Wine Tasting: Tête de Cuvée

Whoa. That was quite an evening of champagne. Thanks to all who came and helped subsidize what ended up being more than $3,500 of bubbly. Holy cow. In 12 years, we've never gotten close to that before. I suspect we'll never reach it again.

My chief lesson this time is that more money and more age (generally) make for better champagne, even at these heady price points. For example, the 2002 Krug and the 2000 Cristal were the highlights of the evening for me, both over $250 a bottle. Sigh. That said, I thought the Ace of Spades didn't deliver value proportionate with its sky-high $300 price tag.

The Taittinger Comtes de Champagne proved itself the bargain of the evening (as it has in previous tastings), delivering the bright, citrus promise that Dom Perignon doesn't always deliver. And I still prefer Veuve Clicquot's Grande Dame over Dom Perignon, with the sentimental favorite of the evening being the 1998, which has appeared at every tasting over the past 12 years. 

As usual, I thought the bottles split between the lighter style (Dom Perignon, Comtes) and the darker, yeastier style (Grande Dame, Ace of Spades). The stand-outs for me this time, however, were the bottles that managed to walk the balance -- the 2002 Krug and all the Cristals. I wish I had bought more of the 2008 Cristal, which I suspect will be one for the ages.

Here's what we had, my personal favorites in bold:

1. 2009 Moët & Chandon Dom Pérignon Brut Champagne ($155): Always close to 50/50 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This vintage is the first-ever non-sequential release (2008 is still unreleased) and is generally thought to be more suitable for early drinking than most vintages. Delivered the citrus pith and grapefruit notes that I expect from young Dom. 
2. 1999 Moët & Chandon Dom Pérignon Brut Champagne ($300 in magnum): Not a famous vintage for Dom, but the contrast with the 2009 certainly illustrated the difference that 10 years makes. This one was deeper and more complex than the 2009 current-release, but still with the citrus lift at the end. 
3. 2008 Veuve Clicquot "La Grande Dame" Brut Champagne ($160, but $127 at Costco!): In a first for Grande Dame, the 2008 vintage is 92% Pinot Noir. As usual, tasting after the Dom Perignon calls out the darker, yeastier character that makes me love this wine. At the Costco price, this is one worth buying more of! 
4. 1998 Veuve Clicquot "La Grande Dame" Brut Champagne ($130): The only bottle that has appeared at every tete de cuvee tasting, this vintage is 64/36 Pinot Noir/Chardonnay. This stakes out the far end of the yeasty, dark flavor spectrum, now with hints of sherry. Probably past its prime, but still delicious. Pair with paté? If only I had another bottle... 
5. NV Perrier Jouet Grand Brut ($37): This was the "level-set" bottle, to give us a reminder of what a "regular" bottle of champagne is like. I actually didn't get to taste it this time, but several mentioned that it was outclassed (as it should be, given the price difference!). 
6. (A) 2008 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut Champagne ($270): The current release, but sold out most places, the 2008 is already being talked about as an epic vintage, garnering several 100 point ratings. Even so young, it was very special, walking the line between the lighter and darker styles, with lots of complexity. I wish I had another one to open in 10 years. If you see it, buy it.
   (B) 2000 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut Champagne ($225): A great illustration of the importance of age, I thought this spectacular and drinking perfectly right now. That's in contrast to 2007, when we first opened this vintage and no one liked it.
   (C) 2005 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut Champagne ($170): Still excellent, but overshadowed by both the 2000 and the 2008. 
7. Krug "Grande Cuvée" 164 Ème Édition Brut Champagne ($160): The nonvintage Krug is the bottle you buy if you don't have the patience to wait for vintage tete de cuvee bottles to age. Always made from a blend of different vintages, this is from the base year of 2008, though the team at Krug utilized reserve wines all the way back to 1990 in this version. The final cépages is 48% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 17% Pinot Meunier, with the wine spending eight years in the Krug cellars sur latte. I always like this bottle, but I thought it was outclassed by the 2002 that came next. Compared to that, this came across a bit too acid driven for me. On the other hand, it's very much cheaper...
8. 2002 Krug Brut Champagne ($260): My favorite of the night, and the first vintage Krug I've ever had. From a very well-regarded vintage, this blends almost equal amounts of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fleshed out with Pinot Meunier. What can I say? I thought it was perfect, showing lovely balance, complexity, and plenty of acid, coming across as having lots of years left. So good. So expensive. 
9. NV Armand de Brignac "Ace of Spades" Brut Champagne ($300): the blingy gold bottle by the renowned champagne house now owned by Jay-Z, this one was clearly on the darker, yeasty side of the spectrum, reminiscent of the older Grande Dames we've had. 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier and a blend of 3 vintages, 2009, 2010, and 2012, with dosage of 9g/l. I thought this was lovely, but way overpriced. At the same price, I'd take the vintage Krug or the Cristal over this. Or two bottles of Grande Dame. 
10. 2006 Taittinger "Comtes de Champagne" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne ($130): the only 100% Chardonnay ("blanc de blanc") of the evening, this bottle is always a reliable favorite and a relative bargain. Representing the lighter, more citrus-driven style, I thought it was as good as the Dom Perignons and more consistent across vintages. In the words of one wine critic: "Comtes de Champagne remains the single best value (in relative terms) in tête de cuvée Champagne."
11. (A) 2006 Taittinger "Comtes de Champagne" Brut Rosé ($160): We finished with a couple of rosé bottles. First impression of this one: strawberries! The addition of 15% Pinot Noir to the famous Taittinger Chardonnay delivers a rounder wine that seems sweeter and more relaxed than the nervy Comtes blanc de blanc. Another one that makes me think of paté or cheese, rather than oysters.
    (B) 2006 Deutz "Amour de Deutz" Brut Rosé Champagne ($130): 55% Pinot Noir (from Aÿ, Verzenay and Bouzy) and 45% Chardonnay (from Avize, Chouilly and Villers-Marmery).
    A left-over from the 2017 tasting, where this was a favorite then, still showing beautifully. On the darker side of the spectrum, this nevertheless came across as more structured and austere than the Taittinger rosé. At this price, it's an excellent value for tete de cuvee rosé, which usually has a bigger surcharge over the regular, non-rosé bottles. 

For any who might be interested, here are my notes from the previous sessions: 2007, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2017.