Wines Reviewed In This Article

NV Veuve Clicquot Brut

NV Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec

1998 Veuve Clicquot Vintage Reserve

1999 Veuve Clicquot Rosé Reserve

NV Moet & Chandon White Star

NV Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial

NV Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial Rosé

1998 Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon

NV Krug (New Label)

NV Roger Coulon Brut

NV Chartogne-Taillet Cuvee Sainte Anne

NV A. Margaine Cuvee Traditionelle Brut

NV Henriot Brut Souverain

NV Pol Roger Brut

NV Montaudon Brut “M”

NV Jean Laurent Blanc de Blancs

NV Louis de Sacy Brut Grand Cru

NV Louis de Sacy Rosé Grand Cru

NV Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne

1998 Nicolas Feuillatte Blanc de Blancs

NV Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut
NV Mumm Carte Classique Extra Dry

NV Mumm Joyesse Demi-Sec

NV Mumm Cramant Brut

NV Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut

NV Perrier-Jouet Extra Dry

1998 Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque

2002 Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Rosé

NV Bellavista Brut

2003 Canals Nadal Brut Reserva Cava

2005 Villa Fiada Andrea Moscato d’Asti

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Perrier-Jouet’s 2002 Belle Epoque Rosé also stood out, but for all the wrong reasons. Why in the world they released this so young I do not know, as it doesn’t suit the wine’s style. Bad decision by Perrier-Jouet in my opinion. Veuve’s 1999 Rosé was another disappointment. Bottle variation by Veuve has been high lately. This house is starting to enter the "shaky ground" territory and they need to wise up fast. The distributors told me that most of these bottles were newer shipments and should have been disgorged in the last 6-15 months, with the exception of the Jean Laurent and the vintage Veuve Clicquot wines, which they said were a bit older.

As always, I tried to taste many of the wines early on and later, when they had some time to warm up and/or breathe. It helps to give a full picture. But, I have said too much, so onto the notes already!


The Champagnes


NV Veuve Clicquot Brut
(Approximately 30% Chardonnay, 55% Pinot Noir, 15% Pinot Meunier; Reserve wines of 25-35% are added to the base vintage; $32-42 US)
This label is very consistent. It consistently tastes of dirty citrus water and consistently makes me long for Moet White Star (I didn’t think that was possible). This used to be good stuff. Now it just keeps getting worse and worse. I have no clue on sales numbers, but I have to believe that its days of being an image darling are gone or at least numbered. At least I hope they are. Bleh! Grade of C- (70-72 pts). Find this wine

NV Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec
(Approximately 25% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier; Reserve wines of 15-25% are added to the base vintage; $32-42 US)
I never would have thought that this would be my favorite Veuve of the night, but it was. It shows sweet doughy notes and a nice acidity that perfectly balances the high dosage. It doesn’t taste as sweet as many other Demi-Secs. A case in point is that it seems almost dry next to the Moet Nectar Imperial. I would happily drink this. Grade of High B- (81-83 pts). Find this wine

1998 Veuve Clicquot Vintage Reserve
(33% Chardonnay, 59% Pinot Noir, 8% Pinot Meunier; Mix of Premier and Grand Crus; $40-60 US)
This is not a very good vintage release. Most '98s are very forward, and while they often don’t show complexity, they show good precocious fruit. This is full of dirty biscuits and hollow citrus. I like some of the biscuity notes (when you shake the dirt off of them), but the fruit just isn’t firing. A disappointment and poor value. Grade of High C+ (79-81 pts). Find this wine
 

