Most of us associate champagne as a drink that we have for special occasions such as birthdays, New Year’s Eve, or weddings. It is something our parents brought home to celebrate the holidays once or twice a year. Many wine afficionados bypass champagne and tend to have tastings devoted almost exclusively to red varietals. This is understandable because fine red wines tend to have more complexity. Champagne is, however, a very versatile drink that can be used as an aperitif or with several courses at dinner. It tends to have a mineral taste with fairly high acidity. This makes it a natural match for many seafood dishes, including sushi.

   The first bottle of champagne or fermented sparkling wine goes back to 1531 at the Abbey of SaintHiltaire at Limoux in Southern France. This was a Benedictine property, and a monk from this order by the name of Dom Perignon is credited with perfecting techniques for the production of champagne. Champagne is really just a sparkling wine produced by inducing a secondary fermentation. It is fermented in the primary process like any other wine. It is then blended and put into bottles along with yeast and stored in wine caves for a secondary fermentation. It is during this process that carbon dioxide is produced in the bottle and trapped there.
   All champagne is produced from one or a blend of three varietals—chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier. It is the quality of the grapes, the vintage, and the blending that makes each champagne unique. True champagne only comes from the wines made in the Champagne region of France. There are several French champagne houses producing quite good sparkling wines in California, but they may not call it “champagne.” It is a legally protected name as part of the Treaty of Madrid, which was signed in 1891.
The price of champagne has remained pretty steady throughout the years, primarily because there is a lot of competition from sparkling wine houses all over the world. The Champagne district alone produces over 300 million bottles per year. There are roughly 86,000 acres of vineyards in the region with close to 15,000 producers.
Forty feet below the region’s vineyards are around 150 miles of cellars containing 300 million bottles of champagne being aged for release to the general public. In fact, if you visit Champagne, you may make a pilgrimage to the maze of underground tunnels. The pastoral scenery in the region is quite beautiful. Champagne is an easy side trip if you are visiting Paris. This region is only 90 miles northeast of the City of Lights.
Champagne producers from the larger houses try to make wine that offers consistency from year to year. The big houses have a huge inventory of wine from their best vintages. They often use these in their non-vintage cuvées to maintain the consistency that consumers have grown to expect. The blending of older wines in these blends also adds a certain complexity to the bottles. Non-vintage champagnes account for 85 to 90 percent of all production. Each year champagne makers will set aside at least 20 percent of their wine for use in non-vintage champagne.
One of the most widely distributed champagnes is Veuve Cliquot. It is easily identifiable by its orange label. It can be found in many grocery stores for under $40. It offers an elegant apple quality in the nose and taste. I prefer this champagne with food as opposed to an aperitif because of acidity. Le Grand Dame is the prestige cuvée of Veuve Cliquot, named after founder Madame Cliquot. It is priced at around $100 but offers a lot more complexity than the regular cuvée. The nose is apples with notes of yeast, bread, and cinnamon. I scored the 1996 release 94 points.
  Roederer is one of the last remaining independent champagne houses, owned by the same family since it was founded in 1776. They have close to 500 acres of vineyards located in the Grand and Premier Cru regions of Champagne. Roederer produces a Brut Premier, which retails at under $40. This is a well-balanced wine with a nose of smoke and flowers. The taste is baked apples with a touch of tropical fruits. The prestige cuvée from this producer is Cristal and sells for around $200. This champagne was created in 1876 by Louis Roederer II for Tsar Alexander II. It is widely recognized as one of the best champagnes produced in the world today. It has an intense floral bouquet with aromas of toasted nuts and an incredibly long finish. It is a very richly flavored example that will please the palate of any wine lover. I scored the current release 96 points.
  Piper Heidsieck is a particularly good value. They produce a non-vintage Brut that sells for around $30 at most stores. It has a floral and citrus smell with a taste of lemon cream and fresh baked bread. Florens-Louis Heidsieck was the son of a Lutheran minister from Westphalia. He moved to Reims to work as a merchant but discovered the art of winemaking there. He started to make champagne in 1785 and formed his company. His nephew Christian Heidsieck took over the house when Florens-Louis died in 1828. He became partners with his cousin Henri Piper. It is from this partnership that Piper Heidsieck flourished and grew to become one of the largest houses. Their vintage release is 1998 Piper Heidsieck Brut. It has a mineral nose of dried apricots with a finish of citrus and strawberries. I scored it 92 points.
Taittinger was established in 1734. Since 1960, Claude Taittinger has presided over the company that bears his family name. I had the pleasure of meeting Claude many years ago through Dennis Overstreet, the owner of the Wine Merchant. Taittinger is a charming man with a keen appreciation for fine wines, art, and business. Claude introduced in 1978 the concept of the Taittinger collection, uniting art and champagne in the design of a special bottle. Artists who have designed bottles include Arman, André Masson, Matta, and Roy Lichtenstein.

