has on the wines and why some swear by American or others French? I think in many cases it is cost!

Cheers
August 26, 2006

Bob B
Gary once again congrats on WSJ.
My favorite champagne involves four.
One January 1st my parents invited my wife & me to their house for dinner. I brought a 1990 Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill; I thought this will impress the old man.
When we arrived he thanked me for the wine & said “put it in the frig with the others.”
The others were 1990 Dom, 1990 Krug & 1990 Crystal. I did bring a good one but….
The day was great & the champagne was even better.
August 26, 2006

gabe
yeah bob u…break out the barbaresco gary..how bout my Orlando abrigo vigna montersino stuff

Gary how bout some guest WLTV hosts during the 4th quarter…WLTV hosted by Gabe Conte

I ‘ll wear my giants jersey!!!!!

hahahaahah
August 26, 2006

Tony
Gary,

Sorry for laughing at your tie. That was mean. You were great in that interview.

One thing that stuck with me from this episode was that you talked about wines closing down. What causes this? Please spend an episode talking about how, when and why wines close down and go through dumb phases. Is there a way to counteract it (decanting, etc.)? The whole idea mystifies and fascinates me. I’m going to add this to my list of episodes that I’m going to bug you endlessly and relentlessly about.

Speaking of which…well you know what I’m going to say.

Also, I just want to thank YOU for doing WLTV. I know you are totally slammed making WL the best wine store out there and I know I speak for everyone when I say that we really appreciate the time, effort and dedication you put into each episode of WLTV. I’d hate to see you burn out on doing WLTV, so please take time off from doing it whenever you feel you need to.

Tony
August 26, 2006

GOL
Champagne — As Gary said, we in the USA drink the Gallos & Yellow Tails of Champagne. The problem is that Yellow Tail costs $5, but the “Yellow Tail” champagnes cost $30. For my personal wine $ curve I’d rather buy wine than champagne. That said, I did have a champagne under $30 once that I really liked, Nicolas Feuillate Premier Cru (non-vintage)

Tony’s comment re: burn out — Gary, your show is so great. It doesn’t seem possible that you can continue with such energy doing so many shows, so if you need to take some time off in 4Q, please do. Just keep WLTV alive!

Question – Gary (or anyone on the blog), how do you clean your wine glasses? The large stems are difficult to hand clean. Obviously a dishwasher is bad news. Do you use soap, salt, baking soda, or just hot water? What to do?
August 26, 2006

sam
Garry,

Congrats!!,

Cuvee Louise 1989 Pommery. It was a warm summer night…the stars were aligned just right, and thats why it was the best one yet! (I stayed in a overpriced hotel in S. Beach, Fl. please don’t ask me how much I paid for it). Now a days I enjoy a great Prosecco.
August 26, 2006

BobM
Well, the secret is out – find the champagne that isn’t hyped into stratospheric $$$ and drink it while still at a good price = Nicolas Feuillate Premier Cru! You could also try an American sparkler that is about $10 = Gruet Brut from New Mexico.
August 26, 2006

GeneV
Gary, great episode and thanks for the answer! The WSJ interview was also interesting. How do you make money selling at cost?

Best champagne: VC Grande Dame. Beautiful notes of honey on fresh baked bread.

Best Champagne experience was a few months ago. Here in NM, tailgate parties at the Santa Fe Opera are a tradition. I am a so-so opera fan, so I had not tried it until now. The experience is something special.

Imagine a parking lot on the top of a rocky mountain foothill with a gorgeous view of a mountain sunset. Behind almost every car is a card table covered by a table cloth. On top of every table is one or more bottles of wine–usually Champagne and food. Hundreds of folks in a line raising a glass and enjoying a picnic together as the hills turn from red to purple to black.

On your WLTV recommendation I bought a batch of the Brice Premier Cru a while back, and drank the last of it on that hill with good friends and a wonderful dinner. I received so many compliments on the wine, that I think they would have been bowled over to find they were drinking bubbles which cost less than some of our local NM sparklers. Great recommendation and a terrific evening! (Oh, and after a nice Champagne and a sunset, opera is fun)
August 26, 2006

sam
BobM,

You are so right… I forgot how great Nicolas Feuillate are even the N.V. Blue Label. An other steal is L.Vitteaut-Alberti, Blanc de Blancs, Love it!!
August 26, 2006

Rick McQ
Gary:

I never really drank Champagne because the bubbles give me gas. Only Kidding! Learned alot from the show, maybe I’ll give it a try. Can you move the picture behind you either to the right or left it would be easier to see.
August 26, 2006

zerokreap (kw)
good job…and congrats for getting on the cover of WSJ. QOTD: 96 dom p on valentines day last year with my girl, whom had never tasted anything other than korbel! i opened her eyes to the wonderful world of good champagne…the brice rose was good as well.
August 26, 2006

