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souschef
Jul 30, 2009 12:21 PM
I'm not a fan of VC. I tried a number of different Champagnes, and for many years always preferred Pol Roger (the regular NV stuff), until I discovered a vintage Jacquard (can't remember the year, though). It was definitely the best I have tasted, better than LGD, Pol Roger WInston Churchill and PJ Fleur de Champagne.
My wife recently bought me a bottle of Cristal for my birthday; I don't understand what the fuss is all about. It stuck me as being nothing special.
I'm always on the lookout for cheaper bubblies. The closest I have come to Champagne is the stuff from Domaine Carneros in California, but sadly even that is going up in price here in Ontario, where the government has a monopoly.
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re: shopgirl
souschef
Jul 30, 2009 06:55 PM
I agree. I like Pommery, and here it is cheaper than VC by about $20. On one occasion when I ordered Kir Royale in a restaurant it smelled like the waitress was bringing a bouquet of flowers to the table. They used Pommery and Creme de Mures (Blackberries) instead of Creme de Cassis.
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WineAG
Jul 16, 2009 01:39 PM
I've always been a fan of this Champagne house and always have a good supply in my cellar... usually around $40/bottle in the Boston area. That said, I did find a bit of bottle variation with some drop in quality over the past few years. However, just when I get a little concerned, I find bottles that drink gloriously... even close to the quality of the vintage wine. Like any wine, but particularly with Champange, I am particular now to make sure the stock is fresh when I'm picking up some Veuve... so I'm sure it's been stored well.
I also find La Grand Dame to be one of the best Tete Cuvee's around... it's long been a favorite.
For info on blends, and the makeup of the various products/vintages/notes, etc. just visit their web site which has a lot of good stuff.
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re: WineAG
A comment on LGD... it is a good (great) wine, no doubt. HOWEVER, unlike many other champagnes in its price range, I find it an early drinker. Both the'90 and EVEN THE '96!!!! have probably already seen their best days. That said, the '90 was absolutely spectacular on New Year's Eve '00/'01... still one of th ebest Champagnes I've had. And the '96 upon release was blowing the doors of the place, too. These just aren't built to last, imo.
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re: whiner
WineAG
Jul 18, 2009 07:37 PM
Good point... But I do want to mention that the regular Vintage is much more long lived than the LGD. I've had Magnums of older Veuve from the fifties... 53, 55, 59 for ex) over the years that have been superb. Keep in mind that they have been properly stored and were in magnum format. As I was born in 55 I've had the good fortune to have it on a few different occasions.... the last time on my 50th bday... it happens to be a great vintage for VCP and it was fantastic. So the Vintage Veuve does last. Agree the LGD doesn't have that kind of aging potential. Still love the LGD (the wonderful shape and weight of the bottle is great too)... just have to factor in the longevity factor as with any wine.
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It's a good standard Champagne. It's everything that one should look for. My only reservation is that depending upon the jurisdiction in which you reside, it can be expensive, which I think is a function of it becoming (I think) the best selling brand. I'm paying in the low $60s, which is overpriced, to my mind. If someone else is paying...
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re: ChefJune
Well, here are my choices. Took me a week to finally make the decision to order a bottle of champagne and pass on the wine. Here are my choices as I do not want to go to the $100 mark. We will have some sort of seafood for apps and I will either get seafood for dinner or rack of lamb.
Besserat de Bellefon, Brut, ..........half-bottle $40.00
Gimmonet, Blanc de Blancs, N/V. half-bottle $45.00
Nicolas Feuillatte, Rose Brut, Chouilly-Epernay half-bottle $48.00
Jean Lallement et Fils, Grand Cru, Brut N/V $77.00
Veuve Clicquot, “Yellow Label”, Brut N/V $80.00
Laherte Freres, Rose, à Chavot, Brut, N/V $83.00-
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re: zin1953
Zin I could not agree more! When I first took over the Champagne buying for the store where I work Clicqot was, "The standard" but in the past five years there has been a serious dip in quality, (with 1 out of 4 bottles being off or tanking tasting) so I dont even carry it anymore. Too risky when you are paying $45-55 a bottle, go with the Gimmonet.
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re: doberlady
Champagne is a TYPE of wine, from a specific region in France.
