Champagne

One of my favorite affordable-ish rose Champagnes.  It's too good just for celebrations.

At age 21, this wine is drinking well but starting to show a bit of age. Light to medium golden in color.  The nose has some simple syrup, hay and an applesauce quality (think slightly oxidized apples).  There is a nice bit of acidity.  Very clean.  Slight citrus on the palate (lemon-ish).  Good finish.  Some level of complexity and depth.  A very nice way to start an evening.  It will work with just about any food.  If you own any though, it should be drunk up in the next five years unless you like older Champagne.  

Opened to celebrate the graduation from college of my daughter who was born in 1997.  This comes in a beautiful bottle (they call it a hand grenade) of dimpled glass.  It is the luxury wine from this producer and while not one of the better luxury wines, it is an excellent bottle of Champagne.  1997 was a wonderful year for daughters but just an ok year for Champagne.  Yet, this bottle showed very well and was a welcome part of the celebration.  Golden in color.  There were still a fair amount of smaller bubbles.   There is just a touch of oxidation in the wine.  The nose is nice with pears

This was interesting and unique.  It has a deep golden/orange hue to it.  I wondered if it was oxidized, but got no hint of that.  Perhaps they left the juice in contact with the red grape skins.  It is made from six varietals; Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier and Arbane which is how Champagne was traditionally made in the 1800's.  The nose is tight and never offered up a lot.  Some baked apples, a bit of yeast.  The palate, however, was explosive.  It is slightly sweet and I was surprised to see the label said Brut.  Mandarin oranges with a bit of ginger. 

This has base wines from 1998 to 2010.  It is comprised of 45% Pinot Noir, 39% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunie.  Light yellow/gold in color.  The nose is very nice with pears, toast and hay.  Perhaps just the slightest note of oxidation.  A beautiful creamy texture.  Good acidity but not intense.  On the palate, there is  a nice citrusy quality over a mineral base.  A long tart finish that leaves the impression of strawberries.  This took a bit of time/air to open.  Of course, Krug is magic and this wine lived up to its part.  

Always nice to have some Champagne at a dinner or party.  This is a reasonably priced bottle that drinks nicely.  45% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier.  Light silvery gold in color.  A nice mousse with a fair amount of smallish bubbles.  The nose has hay, ginger and slight toast.  On the palate, this is reasonably crisp.  More mineral driven than fruit but some citrus.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  Very enjoyable and will go with most any food.  These should be purchased fresh and drunk in the first couple of years.  

Opened by a friend to celebrate another friends birthday.  70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay.  Light golden in color.  A nice head with lots of smallish bubbles.  The nose is nice with burnt hay and slight citrus.  On the palate, there is some citrus and minerals.  Long finish.  Good acidity.  This is very food friendly and will work with a wide variety of foods.  

Excellent showing for this wine.  Light silvery gold in color.  A nice mousse with lots of smaller bubbles.  On the nose, nice red apples notes with just the slightest bit of nuttiness (almonds?).  Full bodied but not flamboyant.  Lots of minerals and apples on the palate.  Good acidity.  Worked well with roasted chickpeas and almonds.  Long finish.  This has a very nice complexity to it and though it tastes mature, it seems like there is still some room to go further.  Very dry finish.  It is listed as Brut Nature so that makes sense.  

This is a nice value in 1er Cru Champagne.  It drinks very well right now.  Light golden in color with a nice head of small bubbles.  The nose is nice with a green apple note along with some faint toast qualities.  In general, this is more on the austere side of Champagne which is not a bad thing.  Plenty of acidity.  Long finish.  This was served to friends at the start of the evening along side some roasted chick peas and that proved a fine pairing a great start to the evening.  I don't think this will improve and these bottles, purchased in the last year, should be drunk in the next year

Opened to celebrate my son's 23rd birthday.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The mousse is thick with lots of tiny bubbles.  On the nose, this is mostly mineral driven but there are some green apples and slight toast.  On the palate, this veers toward the leaner side but not all the way.  Green apple fruit with a nice minerality.  Good acid.  Long finish.  Went great with a shaved mushroom with lemon juice salad.