   Taittinger Brut Reserve sells for around $40. It has a distinctively light but clean style. The nose is filled with the aromas of green apple. The champagne fills the mouth with enough flavor and refreshing acidity to match most seafood. My favorite champagne produced by Taittinger is the Comtes de Champagne Rose Brut. It is quite expensive at $200. It never disappoints with its beautiful pink color and delicate nose of berries and flowers. I scored this wine from the 1996 vintage at 94 points. It is produced from 70-percent Pinot Noir and displays flavors of cranberries and spiced herbs.
Perrier Jouet probably has the most attractive bottle offered by the large champagne houses. The winery was established in 1811 and has maintained an excellent reputation since its inception. The Grand Brut sells for under $40 and displays a mineral nose of nuts and pear. The finish is elegant with a touch of citrus. Perrier Jouet is known for the flower engraving on its belle epoque bottles. The 1998 Perrier Jouet Fleur de Champagne sells for around $90 and has a fragrance of apples and pears. It has a fairly long finish of fruit and minerals. I scored it 90 points.
The house of Mumm has been producing champagne for over 150 years. The Mumm brothers arrived in Reims in 1827. They were from a rich family of German wine merchants who also owned vineyards in the Rhine valley. The emblem of Mumm is the famous Cordon Rouge. Introduced in 1875, the Mumm emblem displays the red ribbon of the Legion d’Honneur. In 1881, Cordon Rouge became the first champagne to arrive in the United States.
The Grand Cru Brut sells for under $50 and throws off aromas of baked apples and cinnamon toast. It has enough complexity to stand up to most highly flavored dishes. I scored the current release 90 points.
Krug was founded in 1843 by Johann Joseph Krug. Krug is one of the only large champagne houses that uses oak barrels exclusively for their product. Each year, members of the Krug family meet to discuss the creation of their Grand Cuvée. The recipe changes from year to year. It always provides a creamy nutty taste with a floral bouquet. Krug Vintage Champagne 1990 is priced at around $200. This has an explosive bouquet of flowers, bread, and nuts. The taste reveals notes of Granny Smith apples and figs.
Krug now forms part of the LVMH group, but the Krug family continues to control production. Their greatest achievement is their Clos du Mesnil champagne. The vineyard consists of under five acres and is located in the Cote des Blancs at the heart of the small village of Mesnil sur Oger. Chardonnay grapes have been grown in this location since 1698. Only a thousand cases of this rare gem are produced in good vintages. It retails for $400 but always delivers a unique honey-nut taste and exceptional bouquet. I have not tried the current 1992 release, but I scored the 1988 a whopping 99 points.
Lanson is one of the few houses in the Champagne region that does not use malolactic fermentation. This makes for a crisp, clean taste. The Black Label cuvée sells for under $30 and is almost always on wine critics’ short list for best value. It has a rich taste of citrus and nuts. The nose throws off aromas of toast. It delivers very good acidity and balance for a non-vintage champagne. They also produce a vintage version during stellar years. I scored the 1995 Noble Cuvée Blanc de Blancs 94 points.
Claude Möet founded Möet Chandon in 1743. They have become the largest champagne producer in the world today. I recently attended a champagne tasting featuring Möet Chandon at Enoteca Drago in Beverly Hills. First at bat was the Brut Imperial ($25), which is made up of chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier grapes. It is delicate and harmonious with a fairly short finish. Next was the White Star, which is widely distributed to the American market. This is made up of the same varietals as the Brut Imperial but with a more intense aroma of yeast and a taste of Granny Smith Apples. This would make a nice aperitif for most any occasion.
The Brut Imperial Rosé was more floral with a nectar-like taste of berries. It was interesting for me to compare this wine with the 1995 Rosé Vintage Champagne that I was served at Spago for lunch earlier that day. The vintage version had more complexity with the taste of wild strawberries and hints of spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.
The 1998 Dom Perignon ($120) is a beautiful champagne. It has the classic aromas of apples, toast, and hazelnuts. There is enough acidity to provide freshness to the wine. It paired beautifully with Celestino Drago’s lightly fried cod. I believe that this will not be a champagne to cellar for a long period of time. It is drinking great right now. I scored it 93 points.
The last champagne served at the Enoteca Drago tasting was the 1990 Dom Perignon Enotheque ($250). I was given a bottle of this by friends (producer Denise DiNoui and her husband, director Chris Taylor) two years ago. I thought it was spectacular then. It has only improved. This is a champagne that is supercharged. The intensity of the flavors are not to be believed. It has aromas of fresh apples and pearls with a touch of brioche. The taste is forceful but not overbearing. It throws off rich flavors of minerals and citrus, with a touch of caramel. This is as good as champagne gets. I scored it 99 points.
Vintages are most important when one is looking for a champagne that is not a blend. There are still some 1996’s that are available in stores today. This is looking like the best vintage in the last 50 years. These are champagnes that have the capacity to age for a very long time because of their great extraction and acidity. I would definitely opt to buy these and cellar them for consumption over the next 20 years.
The 1997 vintage is drinking well right now. The 1998 and 1999 vintages are quite good for many producers with the later years showing greater structure. My preference is 1999 for the long haul, but the 1998’s are charming enough to drink right now.
The important thing to remember is that champagne can be an integral part of celebrating life, but it does not have to be reserved only for special occasions. There are many good values to be found at numerous wine and grocery stores.