Under French regulations, Champagne can be produced from any one or all of three grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. The first two are red wine grapes; the latter is white. Most Champagnes are, in fact, blends of all three varieties. The term "Blanc de Blancs" -- white of whites -- means that only Chardonnay grapes were used to make this particular wine.
There are many styles of Champagne -- in terms of COLOR (Rosé, Blanc, Blanc des Blancs); in terms of SWEETNESS (Brut, Extra Dry, Demi-Sec, Doux, etc.); in terms of harvest (non vintage, vintage); and so on.
The Gimmonet Blanc de Blancs IS a Champagne, produced from more than one harvest (nv = non-vintage); it is produced from a single grape variety (Chardonnay), and is very dry (Brut).
Cheers,
Jason -
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re: ChefJune
MMRuth
Mar 21, 2008 07:47 AM
At Garnet, it's $42 right now - with the usual 10% case discount on top of that. Last year I bought a case at PJs, I think, for about $32-33 a bottle - but that was before the dollar tanked to where it is today.
Edit - at PJ's - $33.97 (Net - whatever that means - maybe the case discount) -
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re: MMRuth
Delucacheesemonger
Jul 18, 2009 08:17 PM
When a wine at PJ's is priced with a 7 on the end, it means all discounts have been taken, thus if you buy l bottle or 6 cases, it is still the price you pay. Be careful with them. On line something was one price, when received bill with order, was priced higher and they would not make it right. Never used them again.
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re: doberlady
Bill Hunt
Mar 20, 2008 07:16 PM
As ChefJune points out, that is not a bad price. It's our "house Champagne," and I pick up a case when either Costco, or World Market have a mini-sale, for about US32-35. Normally, it's US$40-50 retail in PHX. Have to admit that I just spent US$48 for two glasses in NOLA, but wife wanted bubbles and it was the best deal on the list, though I'd rather have had a small producer, that I had never tried, as I am not much on ordering "house wines," when dining out.
BTW, am I the only person who thinks that the label is definitely "orange?"
Good sparkler, fairly priced, readily available - does it for me, though I do appreciate many, many others. Actually, I have more appreciation for the Yellow Label, than I do the Grand Dame. Now, the vintage Veuve is nice and is more fairly priced than the NV YL.
Hunt
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re: adog
Bill Hunt
Mar 21, 2008 07:32 PM
Glad that I am not the only one to think this, especially as I am an advertising photographer and graphic designer. Some day, I'll do a colormeter test of the lable and see where it falls in the spectrum, just to test my eyesight.
And yes, everyone and everywhere refers to it as "Yellow Lable."
Hunt
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re: Bill Hunt
scrappydog
Mar 21, 2008 07:38 AM
The label is orange. (This from a person known to ocasionally wear one blue and one black sock.) The VC "yellow" label remains one of our standard "go to" champagnes, although I believe it is likely due to all the fond memories associated with the wine and prior festive occasions with friends and family. When I think about objectively, I don't think it would be my top pick in a blind tasting at it's price level. Nonetheless, we still enjoy it when we drink it and still buy it regularly.
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re: dudell
ibstatguy
Jul 16, 2009 11:08 AM
Le Grande Dame is their "tete du cuvee" and is only made in certain years when they (and other big houses) believe that the quality of the grapes is such that they can produce their "best" wine. Others on this board can probably give you a better explanation.
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re: dudell
As with (almost) all Grands Marques*, Veuve Clicquot produces both a "regular" vintage-dated Champagne and a tête-de-cuvée -- the epitome of the winemaker's art (or at least it's supposed to be).
Keep in mind that every vintage is different, and so percentages are but an approximation.
Veuve Clicquot Vintage Réserve (formerly "Gold Label," as opposed to the non-vintage Brut, aka "Yellow Label") has typically been a blend of 67% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay, but starting with the 1990s, began containing small percentages of Pinot Meunier. Typically the wine spends some 5-6 years en tirage, but has a history of generally improving with bottle age post-dégorgement for 10 years, and in great vintages, as much as 20.
La Grande Dame is also a 67% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay blend, though some vintages will be more like 62/38. This cuvée is produced from their finest grapes, spends 8-9 years en tirage. The earliest vintages came solely from Clicquot's original vineyards, but I do not know if that remains the case. La Grande Dame tends to be more elegant, more polished, and possess more finesse than the "regular" vintage bottling, which is bigger, fuller, and has more "ooomph!"
Cheers,
Jason
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