1999 Veuve Clicquot Rosé Reserve
(33% Chardonnay, 55% Pinot Noir, 12% Pinot Meunier; 15% Red Wine Addition; Mix of Premier and Grand Crus; 9 g/L dosage; $55-70 US)
This suffered from plenty of bottle variation. I tasted from four different bottles. The first one was reminiscent of sewage. The second wasn’t much better, but the sewage at least had some fruit in it. The third showed good strawberry notes, but was dirty again. Aarrggh! Finally a fourth was able to show minimal amounts of dirty citrus, and dirty biscuit flavors. The strawberry notes were rather Burgundian in character, which was surprising, as I normally associate the Veuve vintage Rosés with bright, nutty red biscuity fruit in their youth. What is going on Veuve? Of the last 20 or so bottles of Veuve Champagne I have had, I have found dirty notes in around 75% of them. I normally love Veuve vintage Rosés as their 1998 Rosé is my favorite 1998 to date, but the are really starting to tick me off with their inconsistencies, and what I can only call poor winemaking or quality problems. Now that Dominique Demarville has left Mumm to join Veuve, I hope he works the same magic he did at Mumm. Mumm had turned into a waste bucket through the '80s and early '90s and, he was the man who saved them. Veuve hasn’t fallen quite so hard, but they are not putting out good wines, in my opinion. I have a feeling that is why they went after Dominique. The fourth bottle gets a Grade of B- (80-82 pts); the other three “lesser” bottles were not graded; bottle variation was high enough on the bottles that I tried that I would not recommend this wine at all unless it can be proved to me that quality control is not an issue here. Find this wine

NV Moet & Chandon White Star
(Pinot Meunier dominant with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir; $25-35 US)
I’ve always experienced large bottle variation with this. Sometimes you get a bottle that has been aged just right and the fluffy sweet earth flavors are attractive enough to lift this up to the B- range. Sometimes you get bitter earth swill that makes this taste like the NV Veuve. However, most of the time you get a sweet and bland bottle of bubbly that shows hints of earth, peach, and pear. That is what I got this time. It isn’t bad, but it isn’t good. If it was only $10, I could see it having its place, but I just don’t understand what Moet is doing with this wine, and why I can’t find the Brut Imperial NV anymore. Grade of C (73-76 pts). Find this wine

NV Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial
(Approximately 1/3 each Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, & Pinot Meunier; $25-35 US)
Well, we are drinking sweet juice now. Where is the substance? It tastes like fluffy and watery white grape juice with too much sugar added. It is like the ditzy blond who is too plastic and has an annoying voice. I guess if I was drunk, I would drink this, but if this is what I had to use to get drunk, I don’t think I would get there. Yawn, next please. Grade of C+ (77-79 pts). Find this wine

NV Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial Rosé
(Approximately 1/3 each Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, & Pinot Meunier with Red wine added; $35-50 US)
This is a very nice sweet wine. It shows plenty of spicy strawberries that were just dipped in a little bit of syrup and wrapped up in a fluffy pastry shell that was sprinkled with some candied lemon zest. What do you know, I like this. Grade of Low B (82-85 pts). Find this wine

1998 Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon
(Approximately 50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot; $100-120 US)
You really need to let this bottle breathe a bit to get it to open up to you. When it does it shows light fluffy citrus, peaches, a touch of sweet flowers, and doughy biscuits. The finish is so clean and mouthwatering that you can’t help but grab another glass. I like it. One of only three standout wines on the night. Grade of Low A- (90-91 pts). Find this wine

NV Krug (New Label)
(Approximately 35% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir, 15% Pinot Meunier; $110-140 US)
A wonderful citrus nose leads into excellent acidity and brilliant nutty biscuits mixed with some floral spice and yellow pears. A complex and wonderful wine. This is firing on all cylinders and was my wine of the night (WOTN). Grade of Solid A- (92 pts). Find this wine

NV Roger Coulon Brut
(50% Pinot Meunier, 25% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay; Montagne de Reims; 10 g/L dosage; $35-45 US)
This wine is full of spicy, honeyed citrus, pears, biscuits, and peaches. A touch of earth is present and helps give the wine some body. A very good wine with a distinct flavor. Grade of High B (85-87 pts). Find this wine

