December Wine Focus: Wine 403 - Champagne & its components

Believe this qualifies, if not, just let me know.

2019 Handley Pinot Noir Rosé, Anderson Valley, Mendocino

Attractive salmon/pink. Minimal rim variation. Legs are medium. Aromas are cherry dominant; subtle cranberry, sour cherry and raspberry. On the palate, flavors intensify and outweigh aromas, with big-time cherry presence. Bright texture, medium finish, medium + acidity. Tasted over 4 days. Impression: not quite varietally correct, but attractive if you're a big PN fan. Almost as good as a Bedrock Luli Rose' (similarly priced) enjoyed this year. Screwcap. Drink now.

Backstory: Handley has been a reliable PN producer for us since 2004. Visited the tasting room at that time, as it was one of the producers whose PN was reasonably priced. Milla Handley, the founder, passed away last year. Her daughter, Lulu, is carrying on the brand. I contacted the winery after Milla's passing and offered to buy some wine in Milla's memory. This is the first of 4 bottles purchased. Others include a Riesling, Pinot Blanc, and Gewurz. No reds. Trying something different.

I rather like to see vintner's children succeeding parents, but due to negative circumstances this seemed more compelling. The right thing to do.

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N.V. Antoine de Clevecy Champagne (France, Champagne)

This is an inexpensive supermarket own label which I bought in May 2018. I Iike to keep Champagne and other traditional method sparklers as I am convinced that even 6 months brings a noticeable improvement, but the sweet spot is 3 years. And so it proved here.

Aging has smoothed out its rough joints and tamed its initial acidity and it was drinking very well; creamy and some autolytics. Our friends, who had also bought this brand and consumed them in the past, remarked on how good it was now.

No mention on the label of varieties used or their proportion or disgorgement date, but surely a blend of the three traditional varieties. From the Union De Coopératives De La Champagne

2012 Sadi Malot Champagne Premier Cru Coup de Foudre - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (24/12/2021)
This is just what I want from a blanc de blancs champagne (100% Chardonnay) to accompany a cooked foie gras apértif and Christmas Eve boudins de Noël (the white boudins were somewhat spoilt for me by the use of too much vanilla). This was leesy, biscuity and lightly creamy with delicious citrus and peachy fruit, fine minerals and crisp moreish acidity. A voice from across the table complained that it was not a much fuller Bollinger or other famous name, but I like this small RM producer from Villers-Marmery and this lighter and elegant style of BdeB. Very good.
Posted from CellarTracker

[David M. Bueker]

Christmas Eve Champagne was the Pierre Péters Cuvée de Réserve. It is a frequent bottle at our dinners, but no less special for that. This was the extra special May 2019 disgorgement which has always been a notch above the regularly high level of this wine. If you happen across a bottle from this disgorgement snap it up!

[Jenise]

Friday night friends brought a sparkling rose from hotel/restaurant empireThe Ritz, top drawer NV wines made for them by a Rothschild house that, due to Covid, aren't selling in the restaurants they were intended for. Very good. I followed that with a Blue Mountain gold label (NV) from BC, which have to say was superior.

Last night other friends opened some Chateau Moutard. This is the second time in the last six weeks I've had Moutard's NV bubble (the last was my own bottle), and I have to say in neither case did I find it even halfway interesting in flavor or texture. Just blah. Would never buy this label again.

[Jenise]

Opened a Philipponat Brut Royale last night, an NV that I've owned for about four years. The ripeness and opulence that puncuates this bottling was all there, but the bubbles lacked persistence so after a few minutes, the texture was disappointing. So far, the BC Blue Mountain is the best I've had this month, it's really astonishing for the price.

Jenise, I've not heard of BC sparkling wines before. Besides the Blue Mountain, are there other brands to seek out? Not much access to Canadian wine here.

Meanwhile, hope this is on topic. Not that we are seeking Champagne for NY at this late date...

https://www.winemag.com/2021/12/15/cham ... rtage-why/

[Jenise]

Jenise, I've not heard of BC sparkling wines before. Besides the Blue Mountain, are there other brands to seek out? Not much access to Canadian wine here.

It's unlikely you'd find any BC wines down there of any stripe so wouldn't recommend any to you. I'm able to buy the Blue Mountain due to proximity alone and I know of almost no other North American bubble that can pass for French as this one easily does. John S. mentioned having one earlier in this thread.

[Jenise]

Last night we opened a Tasmanian NV Brut Rose called Jansz, which has been very popular here in the Pac NW for the last couple years. Fantastic QPR at around $20ish a bottle. I purchased this one in 2018 and it's holding up beautifully.

[David M. Bueker]

Jenise, I've not heard of BC sparkling wines before. Besides the Blue Mountain, are there other brands to seek out? Not much access to Canadian wine here.

It's unlikely you'd find any BC wines down there of any stripe so wouldn't recommend any to you. I'm able to buy the Blue Mountain due to proximity alone and I know of almost no other North American bubble that can pass for French as this one easily does. John S. mentioned having one earlier in this thread.