Andre (aka asr2021)
Mwf,
LOL! I meant the first of her birthdays that I’ve celebrated with her.
August 26, 2006

GregS
Gary,

Great episode (would love to see the “value” oriented champagne episode though). Loved WSJ piece. I have to say that Vanessa was pretty hot too

Keep it up!
August 27, 2006

Matty Van
“OMG, Gary! I just watched the video (I was having plugin problems)! That tie!! (sound of hilarious laughing)”

Real Men Wear Purple.

Gary I too want to thank you, you have taught me a lot about wine, if it wernt for you I would not have developed a passion for wine.

If you are too busy in the 4th qtr to do this show I would rather have the show go one with one of your emplyees than have no show at all.
August 27, 2006

Adam
Hey Gary,
Great show again. I love Champagne as well, especially with sushi.
My favorite champagne bottle I own is worth about $5.00, but has the most sentimental value by far. It is a bottle a comic gave my wife and I on our honeymoon last summer. It is a N.V. Pol ClÃ©ment Vin Mousseux Blanc de Blancs Brut.
On a separate note, I have a question for you. I know you rate wine with the price taken into account. Do you think this is fair? Is a $10.00 90-point wine the same as a $100.00 90-point wine in terms of quality? Shouldn’t wine be evaluated independently of its cost?
Adam
August 27, 2006

Guillaume B
Gary,

Wine Library TV is good for my English skills (I am French living in Paris). Thks a lot!!

As a big Champagne drinker and even though I am a Bollinger fan, I believe there is no unique Champagne taste.

I don’t know if you guys in the US can find those following Champagne but trust me, you will taste the best sample of Champagne excellence should you find them :

Bollinger Grande AnnÃ©e 1992, 1990, 1982 (keep 1996 in your cellar, best Champagne ever tasted) and RD 1990

Salon 1988 (keep 1990 and 1995)

Selosse “Substance” cuvee

Krug 1988

Comte de Chapagne Taittinger 1990

Cazals 1997

For “every day life” please consider :
Bollinger SpÃ©cial cuvÃ©e, Billecart Salmon Brut Collection, Da Sousa, Moncuit, Franck Pascal, Alexandre L, Drappier…

Gary, if your tastings and travel bring you to Paris, please stop by. There are couples of amazing tasting places here…

Rgds
Guillaume
August 27, 2006

SAFSAM
Gary,
Winelibrary TV is just awesome. Entertaining and enlightening. Please keep it going for as long as you can. I’m sure it takes time and thought but we really appreciate and enjoy it.

Question please.

You might tell me that I’m off base, but I have an impression that many California Cabernets/Blends have been struggling since their heyday in the late 80s to 1997.

How come wines like BV Georges de LaTour, Merryvale Profile, Justin Isosceles, Mondavi Reserve Cab, Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages, Viader (there are many more examples) etc. can’t seem to get back to the quality of their “hey day”. I realize the mid-90s to 1997 provided some great growing seasons, but I find that these wines are just not what they used to be…and……they cost a lot more than they did then!!!! Why can’t the wine makers make better wines better wines? I would like to think they could continue to produce at high levels (or even exceed the previous quality- what a concept!) but to me it doesn’t seem so. You can even see this reflected in the wine scores. Cinq Cepages and Viader had 96-97 WS scores in the late 90s. Now they are lucky to hit 92.

Thanks,
SAFSAM
August 28, 2006

Darlene O.
The cover of the Wall Street Journal…Booyah!!!!!
Well deserved (as long as it was complimentary and they didn’t reem you a new a$$hole!!:}) Keep up the fine work, Gary. You are educating the masses like no one else can!
August 28, 2006

P. Hig.
Great episode. Never been a big fan of DP though one of my faves of all times was a mag of 1976. Time and place had much to do with it but the wine was wonderful. 1988 Krug also a great wine. Jacquesson late disgorged 1982 (I think it was) was also a spectacular wine. Agree entirely on the small producers. Pierre Peters, Gimmonet, Gaston Chiquet, Larmandier, Diebolt-Vallois are just few that come to mind. All make regular NVs and luxury bottlings that are out of this world. Have not had the Gratien Cuvee Paradis but will certainly give it a shot. Gary, not that I eat much caviar, especially these days when you are contributing the the extinction of one of the oldest know vertabrates, but the Champagne/Caviar combo is a bit of a travesty. One thing goes with Caviar, and one thing only, and that is iced Vodka. It is essentially the only time I drink hard liquor except the occasional ‘gnac after a pentagruelian meal. Champs makes caviar taste metallic. Other than that, tell the heathen that while Napa may make a fine sparkling wine, as do a few others, there is only one Champagne, and that is from France;) Otherwise we might as well go back to hearty burgundy–a contradiction in terms eh.
August 28, 2006