NV Chartogne-Taillet Cuvee Sainte Anne
(~ 45-50% Pinot Noir, 40-50% Chardonnay, 0-10% Pinot Meunier; 90% 2002, 10% 2001; Montagne de Reims; $30-40 US)
This wine just never stands out to me. There is nothing wrong with it, but I always find it ordinary and rather one dimensional. It just doesn’t express itself to me. It shows a touch of sweetness and plenty of pears, citrus, and dough, but is too cookie cutter for my palate. I know others really like it though. Grade of B- (80-82 pts). Find this wine

NV A. Margaine Cuvee Traditionelle Brut
(90% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Noir; 35% 2003 with approximately 13% each of 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1996; Villers-Marmery; 7 g/L dosage; $35-45 US)
I love the yeastiness in this wine. It really helps to make it stand out. It also shows good acidity, orange laced dough, a bit of earth, baking spice, and a dab of pepper. Quite a mouthful and one that will get better with bottle age, but it is already good today. Grade of High B (85-87 pts). Find this wine

NV Henriot Brut Souverain
(Approximately 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay; $32-45 US)
A very nice non-vintage that shows good fresh acidity and some toasty and biscuity notes. There is a touch of sweetness that detracts slightly from this wine, but otherwise it is quite flavorful and a very good NV. Grade of B (83-86 pts). Find this wine

NV Pol Roger Brut
(Approximately 1/3 each Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, & Pinot Meunier; $32-45 US)
Nice orange led citrus leads the acidity attack. This needs time to fill out, but is already showing good creamy yeasty notes. Buy it fresh and let it sit for 2-3 years and it will reward you. Grade of B (83-86 pts) with Low B+ potential (86-88 pts). Find this wine

NV Montaudon Brut “M”
(Approximately 25% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir, 25% Pinot Meunier; $25-35 US)
Rather light in body with citrus, dough, and flowers making up the flavor profile. Not offensive, but not ground breaking. This keeps getting praise from the magazines. I don’t quite get it. I like the price, but it is too ordinary. Grade of B- (80-82 pts). Find this wine

NV Jean Laurent Blanc de Blancs
(100% Chardonnay; Celles-sur-Ource, Aged a minimum of 4 years on its lees; Disgorged May, 2005; $30-40 US)
What an outstanding wine. I would assume this is made up of the 1998-2000 vintages and am amazed that this trio came together so well, as this wine was sizzling. Full of racy yeast, fresh dough, striking acidity and loads of orange and lemon led citrus. This is a powerful wine that has aged well and comes out roaring like a lion. It put most of the other Champagnes at this tasting in its place. After the NV Krug, this was my second favorite. Grade of A- (90-92 pts). Find this wine

NV Louis de Sacy Brut Grand Cru
(60% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Meunier; 10% of the wine is aged in oak; $30-40 US)
These guys got smart and changed their blend; this used to be 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, and 20% Pinot Meunier. It also used to often be a single vintage; I do not know if they are blending vintages now or not, but I suspect they are. I have been hard on them in the past, but the new formula seems to be paying off, as this isn’t too bad. It is a step above the bottles from the past couple years. The first thing I noticed is a striking fresh acidity that really opens up with air and gains some raciness. Apples and pears mix with a bit of spice and cream to form a solid wine. It still has a bit of a bite to it, but the earthy bitterness of poor Pinot Meunier that was so common in past years seems to have faded. Grade of Low B (82-85 pts). Find this wine

NV Louis de Sacy Rosé Grand Cru
(90% Pinot Noir, 10% Pinot Meunier- Blanc de Noirs; $32-45 US)
Along with the NV Brut above, this de Sacy has also improved over past years. The Pinot Meunier thankfully is no longer taking the lead in the flavor brigade. A very light and fresh Rosé that is full of biscuits, red fruits, some cedar notes, and a wonderful creamy finish. This is elegant, but has an attitude. It reminds me of a beautiful lady in a tight and short red dress dancing to a slow and smooth R&B song. Grade of High B (85-87 pts). Find this wine

