Wine Tasting: Tête de Cuvée

 

Another tête de cuvée evening in the books! We've been doing this for 19 years now (see here for notes from all of them). Thanks to all who attended and helped defray the (considerable) cost of these bottles. The crazy inflation on these bottles continues, especially the ultra-premium brands like Cristal and Krug. To take one example, the Krug Grand Cuvée was $170 in 2020, and now runs $260 -- a 53% increase, which is twice the rate of general inflation for the period. 

Having three 2007 blanc de blancs (all 100% Chardonnay) was a special treat. Interestingly, the Taittinger and the Billecart-Salmon did a better job staking out the two poles of champagne styles than the Dom and Dame did; the Billecart was all citrus drive, while the Taittinger was rich and yeasty. The Dom Ruinart split the difference between them, I thought. 

The Taittinger was my wine of the night, followed closely by the 168ème Krug Grand Cuvée (a "bonus" wine I opened at the end of the night). We also poured a nonvintage Veuve Cliquot "Yellow Label" bottle as a $50 level-set -- wow, the difference is obvious when you taste it against this line up!  

With the understanding that these were all great wines, my stand outs marked in bold, complete notes here: 

1. 2009 Dom Pérignon Brut Champagne ($250): a warm vintage delivered an unusually generous Dom, which means I liked it more than usual. The signature grapefruit pith on the finish made an appearance, but more muted than usual. I rely on the Dom to stake out the more driven style, but this year that honor really belonged to #3. 
2. 2012 Veuve Clicquot "La Grande Dame - Yayoi Kusama Edition" Brut Champagne ($225): as usual, I liked this more than the Dom, but I also thought it was a bit soft and unfocused. Still lovely and a "drink earlier" vintage than the 2008. Always a great, reliable value, especially when Costco stocks it, as it usually does. 90% Pinot Noir.  
   
3. 2007 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Louis" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne ($199): wow, so much drive, energy, and acid. A vivid contrast to #4, despite being the same year and also 100% Chardonnay. A relative bargain, compared to many of these bottles, with a long life ahead of it. 
4. 2007 Taittinger "Comtes de Champagne" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne ($199): my favorite of the night, this held down the yeasty, funky, darker side of the spectrum. The Comtes de Champagne is always a favorite, and still is a great value. 
5. 2007 Ruinart "Dom Ruinart" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne ($620 magnum): our first time pouring a Dom Ruinart! I thought this split the difference between #3 and #4, combining more weight with a solid beam of acidity on the finish. Good stuff, but hard to justify the price against some of the other options (at this level, I would get Cristal). 
6. 2008 Nicolas Feuillatte "Palmes d'Or" Brut Champagne ($120): this "house" is actually a cooperative of more than 5,000 growers. This Palmes d'Or was our only 2008 vintage of the evening, and it really showed the acid-forward character common to the vintage. Quite good, and a great value, even if not quite as special as some of the other options. 
7. Laurent Perrier "Grand Siècle" Iteration #23 Champagne ($530 magnum): always a blend of three vintages, this time 2006, 2004, and 2002. Perhaps the most balanced wine of the night, walking a middle road on weight, complexity, and acid. Very good, and usually a strong choice for near-term drinking. 
8. 2006 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut Champagne ($350): a very generous version of this always excellent wine. If only it wasn't so expensive (current release is $280 at Costco!) and didn't require so much waiting. Drink these now while you wait for your 2008s. ;-) 
9. 2012 Bollinger "La Grande Année" Brut Champagne ($399 magnum): ah, the old school. Always entirely barrel fermented; aged on the lees on cork rather than crown cap for a minimum of six years every time. Always Pinot Noir dominated (66% in this vintage), this was the darker, heavier style that I like. Generally a very good value (current 2015 vintage is on sale at Costco for $139). 
10. Krug "19 Ème Édition" Brut Rosé Champagne ($725 magnum): although best known for their nonvintage Grand Cuvée bottle, Krug also makes a great nonvintage rosé. This one is a blend of 37 wines from 5 different years, the youngest from 2006, and the oldest from 2000. Reserve wines made up 22% of the final blend, 59% Pinot Noir (which includes the 10% Pinot Noir red wine), 33% Chardonnay and 8% Meunier. It's much heavier and more "wine-like" ("vinous" for the wine nerds) than the regular Champagnes. A food wine, but delicious. 
11. [Special late night bonus wine] Krug "Grande Cuvée" 168ème Édition Brut Champagne ($170 on release; current release $260): The Krug Grand Cuvée 168ème is a blend of 52% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 13% Meunier selected from several different vintages dating back to 1996, with the base being 2012. This was my other favorite of the evening, presenting all the darker, yeasty notes, but also with a sherry-like quality and decent acidity. Really a beautiful balance, which is what the Grande Cuvée is famous for.