Quality Time – Champagnes $100 and over (Issue 137 November 2009)
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 Quality has never been better where France’s most famous wine, Champagne is concerned, and it’s not limited to the major players. A new breed of lesser labels as emerged in recent years to provide wines of classical quality and style, often with very attractive price tags. And a few previously lacklustre names have upped the quality stakes in recent vintages, making Champagne a more reliable source of top fizz than ever before.
We found much to cheer about in this tasting, with many high-calibre wines (only four of 42 entries did not earn a star rating) and a few true bargains. This year we evaluated the wines in two price categories – $100 or less per bottle, and those over $100. This allowed us to zero in on some of the sharper values around, while assessing the pricier vintage wines in clear focus.
Ready-Made
Our wine reviews usually provide an ageing forecast but Champagnes arrive on the market ready to drink. Cellaring recommendations are therefore not given for the Champagnes reviewed in this issue. A few may surprise with longer bottle age, but most are released with enough age already, so drink up!
Tasting Panel
Our Champagne tasting panel brought together a wealth of experience. Cuisine’s wine panel chair, John Belsham, owner-winemaker of Foxes Island Wines in Marlborough and a respected world wine judge, led the tasting, with a further international perspective coming from Cuisine’s Melbourne-based judge and writer Ralph Kyte-Powell. Senior wine show judge Sam Kim, of Wine Orbit fame, added his expertise and experience, and our associate judge was Jane Boyle, product strategy manager at New Zealand Wine Cellars.
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Cuisine Top 5 over $100 Champagnes
To qualify for TopFive status, wines must be readily available for general purchase. Some wines might rate as high or higher but are hard to find. Wines are listed in order of final scores.
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1 |
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GH Mumm Vintage 1999 |
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2 |
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Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut NV |
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3 |
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Louis Roederer Cristal 2002 |
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4 |
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GH Mumm De Cramant NV |
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5 |
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Veuve Clicquot Brut Rosé NV |
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