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Champagne Selection Help

Wow, is it Champagne week here at afw? I am looking to purchase a high-end bottle (relative, I suppose...not too many teachers buying those 700-clam Bordeauxs), and have a single specific question, followed by a series of broader questions.

First, our state store (I live in Utah, it's all we have) is selling

88 Salon b-de-b, le Mensil for $115. Underneath the bottle is a blurb from something (WS?) indicating a SRP of $200. Any idea why? Somehow Utah must have acquired a case, because every wine store in the area has one. Why the low price?

Second question: these are some other vintage wines. Of these and the aforementioned, what do you recommend (to be opened soon, not cellared)?

96 Bollinger Gr. Annee $86 95 Perrier-Jouet Fleur $?? (around $100, I think) 95 Vueve Ch. $72 (I don't think this was the la Grande Dame) 95 Pol Roger rose $63 96 Gosset Gr. Millesime $73

Third: are there any others floating around--say, in the NJ area available on line--that you might suggest, $150 or less?

Finally: What's the deal with NV champagne?! Is it always a "drink it now" deal, and if not, how would one know when? Hence my selection of vintage only.

Big, bubbly thanks to all.

Reply to
J Derby
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You can find it for as little as $100 (plus shipping), but $115 is a great price. Forget the rest and buy the Salon.

Dimitri

Reply to
D. Gerasimatos
Reply to
Michael Pronay
Reply to
francis boulard

Francis, would this be a bottle to cellar, or could it be enjoyed now above the others I mentioned, in your estimation? Maybe I need a few bottles?

Reply to
J Derby

Not all NV Champagne is drink it Now. One of the best Champagnes is KRUG You can't buy a better cuvee.

Reply to
Howie The Hammer

"Howie The Hammer" wrote in news:MWZnb.23985 $ snipped-for-privacy@news4.srv.hcvlny.cv.net:

so how long do you cellar a wine whose age you do not know?????

Reply to
jcoulter

Its not one of the best...in my opinion Krug is the best. And their NV or MV is better than most or all vintage also.

just my opinion

Reply to
dick
Reply to
francis boulard

Salon rocks. If the bottle has not sat out too long for sale, go for it. Champagne does not tolerate poor storage. 6 months on a warm store shelf at 72+ is all it takes for heat damage to begin to show.

1995 Perrier Jouet Fleur de Champagne is an embarassment and a stain on this otherwise very fine house. The wine was released WAY too soon in order meet 12-31-99 demand and is disjointed, green and woefully light. It is good champagne in the grand scheme of things, but for a $100 luxury cuvee from a top house, it is not acceptable.

Bollinger is a great house, but not for everyone. I admire the wines but do not personally care for them. Much age is warranted as well, a good 10 years for a vintage like 1996 or 1990. Someone else mentioned the Vieilles Vignes which is their super-rare and expensive bottling from one of the few pre-phylloxera vineyards left in Europe (phylloxera destroyed most of the French vineyards from the late 1800s until 1945 when Romanee Conti itself had to be uprooted.) The wine is a marvel, but needs an incredible amount of cellar time. I last had the 1989- a more forward vintage- about 3 years ago and felt it needed at least another decade to show its best.

The others on your list strike me as excessively expensive (and the Bollinger is a bit high too I think.)

Some others have mentioned Krug NV, and I agree this is as good as it gets.

You asked about when to drink an NV wine, and the answer is whenever you want. The law prevents champagne houses from releasing NV wines before certain times, so most will have some age when released. But beyond that Krug is meticulous about ensuring their wines ARE mature and ready when released- moreso than the other major houses for sure.

So a Krug NV is good to go when you buy it- though I tend to like to age the Rose a few extra years to let it cream out.

Hope this helps!

Tom.

Reply to
Elpaninaro

The Pol Roger 95 Rose is fabulous! I wish that I could get a bottle in Alabama :(

These prices don't seem too out of line, unless you live in a state like CA or NY that gets tons of stuff. I would gladly pay $63 for the aforementioned Pol Roger.

Reply to
CabFan

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