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Published: December 31st 2023
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Made only in exceptional years, vintage Champagne is a rarity, and rosé versions are even scarcer. Produced exclusively with grapes from Grand Cru sites, this ballet slipper–colored sparkler is composed of 70 percent Pinot Noir and 30 percent Chardonnay. The yield was very small but exceptional, a result attributable to not only the harvest but also the more than 12 years the Champagne spent aging in chalk cellars dating to Gallo-Roman times before being exposed to light.
This elegant cuvée—just 450 bottles of which were reserved for the U.S.—exhibits persistent effervescence with a frothy mousse cap. It has great mouthfeel and is incredibly lively on the tongue with flavors of red cherry, pink grapefruit, tangerine peel, and dried sage. Vintage Champagne only gets better with age, and this will mature beautifully for another 15 years.
$400
These are some rather pricey champagnes recommended by the experts:
Gonet-Médeville Champ d’Alouette 2007<li style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Midlevel', sans-serif;
font-size: 18px; line-height: 28px; margin: 10px 0px; color: #2b2b2b;">Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 2010Léo de Verzay Reine RoséChampagne Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Louis Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2009Krug Grande Cuvée 171st EditionPascal Doquet Mont Aimé “Coeur de Terroir” 2009Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d’Or Brut Champagne 2008Domaine Chandon California Étoile Tête de Cuvée 2014
My story goes like this. I was in Amsterdam a few years back. I checked into my hotel near Museumplatz, and promptly went to bustling bistro focused on seafood (Seabar) that I walked by on the way to the hotel. I found a seat at the bar and proceeded to have
some appetizers and a very light dinner. The couple next to me were friendly and we started talking. When some of their food arrived, they insisted I have some. When my food arrived, I insisted they also have some. It was seafood heaven!!They saw I was drinking a brut rose', so they offered to buy me a glass. So, naturally, I offered to buy them a glass. We soon finished the bottle and ordered yet another!! It was a Comtes (Taittinger) brut rose', around $250 a bottle, and one of my favorites.When it was time for dessert, they ordered something I could not pronounce (I cannot remember what it was, other than quite delicious) for all of us. It turns out she is a health care/nurse guru in Amsterdam, and he is a celebrity veterinarian, with a TV show!!! I am guessing the bill would be around $1000!!I offered to split the bill, 50-50, but they refused! I never saw the final total. I staggered back to my hotel (less than 50 yards away) wondering what the heck just happened.But the strangest part of the evening was the two chefs working at the seafood bar. Both were Japanese, one from Japan, and the other from Africa!!! It was an almost surreal evening! I can't wait to go back!
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