Chris
Gary,
Contgrats on the WSJ. Can’t wait fot the grower episode. My two favorite bottles of sparkling wine have been 88 Krug & 96 Schramberg J Schram. I had both bottles with my wife. Keep up the good work.
August 28, 2006

Colin D. Devroe
EP rating 88.
August 28, 2006

stewart l.
favorite bottle of Champagne-1995 Dom Perignon. Given to me by a patient before he died. My wife and I drank it on a recent 25th wedding anniversary. In regards to aering the wine before your show, I debate how successful that will be if no wine is poured out, as the surface area at the neck is so small.
August 28, 2006

Jason R.
My favorite Champage – I would go with the 90 DP – Had it when I was 21 at Christmas – Never forget that one.

My next favorite would have to be the Bollinger Special – 2 Bottles in cellar that I received for my wedding. Haven’t drank either – but from scores they should be good, and for memories and the occasion that I will drink them, they should provide a “Knock out” experience.

IN my opinion I would have to agree with POST #39 – Up and Commer for the $10 – Gruet Brut from New Mexico.

Gary – I am supprised that you didn’t mention the difference between “Champagne” coming from Champagne, France and the knock-off “Sparkling wine” of U.S. Not that I am turned off to Sparklers, just that they are different and that may be in contribution to comments that seem to keep popping up that I see people continue to bring up as “LABELS ARE CONFUSING”? Not that I think you need to know exactly what you are drinking to enjoy it, but I think that it heightens the “experience” and satisfies peoples curriosities.
Thanks!!!
August 28, 2006

Jonathan B
Gary, great show as always. I know you are a Jets fan. I was once when I lived in NY (born and raised in Queens), but I have lived in New England these past 20+ years and I so in defense of my adopted team the Patriots…bye, bye Jets.

Jonathan
August 28, 2006

DaBear
Gary,

What other specific liquors do you enjoy besides wine/champagne? I know this is a wine vlog but, you can not drink wine all the time.
August 28, 2006

Fluffy
Gary,
Another great job, QOD I like to bath in light bodied Piper-Heidsieck ot Taittinger but Louis Roederer is my every day drinking Champ
AFO – Fluffy
August 28, 2006

Craig
Gary,
Bubbles off the Richter! This one gets about a solid 96, because it was fun, festive, complete, entertaining and informative from start to finish, and I know I will come back to it. Aside from grower Champagne future episode you mentioned, it would be nice to see an EP on CA sparkling wines as a cost-attractive alternative. Also for something quite different, consider an episode exploring the unique pairings of Champagnes of different dryness and different foods, which could prompt more people to try who do not feel Champagne is for them. Itâ€™s worth mentioning one of the other reasons we do Champagne is because it does not have to be for a celebration or special occasion every time. QOTD: In 1994 we had a once in a lifetime opportunity to buy a single bottle from a small lot that had been privately cellared. It was the Royal Celebration Cuvee, a 1975 Veuve Clicquot Brut selected for the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana (foil label shows their date as Wednesday 29th July 1981). We cellared another six years, and drank it in 2000 when I completed my Doctorate, which itself was an eleven year ordeal. Those who have had a well-aged premium Champagne will understand when I say the experience was sublime, worth the wait and every penny. The bouquet was one of the most complex I have ever smelled, including bread/yeast, flowers, butter, nuts and others over background lemons and pears. Most remarkably it was still fresh and not flabby, and great bubbles lightening the full body along with an unbelievably long finish. The 1990 Dom we drank for my wifeâ€™s Doctorate is worth mentioning as well — excellent to classic just as others here have noted. Congratulations to you Gary and the WL for the WSJ cover!
Cheers, CK
August 28, 2006

Sam Zen
DID I NOT TELL YOU THAT WLTV IS A REVOLUTION AND THAT YOU’D BE ON THE FRONT PAGE OF A MNAJOR PUBLICATION!!!!!! Way to go Gary… but don’t let it get to your head.

BTW- this weekend I’m going up to Spring Lake and will be dropping by your store to pick up a couple of cases I had on order. Will you be in?
August 28, 2006

joe
Gary – great episode and Congrats on the WSJ front cover. I LOVED your sign-off – it had me laughing!

