By: Ryan Tedder
Okay so the title of this blog may be pure conjecture but it is a steadfast belief. Great Champagne makes every day better and you cannot drink it with a frown on your face-it is simply impossible! It’s like riding a roller coaster and yelling “boo!” the entire time. The lithium in Champagne also helps with your mood, the effervescence with your indigestion and the alcohol with your ability to dance. All in all: a win all the way around.
This last Saturday we had the delight of enjoying these 4 bubbly bad boys. All were great in their own right and they sum of the group further cemented my desire to become the Chamapgne expert of Texas…Or at least get drunk trying endlessly;)
We started with a killer bottle of 1988 Dom Perignon Brut – this was one the best bottles of the 88 we have had except for the mag we had a few weeks back. The autolytic richness was complimented by toasty buttered brioche, hazelnut, poached pear, apple tart, ginger and hard spice. The bubbles were starting to integrate more into the wine and were tiny and unaggresive. The finish was beautiful just as teh richness of the wine was impressive.
Next we enjoyed a bottle of Jacques Selosse Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs NV. One of our best members brought this beautiful bubbler and it rocked. The wine was wild and slightly yeasty. Yellow apples, butterscotch, roasted peanuts, buttered brioche and a wonderful creamy / mineral interplay that was intoxicating. Hard spices, fleur du sel, oyster shell, mushroom and quince all made appearances as well-quite complex and layered!
Next 2 killer bottles of Billecart Salmon brought it home. First we had the 2000 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois which has really matured in the last year. The first time I had this wine it was incredibly taught, minerally and spicy. Now the wine is marked by mint, smoke, apple pastry, honey, exotic spices and that same mineral umami. The wine is precise, pure and focused with beautiful balance and a lip-smaking finish.
We finished with one of my favorite 2002 roses- the 2002 Billecart Salmon Elisabeth Salmon Rose. The creamy strawberry, bing cherry and pomegranite red fruit is simply delightful. The wine is playful yet very serious at the same time. Roses and tangerine comes through with some air and a rather vinous, round palate impression surprises. The fruit is pure Pinot red fruit love and the finish is lovely! Quite a stunner.