Some good friends were enjoying a fine Blanc de Blanc champagne on their outside patio a couple of weeks ago and had a vision of doing the same with a small group of their friends while creating a safe environment.
As a result, their vision came to fruition and a small group of us gathered on their lawn and enjoyed a fine mid afternoon with some fabulous champagnes and equally exceptional fellowship.
The vibration of love and friendship amongst all of the people was palpable and deeply felt. This was truly a special occasion and to celebrate with righteous Blanc de Blanc was the perfect medium to do so. Here’s a sampling of what we drank in the order I tasted them:
NV GUY CHAMPAGNE BLANC de BLANC BRUT RESERVE- made from grand cru vineyards in Mesnil, Oger and Avize, this entry level bubbly from this house got off to a slow start with some weird notes of hay, straw, herbal and hazelnut laden stone fruit delivered somewhat fractionalized; somehow, it all came together in about 10 minutes and marinated into something much more approachable and pleasant; it had a somewhat viscous texture which gave it nice feel and lemon and yellow peach flavors dominated the taste profile.
2006 DOM RUINART BLANC de BLANC BRUT- disgorged 12/ 2016 with 4.5 gpl dosage; comprised of Chardonnay Grands Crus: 63% from the Côte des Blancs (predominantly Chouilly, Le Mesnil and Avize) and 37% from the northern slope of the Montagne de Reims (predominantly Sillery and Puisieulx); this was the antithesis of the above champagne and the WOTD for most as it turned out; there is a sense of royalty in the nose with inviting aromas of spicy citrus which on the palate turns out to include lemon, apple and white nectarine; it has body and a luscious mousse, amazing balance and bright acidity; it’s all I ever desire in a champagne and exudes class along with its charming elegance.
2006 TAITTINGER COMTES de CHAMPAGNE BLANC de BLANC BRUT bottle #1 of 2- this may be bottle #30 if my count is accurate and as good as any; it had the requisite toasty brioche with generous and balanced amount of spicy citrus notes, lemon and lime most prevalent; the mousse is creamy, rich and luscious adding substantial mouthfeel to the fabulous overall experience.
2006 TAITTINGER COMTES de CHAMPAGNE BLANC de BLANC BRUT bottle #2- although it arrived later on, the notes were very consistent with those above, I just placed mention into this slot; it now becomes my bottle #31 and there’s at least 8 more in the cellar and hopefully, a few will survive long enough to allow for greater maturity as this marvelous bubbly continues to please while advancing.
1996 SALON BLANC de BLANC LE MESNIL BRUT- this was such a wonderful, legendary champagne for our hosts to pull out for the occasion; I had actually thought about bringing one, but opted for the Ruinart instead and now I get both; I actually loved it although some others commented it had too many oxidative notes for them; Im am not a fan of champagnes that reach that state and prefer to drink them before they express nutty and Sherry like flavors, but this was not to that extent; the color was a surprising medium yellow and the nose had a touch of butterscotch/ caramel, but I got more creme brûlée and lemon meringue; golden delicious apple and white peach joined in with a touch of gardenia in the background; it was so creamy and rich and the goodies just glided to the back end with ease and then held on for a lasting finish; for me, this was just at its apex and Im thinking I need to open 1 of the 3 I have remaining sooner than later.
An interesting aside, the bottle has an embossed relief (the word “Salon”) at the point where the bottle begins to taper toward the neck, a special technique is required to prevent sediment collecting in the lines of the relief. The bottle starts out with the embossed relief at the 12 o’clock position. From that point, it is riddled left to right, then right to left, until the sediment is trapped at the top of the neck of the bottle.
2006 DOM PERIGNON BRUT- well, it’s not a BdB, but no-one cared and in fact, all stuck out their glass for a pour once it was opened and it showed beautifully; it had some of the classic mild toasted brioche notes to add to the fresh citrus fruit that was more lemon and lime with a hint of minerals, saline and chalk; its creamy texture added to its classiness as well as its subtle elegance.
NV PIERRE PETERS CUVEE de RESERVE BLANC de BLANC- when I saw this, my mind immediately went to one of the top visits we had in Champagne years ago when we spent the afternoon with Rudolph and tasted numerous bottles, some coming from his father’s cellar; I believe this is the latest release and comes from a blend of 50% of a 2014 base year and 50% from last year’s blend, which had gone into the family solera of reserve wines that dates back to 1988; 6.5% gpl dosage; pear and apple fruit are most prevalent initially but in time, mineral laden mango, apricot and mandarin come in and add more layered depth and feel; it`s drinking really good now and will no doubt benefit from some time in the bottle.
2006 LAUNOIS SPECIAL CLUB LE MESNIL BLANC de BLANC BRUT- this was full on, rich and so giving of its treasures; it had lots of citrus notes with some saline and chalk accents and held up nicely against some of the better wines of the day.
NV AGRAPART TERRIORS EXTRA BRUT BLANC de BLANC- a blend of 2 vintages from specifically chosen vineyard blocks in AVIZE, OGER, CRAMANT and OIRY; bottled 5/15 and disgorged 1/19, 2 months before the release date with a 5 gpl dosage; it’s full bodied with a mouthful of stone and citrus fruit, with apricot, pear, lemon and apple notes on the palate; it had a lovely mousse which extended the finish delightfully.
2005 DOM PERIGNON BRUT ROSE- yowza! where did this come from and who bought it? It appeared late into the afternoon and when Im thinking we’ve had a pretty good day and Im happy, I just got happier at least from the standpoint of tasting something I`ve never had and s highly respected rose; it definitely was mature with tertiary dried fruit flavors, but overall, it drank just well enough to re-try; it was a fitting climax to a wondrous, soft re-entering into the social world after 3 months of avoidance; I later on found out it came from our hosts who had opened it the day before and brought it back out for a re-taste, asserting it was not much better.
I am struggling to find the right and adequate amount of superlatives to express how special this time was. We all needed to take a breath of nearby fresh ocean bathed air and celebrate all we are thankful for including our companionship with those who are near and dear to us. We did it righteously enough to set up another one the next week.
Cheers,
Blake
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