I actually liked Moet White Star and V-C – as I compared them to the likes of US Mumm and Chandon. I didn’t knwo it got better until I had BilleCart Salmon at a wine pairing dinner at Ryland Inn. Now Billecart NV and Rose are my house wines. Perhaps the 1990 Sir Winston Churchhill was my all time fav champaign.

Gary – what under $35 NV champaigns should we seek out that is substantially better than White Star?
August 28, 2006

Dave
Good show today and congrats on the Journal Cover. You should do an episode on some home grown sparkling wines, gruet and ironhorse come to mind, also i think the domain chandon blanc de noirs is not bad. it would be interesting to see you taste some american sparklers and give some of your insight

Cheers
August 28, 2006

Rich S
I too am not a huge fan of champagne but I do have a few bottles (that were gifts) that I am excited about in my collection. Among them are a 98 Dom and a 95 Nicolas Feuillatte Premiere Cru.

For a reasonable champagne though I tend to like Piper Heidseick. Speaking of which, I have a question for Gary. I have a 1975 Piper Heidseick and am curious to know how long a vintage champagne will age and still be good. I mean, I am sure this bottle is ready by now but I want to know if it is perhaps past its prime.
August 28, 2006

ray n
Your the man!

I have a question: while trying to absorb all the things you talk about and the things I read, in this day and age, is there a computer program I can use to write down the things I want to remember about particular wines, regions, and grapes?
August 30, 2006

Lawrence Leichtman
Big champagne fan here. I try to have champagne at least once a month. My absolute favorite is Krug but I can’t afford to drink that. Nicholas Feuillait is my usual splurge. My most memorable bottles were Krug Rose 1972 vintage. Bought 4 bottles in 1976 when we got married and had one to celebrate each child being born. Wish I still had some today. Can taste it still. Great show. More champagne episodes.
August 30, 2006

Judith
I’m with you, Gary; champagne is my favorite wine. In our house, we don’t save champagne for special occasions. Just opening a bottle makes the evening special. To date, my most memorable champagnes have been ‘96 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame (and thankfully I still have three more bottles!) and ‘95 Pommery Cuvee Louise (which I was fortunate to have for the first time at the Pommery cellars in Rheims). Both are just extraordinary. Lots of runners up, including the ‘96 Bollinger Grand Annee. An ‘89 Veuve Clicquot is memorable to me because it was given to me by friends some years ago and was the first bottle of really good champagne that I’d ever had. It made me realize what a difference there is out there among wines. (I was most disappointed by a bottle of ‘96 Dom Perignon. So many folks have raved about this that I wonder about bottle variation. I found it interesting that you weren’t wowed by the ‘98.)

I look forward to more shows on sparklers. Thanks for WLTV. (And congrats again on the WSJ!)
August 31, 2006

Christian
Hi Gary,
I love the way you educate people about wines! To the point, what do you think of Astis? I am getting married in a couple of months and I was considering serving that kind of sparkling (howevere I haven’t been able t find my favorite: Riccadonna. Another question do you think it will look awful if I serve the cheap wine/champagne to my guests and the expensive ones to my family?
Thanks for your response.
Christian
September 18, 2006

Eric
I’m way behind on these posts, but in response to your question, Rich S., non vintage Champagne is meant to be enjoyed right off the shelf, but like a good vintage Champagne it can sometimes benefit from some proper cellaring. Typically, a vintage should be consumed not much longer than 10 to 15 years after the date on the bottle, assuming it has been handled correctly. Immaculate cellaring will extend the life of the wine to a possible 20 years, as I had an ‘85 Veuve Cliquot Reserve Rose the other night that gained a tremendous amount of complexity from the wait, but I could tell that it wouldn’t have lasted much longer. In my opinion, you should open the bottle now and see, because it’s likely that it is past it’s prime (and certainly isn’t going to benefit from any more time in the bottle). With a wine that old it tends to be difficult to justify simply opening it, but I would go for it.

As for favorites, I’m only 22 and have been experimenting for a relatively short amount of time, but my girlfriend and I consider ourselves junkies, and drink the bubbly stuff every chance we get. We drink VCP Yellow or Gold Label most often, but Krug is my favorite. The ‘88 is very nice, and seems to be popular among the posts, but the ‘90 Clos du Mesnil is the greatest Champagne I’ve ever tasted. (Salon makes a great wine from Le Mesnil as well, what a vineyard!) As for Dom Perignon, the ‘90 and ‘95 I feel are superior to the ‘96 and ‘98, but I generally tend not to drink the Dom.