NV Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne
( Approximately 20% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier; $25-32 US)
This Champagne is like the cheapest designer label at the department store. You buy it because the name is somewhat well known and appears to be popular, but the quality isn’t really there and all you do is blend in with everybody else. You could have searched a bit harder at less well known stores, found a not so famous designer, paid less, got better quality, stood out, and looked better. This Champagne is full of dry and earthy citrus mixed with lots of flowers, dough, pears, fluffy peach, and is a tad bitter. I’ll pass. Grade of C+ (77-79 pts).  Find this wine

1998 Nicolas Feuillatte Blanc de Blancs
(100% Chardonnay; $35-45 US)
I like the price point on this wine and it is very easy to drink, but it just doesn’t do much for me. This is very light on its feet and shows good floral citrus notes. Tart pear and apple flavors that mix with racy dough and yeast. This actually starts off quite nice, but then some sweetness hits the palate and the wine turns a bit flabby and clumsy. It just doesn’t quite come together. I wish Feuillatte would concentrate more on making higher quality wines and not the cheap mass market Champagne in whatever category they enter (Rosé, Brut, Tete de Cuvee, etc…). At least Moet makes some good wines to go with their plonk. This isn’t a bad wine, but it should be better. Grade of B (83-86 pts). Find this wine

NV Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut
(45% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Meunier; 10 g/L dosage; $25-35 US)
I wonder how this cuvee will taste in a few years now that Dominique Demarville has left for Veuve. He did such a great job rebuilding Mumm. I hope success follows him and stays here. This is a wine that really needs some bottle age. It is always light and fluffy, but has a strange off-putting bitter streak when young and this bottle shows it. I like the citrus and cream aspects of this, but would much rather pull a well cellared bottle with a couple years on it. Grade of Low C+ (76-78 pts) for today, but clear B-/B potential (81-84 pts) with lots of air or a few years. Find this wine

NV Mumm Carte Classique Extra Dry
(35% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Meunier; 24 g/L dosage; $25-35 US)
Fluffy powdered sugar or semi-sweet cotton candy highlight a citrus, peach, and dough parade. If I had to buy a bottle for a dinner or party that was happening in the next week, I would rather drink this than the Cordon Rouge. It doesn’t have the same potential, but it is far more fulfilling on the cork pop when fresh. I am shocked that Mumm is good again… but it is. Figures Dominique is leaving. Go save Veuve now. Please. Grade of B- (80-82 pts). Find this wine

NV Mumm Joyesse Demi-Sec
(35% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Meunier; 10 g/L dosage; $25-35 US)
Oh man, is this sweet. It does have a good tart backbone, but you can tell this is sugar on top of low end grape juice. This is not a wine for me. Grade of C- (70-72 pts). Find this wine

NV Mumm Cramant Brut
(I believe this is a pure 2003; 100% Chardonnay; Grand Cru Cramant; Dosage 8 g/L; Alc 12.5%; Pressure of 4.5 atm; Disgorged 2006; $55-75 US)
Fragrant and bright citrus blossoms and orange laced dough highlight some pear and mineral notes. It is very easy to drink and has some flabby notes, hence I don’t see this aging well, but it drinks great today, so who cares. It is a very nice wine that doesn’t get the publicity it deserves and stands with the 1998 Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque in the second tier after the Krug, Dom, Jean Laurent trio. This is currently the best Mumm on the market though they have plans to launch a tete de cuvee of 1998 vintage Grand Cru Pinot Noir and Chardonnay early next year. Grade of B+ (87-89 pts). Find this wine

