Champagne under $50

[tommy]

I dont want this to turn into an argument

that's pretty funny.

[Marlene]

on refrigeration...according to Judith Sutton's Champagne & Caviar book, she says...."Most experts agree that overnight chilling, or longer, in the refrigerator actually dulls the flavor of champagne and recommend no more than 2 or 3 hours refrigeration before serving. "  She also states proper temp being 40 - 45 degrees...

do you find this to be the case in practice?

I don't. I have left champagne in the fridge overnight, and haven't noticed a taste change. I don't however leave it in the fridge longer than that.

[awbrig]

In honesty Tommy, i cant really tell if it dulls the taste and I frankly dont give a shit cuz I plan on drinking lots of it....

But I do believe the fridge cant get it cold enough so I put it in my ice bucket but do NOT put it in your freezer, unless its the cheap crap Jason likes...just kidding

[tommy]

i'm more curious about awbrig's perspective, since he/she seems to know so much, aside from punctuation and grammar.

edit: ah, he speaks. thanks awbrig. i didn't realize champagne should be served ice cold. very enlightening.

[Jason Perlow]

your tasting notes are ridiculous in my opinion....is this a joke?

1990 Dom P ...yucky?  You are embarrasing yourself...

I dont want this to turn into an argument because its so lopsided but cmon...read some reviews, get a bottle, have some caviar w this stuff, its expensive for a reason, it's rated highly for a reason...

As I said this was a blind tasting and reflected the reactions of many of the participants including my own as well as Rachel's.

I am also strongly biased against the heavy oaking of any wine, especially Champagne.

[tommy]

As I said this was a blind tasting and reflected the reactions of many of the participants including my own as well as Rachel's.

jason, clearly your reactions were wrong.

dumbass.

[awbrig]

sarcastic asshole...I thought you asked me whether I practiced what I read and I explained to you what I did...I wasnt trying to enlighten you...

[awbrig]

Im done w this board...later

you guys saying 90 dom p is crap etc...and then making fun of me when i state otherwise or giving interesting tidbits...

[Jason Perlow]

As I said this was a blind tasting and reflected the reactions of many of the participants including my own as well as Rachel's.

jason, clearly your reactions were wrong.

dumbass.

Yes, -Clearly- I never said I wanted to be popular.

[Jason Perlow]

Im done w this board...later

you guys saying 90 dom p is crap etc...and then making fun of me when i state otherwise or giving interesting tidbits...

awbrig, you really have to learn to be tolerant of others opinions here. Also there is a definite sarcastic bent to people's humor here, especially Tommy's.

This is a very diverse community and we have very varied opinions on food and wine, even between the "experts" here. That was the entire point to forming this community. You learn from and listen to a lot of people. If you just want to go to a site where everyone has the same opinions and views and experiences that you do, you shouldnt come to eGullet.

I dislike most mass market champagnes. As I said this was a blind tasting, and we had a LOT of different and unusual champagnes that night. When you have some of these single estate grower champagnes and you compare them to the NM's, you might have identical reactions.

[Marlene]

we're not here to argue whats better, Dom p or Cristal in this economy...be happy if you can afford a bottle of veuve and some smoked salmon...

Geesh, touchy. I was only stating my preference.

[Marlene]

Jason, do you have more information on the annual tasting? That would be interesting to go to.

[Jason Perlow]

He only does it once a year, you'll want to check out the Wineavenger.com web site usually in early November. It sells out VERY quickly, he usually charges $100 for the tasting.

His email is willie@wineavenger.com

It is a VERY revealing tasting and will totally shatter your perceptions of the "famous" champagne brands.

[Marlene]

Thanks. I'm all for education, especially in this area. I will check it out. Appreciate it.

[bigbear]

Also there is a definite sarcastic bent to people's humor here, especially Tommy's.

I see..... why didn't someone explain this sooner?

[Bux]

Also there is a definite sarcastic bent to people's humor here, especially Tommy's.

I see..... why didn't someone explain this sooner?

Bigbear,

Welcome to eGullet.

[britcook]

If you buy basic NV champagne then it will usually benefit from accumulating at least a year's bottle age in your cellar (or storage whatever) when even stuff like basic Moet becomes tolerable instead of dire. Got this tip from the only MW I know and it definitely seems to work. Assuming of course that you can afford to buy it and keep it for that long.

[Ron Johnson]

Im done w this board...later

you guys saying 90 dom p is crap etc...and then making fun of me when i state otherwise or giving interesting tidbits...