As for relatively inexpensive options, there are some decent non vintages out there, like the VCP Yellow or Gaston Chiquet or Gosset. Any cheaper than that, I would recommend exploring alternatives to Champagne.
September 20, 2006

Brandon M
I completly missed this episode and I suck!

I always associated Champagne with drunk girls in college…the sloppy, get out of my face kind of drunk, so I have carried around that stigma for a while. I am coming out of it, but can’t wait for the growers episode. Looking for that value Champagne that Gary says is worth it.

B
September 23, 2006

Rick
Gary

St Clair Vineyard says,

“Bellisimo $11.00 a bottle

A delightful twist on bubbly. We make this dessert sparkling wine with our Muscat grapes, to create a sparkling wine with great character, aroma, and body. Very sweet.

2006 Chairman’s Award- Unanimous Gold Medal Riverside International Wine Competition

2006 Silver Medal Winner Los Angeles Wines of the World”
March 1, 2007

desmaic
Argyle has a line of bubbles… reasonable pricing… fantastic taste and feel… Knudsen blanc de blanc – toasty, bright with some butter, Brut Rose 100% Pinot Noir – crisp red apple with hints of peach and apricot, Knudsen 1998, Extended Tirage 1996 – higher end hard to get 580-some odd cases made – complex yeasty, and Black Brut (deep red bubbley) strange but nice feel, silky rich tannins like you would expect from a great reserve pinot noir with the crisp bite of bubbles,, really a cult taste and not a common release… outstanding Oregon bubbles check them out!
May 3, 2007

Chae
Love the Champagne! If you want a great champange at a reasonable price try the Duval Leroy 96. Best of all time is the 75 Dom or the 96 Verve La Grande Dame.
Also the Salon 90 and 96
Always keen to hear of any smaller producers who are making great champagne.
Thanks, keep up the good work!
May 10, 2007

dublin
Love the Champers baby! Best bottle ever, PJ in Paris France with my wife hanging on our belcony with a spectacular view of the Eifle tower eating strawberries. One of the best moments in my life. Cheers!
June 17, 2007

Totte
First comment after watching prob.50+ episodes in a couple of days. Greatest champagne ever tasted?
I have to say that the -85 Salon i had a sip of some 3-4 years ago was amazing. Really developed and super well structured. The -96 was pretty nice to but really shut and far too young.
I also had some wonderful Selosse over the years (Im 24 so not that many years).

Keep it up Chuk
July 16, 2007

Dave Canada
I am a complete champagne novice…..
QOTD – my favorite bottle…probably some non-vintage Pol Roger that we had at our wedding. It was great!
February 12, 2008

thefanjestic
Good Episode – one I will watch again as I grow with Champagne this year. Also very cool to watch all of the questions answered! Only on laid back Fridays now. I wonder if Genev is still around?
April 5, 2008

Kristen
I’m a champagne novice- as a CKC, I can’t quite drop as much moola on real champagne. In the US, I go more for cava and prosecco. However, in France, I loved Carrefour’s brand of champagne…the best part? A 750ml bottle cost 0,76 euros. You have to love 76 cent champagne!
August 22, 2008

Devan
Champagne ranks in my top three favorite wines (Chardonnay and Merlot being the other two). I drink it every chance I get, which isn’t that often unfortunately. I think part of my love of champagne is that it was the first wine that I really was educated about. When I was 16 I went on a tour of Champagne (the region now, not the wine) with my father. Every day during that trip we went to 2 or 3 different houses for degustations. Fantastic experience, let me tell you. This brings me to my favorite champagne–Moet et Chandon Brut Imperial. I love dry whites, so this preference fits in that sense. I think though that my love of this champagne above all others has to do with the setting in which I first tasted it–in the inner courtyard of the headquarters in Epernay.
September 18, 2009

John J.
qotd: havent bought alot of champagne, no great reason either. champagne is pretty expensive for one. had a decent amount of sparklings. so my best champagne would have to be a vintage one. A gentleman I was serving a 1996 veuve cliquot-ponsardin la grand dame to, surprised me by giving me a glass, that was really nice. Scratch that, it was whatever champagne i was given when i found out i was 1st in my class at the 1st court of master sommelier classes i had. i have no idea what it was, whole thing was a blur. i didnt know what to expect from the classes [since i'd never been to any before], was worried i hadnt prepared enough and may not get through. They waited last to tell me my results. so i was freakin out. i was happy to pass and to do that well was a total surprise, and boy did that champagne taste fantastic after that.
love that your readin/answering comments. i’d love to see a vin jaune episode, and a tasting on the different charbono’s out there.

Champagne and Celebration time. – Episode #79

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