NV Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut
(Approximately 35% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier, 25% Chardonnay; $25-35 US)
As this wine always is on release, this is tart and full of young green apple and crisp pear flavors. If you can get by the tartness, you can find toasty dough and cream beginning to form. This will improve with time in the bottle. Grade of B- (80-82 pts) for today with High B (85-87 pts) potential with 2-3 years of bottle age. Find this wine

NV Perrier-Jouet Extra Dry
(Approximately 35% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier, 25% Chardonnay; $25-35 US)
A rather odd mix of extreme tartness with clumsy sweetness. This is bitter, dirty, and very sharp on the finish. The pear and apple notes get drowned out by the bitter tartness and clumsy sweetness duel. I’m going to change the channel on this one. Grade of Low C (72-75 pts). Find this wine

1998 Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque
(Approximately 50% Chardonnay; 5% Pinot Meunier; 45% Pinot Noir; Dosage of 9-10 g/L; 12.5% alc; $65-110 US)
Creamy citrus and fresh juicy pears mesh with minerals and dough to form an elegant and pleasing wine. The acidity shows that this is one of the few 1998s that should age rather well. It is no crime to drink this now, but I think it will have more to show us in 10 years. With the Mumm Cramant, this rounds out the top 5 wines of the tasting for me. Grade of B+ (87-89 pts) for today with A- potential (90-92 pts) over the next decade. Find this wine

2002 Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Rosé
(Approximately 50% Chardonnay; 5% Pinot Meunier; 45% Pinot Noir; Red Wine Addition method; Dosage of 9-10 g/L; 12.5% alc; $140-200 US)
This is way too young in my opinion to be released. I know that young, funky, fruity Rosés are great when young, but this isn’t one of those wines. It shows tons of acidity, tangy strawberries, red cream, and nice baking spice notes, but it is lacking in a defining characteristic because they didn’t let it sit on its lees long enough. I can think of plenty of ways to spend $140-$200. Heck, buy the NV Perrier-Jouet Blason Rosé (which is better) for $50-$65 and save your self a Benjamin. This wine gets my disappointment of the night award. Who the heck is making the decisions at P-J?! They deserve a good whacking for releasing this so early (though they have a track record for head scratching moves like this). Grade of B (83-86 pts). Find this wine

The non-Champagne Sparklers

NV Bellavista Brut
(80% Chardonnay, 10% Piont Noir, 10% Pinot Blanc; Franciacorta, Italy; Some wood aging; $30-35 US)
This has a very fragrant citrus nose, but is a bit thin on the palate and has some bubble gum notes to it. It shows good citrus and pear notes, but overall it just seems like it is trying too hard to be Champagne and comes off as fake (in contrast to the wine below which at least stays true to itself). Bellavista is another producer that some love and I just think is rather blah and very overpriced. Grade of High C+ (78-80 pts). Find this wine

2003 Canals Nadal Brut Reserva Cava
(45% Xarel-lo; 40% Macabeu, 15% Parellada; (~2 years aging on the lees; 12% alc; $12-20 US)
This shows good acidity and nice dough notes, but it also shows too much pear drop flavor. If anything, this comes off as flabby and just too Cava-ish to me. I know it is supposed to taste like Cava and I shouldn’t really knock it for that, but Cava often leaves me longing for Champagne. It just is not really my style of sparkler. Grade of C+ (77-79 pts). Find this wine

2005 Villa Fiada Andrea Moscato d’Asti
($12-20 US)
This is a wonderful Moscato d’Asti. It is quite concentrated with syrupy apricot and peach flavors that are nicely balanced by the acidity. I really like this wine. It is a bit thicker than most Moscato d’Astis and almost has a botrytis bend to it. If you prefer them light and fluffy, this may not be your cup of tea. But, it is mine. Grade of solid B (84-87 pts). Find this wine

My top 5 wines of the tasting (in order)

1) Krug Grand Cuvee
2) Jean Laurent Blanc de Blancs
3) Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon
4) Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque (gets the nod over the Mumm based on potential)
5) NV Mumm Cramant