Champagne

Reviewed: 12th June 2012

 

I had the pleasure of attending a tasting put on by one of the candidates for the Vin du Champagne awards. My host for the evening wanted to explore dosage and its impact on house styles. Dosage refers to the liquor that is added to a wine when it is disgorged (yeast lees removed). This liquid typically contains a proportion of sugar which is added to help the balance of the final wine.

The label can often give you an indication of the amount of dosage added to a wine. For example:

  • Zero Dosage refers to a wine that had no sugar added. This style is quite fashionable at the moment.
  • Ultra Brut must have less than 5gm/l of sugar.
  • Brut may range between 5 & 10 gm/l, though up until recently, this was up to 12gms/l.
  • Demi-Sec can be up to 50gm/l.

It must be said that most non-vintage champagnes are Brut in style. There is no mention of dosage with Vintage wines, though those present felt that most would be in the Brut range.

There was a variety of interesting points that came out of the tasting. The most important being that a house’s standard NV was preferable to either the no dosage or the demi-sec. The small amount of sugar added balance and drinkability to the wines. Champagnes are naturally high in acid, so the barest hint of sugar can make an austere wine a delight to drink. NB. Brut wines are in no way sweet to taste, they are less tart.

Another important point for me was the startling improvement in the quality of Moet and Chandon NV. This is a wine that is worthy of its Grand Marque heritage. Indeed, several of the tasters present preferred this to the NV Verve Cliquot which is one of the best NVs on the market!

Finally, the comparison of the two 1996 Dom Perignons was a highlight. The recently disgorged version had so much youth and life. The original release was developing beautifully, whereas the Oenotheque was as fresh and lively as the current release (2002). Given the price of the Oenotheque, my suggestion would be to go out and buy the 2002 instead. This is a spectacular wine that is just at the start of its life. At less than half the price of the Oenotheque, it is a bargain. (Kemeny’s has this available for just $180 online).

A big thanks has to go to my hosts for arranging such an illuminating tasting.

Reviewed

Pol Roger – Pure – NV (17.5). The nose has floral notes and minerals, with one taster noting hazelnuts. The palate is very long, persistent and powerful, though austere and quite linear. The very essence of Pol Roger, but some of the joy has been removed from the wine. Whilst impressive now, a few years under cork will do this the world of good.

Ayala – Zero Dosage – NV (17.8). Richer, bigger and more obvious than the Pol Roger, with bread dough, brioche and a touch of struck match. Whilst obviously bone dry, the palate is richer, rounder and more generous, with more depth. This may be due in part to the longer lees aging. An interesting wine.

Ayala – Brut – Majeur – NV (17.9). Quite toasty and nutty, this has real personality when it opens up. The palate is balanced, refined, long and harmonious. There are no rough edges here, though this is not quite as complex as the Zero Dosage. The dosage was noticeable and this contributed to making the wine more enjoyable to drink. (9gm/l residual sugar).

Pol Roger – Brut – Reserve – NV (17.6). The white foil Pol has been our house champagne for many years. Whilst this was not as exciting or interesting as the Pure, it was familiar, comfortable and eminently drinkable. I am not sure if this was the best bottle, but a good drink all the same (9gm/l sugar).

Moet & Chandon – Brut Imperial – NV (17.5). Intense and focused nose that is actually quite vinous. Minerals and citrus notes add interest. The palate is fine and refined, with a finish that is very long and quite drying. Textured and nutty to close, this is the best Moet NV I can remember in a long time and is a welcome return to form. Indeed, several experienced tasters preferred this to the Verve! (9gm/l sugar).

Veuve Cliquot – Brut – NV (18+). A superb wine. Complex yeast and autolysis characters on a nose that is balanced, subtle and fine. The palate is dense, precise, very long, textured and fine, with a flinty finish showing a core of minerality. Textbook NV and 10gm/l of sugar.

Veuve Cliquot – Demi Sec – NV. (NR). Golden bronze colour with gentle spice, butterscotch and red apples. This is a nice wine that has enough acidity to balance the significant amount of sugar sweetness. The only question I have is when you would actually drink it and with what? (Both this and the Nectar had the same residual sugar level, though this tasted significantly sweeter).

Moet & Chandon – Nectar – NV (NR). I did not have a reference point by which to score these wines, so no points awarded. That said, this was an enjoyable wine with racy acidity that made the wine a joy to quaff.

Moet & Chandon – Dom Perignon – 1996 (18.8). More involved and approachable than the Oenotheque, this is a gorgeous wine at the peak of its power. Whilst still retaining a degree of youthful vitality, this is starting to drink beautifully now. The intensity and incredible length of the palate defined the quality here. The powerful fruit is starting to become more expressive on the palate. A more rounded structure here, that combines lovely balance with texture courtesy of the bottle aging process. This will live for many years, but it is a joy today!

Moet & Chandon – Dom Perignon – Oenotheque – 1996 (19). A spectacularly youthful wine of supreme quality. This actually received a lower dosage (6gm/l) than the standard release highlighting the quality of the fruit. The nose showed lemon, spice, brioche and toast due, I am sure, to the extended aging on lees. The power of the palate was the highlight here. Precise, long, evolving and taut, the acidity still suppressed the fruit somewhat. This is a wine that needs to be savoured to be appreciated. Disgorged in 2006, this had ten years on lees. I can only imagine how many decades this will live for. Given the price is over $500 per bottle, I think I will drink the current release (2002, 18.9pts $200) instead.