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8

Jul

Champagne in High Society

Jacob Gaffney  in Sparkling Wines, Blanc de Blanc, Champagne, Pinot Noir Chardonnay

InterWined recently had the luxury of enjoying Champagne in two settings of high society.

Last night was at Lancaster House, located next to Buckingham Palace. The party was held by French investment bank, Societe Generale, which now has a new operator at its helm.

But those details are secondary to the terrific Champagne the bank served…so much so that it makes up for the not-so-great ‘old’ Beaujolais that was served at the last party SG invited me to.

Berry Brothers initially supplied the sparkling wine: Gaston Chiquet Brut Tradition, which BB&R rightfully claims ‘gives more expensive Champagnes a run for the money,’ or something to that extent. The Gaston is a clean, crisp and elegant Champagne that sells for around £17 a bottle. There is not much oak and the wine probably isn’t suitable to age for age due to its high Pinot Meunier content…(I would say the Gaston is probably 40% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay otherwise).

But, the chalk is there: straight and narrow. And you don’t get these gobs of peaches or vanilla biscuits or almond tarts — or any of the other things some Champagne houses try to cram into their wines at this price range.

9.0 points. And it should be added that the party drank the bar dry of this…after which the host replaced the stocks with Pommery Brut Royal, I’m told…though I had left as soon as the Gaston was gone!

InterWined also tried some Champagne at Louis Roederer two weeks ago. And, let’s face it, Cristal and Cristal Brut are in a completely different league than, oh, just about every other Champagne House. It’s just tastes so different, even when compared to other equally luxurious house. Such wines are unquantifiable.

Anyway, not many people can say they have calibrated their palette for a Cristal Rose vertical tasting by having a Cristal vertical tasting beforehand.

And both the 2002 vintages are looking to be perhaps some of the best Cristal has to offer in recent memory. Unfortunately at either £170 or £350+ for each bottling, it’s not likely InterWined will have a chance to try it again. Both wines are impeccable, and distinctly Cristal.

The only other Champagne that maybe ranks higher in my memory is the 1990 Salon Les Mesnil Blanc de Blancs.

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