Ultramarine BdB can pass for French and has blind multiple times in my tasting group.

NV Pere Ventura Chic Barcelona Cava, Penedes.

Pale lemon, good bubbles. Lemon peel, apple pear, orange blossom on the nose.
Off-dry, medium acidity creamy mousse. Lingering finish terrific fruit concentration.
Fantastic value for $18 Cda. Their high end wines sell for $80 plus.

We had the elder son and his partner spend Christmas with us. Last year Government rules changed two days before they were due to leave their home in Wales. This year Boris over-ruled the scientific advisers so we took them to various restaurants but Christmas Day I roasted the turkey, parsnips and potatoes, prepared and steamed a mountain of brussels sprouts for four lovers of them, with carrots and cauliflower, and made roasted stuffing balls and (with gritted teeth) Yorkshire puddings.

And I opened this for the aperitif

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N.V. Lanson Champagne Brut Black Label (France, Champagne)

Our favourite big brand Champagne, this bottle was disgorged in August 2016 (I bought it in 2017) and was clean, racily crisp and everything I want in a Champagne. It's the standard blend of Pinots Noir and Meunier and Chardonnay. I worked out the reason I preferred Lanson was because it didn't undergo malo; but the regime there has changed and malo is now happening.

Our guests returned home on Wednesday and we finished the last of the turkey today. Huzzah!

[Robin Garr]

An old favorite in a QPR bubbly ...

Saint-Hilaire 2019 Blanquette de Limoux ($14.99)

Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux is a traditionally made sparkling blend of 90% Mauzac (Mo-zock), a regional white grape from the French Pyrennees, with splashes of 5% Chenin Blanc and 5% Chardonnay. A clear bright straw-color wine, it pours with a frothy mousse that falls back fast, but abundant bubbles persist. Its aroma evokes fresh green apples, juicy and appetizing, with a light yeasty back note. The appley flavor carries over on the palate with a fizzy, creamy mouthfeel, adding subtle citric touches of mandarin orange over a tart acidic structure. 12.5% alcohol. U.S. importer: Jack Poust & Company Inc., NYC. (Dec. 25, 2021)

FOOD MATCH: Bubbly is always good for sipping alone, yet it can also be versatile with a range of flavors. We enjoyed it with the many offerings on a holiday party buffet.

WHEN TO DRINK: It should keep well for two or three years in its pressurized bottle, but there's no benefit from cellaring. Drink up, and buy it again next year.

VALUE:
Particularly when compared with run-of-the-mill Champagne, Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux offers a resounding value for sparkling wine. Wine-Searcher.com lists a $13 average U.S. retail price. I highly recommend it for New Year's Eve or any time a bubbly is in order.

WEB LINK:
Here's a detailed tech sheet from importer Jack Poust.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux on Wine-Searcher.com.

Follow this Wine-Searcher link to learn more about Blanquette de Limoux and browse dozens of wines from the region.

[David M. Bueker]

• NV Ruinart Champagne Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (12/31/2021)
  Boisterously fruity and decidedly sweet. It was a crowd pleaser, but not a style I prefer. I have become too used to more restrained sweetness, and this one was beyond what I was looking for. Well made, but not my thing.

NV Jacques Selosse Initial - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (31/12/2021)
Selosse has a cult type reputation, his wines are rare finds at cavistes and are always expensive. This BdeB followed Sadi Malot's very good Coup de Foudre cuvée as apéritif and I was quite expecting some disappointment in view of the hype. Not a bit of it! This wine stood out in all respects. More complex, richer, yet more precise, and longer than its predecessor and with a caressing mouthfeel which may owe something to discreet barrel fermentation and ageing (I can find no information on this). Amongst the myriad flavours, I could detect citrus and peachy fruit, nuts, fine minerals, spice and a hint of port on the slightly oxidative finish. Excellent.

NV Pere Ventura Chic Barcelona Cava Brut (Penedès, Spain)
Wine - Sparkling $18.99 (750mL)

See above where i make a mention of this terrific Cava

Macabeo 35%, Xarel-lo 35%, Parellada 30%

In 1992, Pere Ventura Vendrell realize his dream of producing wines just as his family had done before 1898.
The vineyard is located in the capital of Cava Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, Penedès, 35 km south of Barcelona. Pere Ventura is a modern and quality-conscious Cava producer who has the motto “The birth of a good wine begins in the vineyard.”

Color: Greenish yellow with golden hues. Fine and persistent bubbles.
Aroma: Citrus, lime and green apple aromas.
Taste: Elegant and distinctive, with white fruit notes and a refreshing acidity.

Bob

You may think I'm being a trifle picky but great tho' Cava is, and many nowadays include some Chardonnay, the wine above doesn't meet any of the given criteria for the December Wine Focus in that it

- is not Champagne
- doesn't contain any Champagne varieties
- is not December