Don't cry awbrig. No one got mad at you for slamming their choice of sparkling wine, the fact that they mispelled the name, or that they left it in the fridge too long. Don't dish out what you cannot take in return.

The best sparkling wine under $50 year in and year out is Roederer Estate Anderson Valley. In some years it is surpassed by others, but overall it is the most consistent. I also find that non-vintage sparkling wines generally offer a lot of consistency.

[Christopher]

I have drunk J. Selosse brut

My favorite producer of champagne at any price.

There was a nice piece on Selosse in the chamagne issue of the Art of Eating a few years back.

[Jason Perlow]

Im done w this board...later

you guys saying 90 dom p is crap etc...and then making fun of me when i state otherwise or giving interesting tidbits...

Don't cry awbrig. No one got mad at you for slamming their choice of sparkling wine, the fact that they mispelled the name, or that they left it in the fridge too long. Don't dish out what you cannot take in return.

The best sparkling wine under $50 year in and year out is Roederer Estate Anderson Valley. In some years it is surpassed by others, but overall it is the most consistent. I also find that non-vintage sparkling wines generally offer a lot of consistency.

The American Roederer is much better than the French one, IMHO.

[bushey]

I love champagne(!) and have several favorites all under $50:

Chartogne-Taillet Cuvee Fiacre (a wonderful grower-producer champagne for about $39.)

Taittinger NV Brut; Taittinger Rose (for a domestic bubbly, I do like Domaine Carneros, which is a Taittinger venture).

Nicolas Feuillatte NV Brut ; Laurent-Perrier NV Brut; Joseph Perrier NV Brut, all three are about $25 or less -- I prefer them over Veuve-Cliquot, Egly-Ouriet, and Perrier-Jouet

Billecart-Salmon Rose is wonderful, but only the half-bottle is under $50. Another wonderful rose is Vilmart et Cie Cuvee Rubis, if you can find it.

Cheers!

[MartyL]

I have drunk J. Selosse brut

My favorite producer of champagne at any price.

I'll ditto that. If Cristal and Dom are the bubblies of rap stars, Selosse is the champagne of winegeeks.

In France, if you see Selosse on a wine list and order it, you can bet that the sommelier will smile broadly and tell you it is one of his favorites and generally make you feel like you are "in the know."

I like Selosse because his champagnes are "winey." Because I find they improve with a bit of time in the glass to air out and warm up, I prefer drinking them from a regular white wine glass as opposed to a traditional champagne coupe. His rose, which is unfortunately pretty much impossible to find here, has the most amazing aromas of burnt cherries. I'm still trying to find a source where I can buy some more of it. I have a promising lead in Paris but success has been elusive thus far. I'd be grateful for any suggestions...

[Robert Nesta Marley]

EGLY OURIET, BLANC DE NOIRS!!!! what an outstanding piece of work for about $50. very hard to come by, though...otherwise, i'll take their non-dosage bottling or their '95 brut which i just picked up retail for $49.

[Robert Nesta Marley]

Personally, I think that many Prosecco's, Cavas and sparkling Reislings offer much more bang for the buck and a more interesting flavor experience in general than champagnes do, since I prefer my wines on the sweeter side. I detest the way Champagnes are made for the american palate. If only there were more Demi-Sec and Sec's around I would be really happy.

jason, you're implying that champagnes made for the american palate are done so in a drier style. from what i understand (as i haven't been there; tried to insert angry face) , one finds many more bone-dry champagnes in france, for example, than in the u.s. also, a sommelier told me yesterday that veuve cliquot's yellow label in france is incredibly bone dry, whereas i find it on the sweeter side, relatively speaking, in the u.s. he was blown away by the experience & was told that was a limited release made for veuve lovers in france.

it's really difficult to come by a champagne in the u.s which hasn't been chaptalized. egly's dosee is much easier to find than their non-, and they only offer their dosee in the half bottle in the u.s.

anyone a fan of the sparkling australian shiraz???

[Jason Perlow]

jason, you're implying that champagnes made for the american palate are done so in a drier style. from what i understand (as i haven't been there; tried to insert angry face) , one finds many more bone-dry champagnes in france, for example, than in the u.s.

One tends to find more kinds of champagnes PERIOD in France.

I mean, come on, when was the last time you saw a DOUX or a SEC in the US?

I agree with you on the Egly blanc de Noir. Quite exceptional.