TN- Saturday Night Champagnes

[Vinotas]

Well, after 10 days of destruction/reconstruction in my apartment, I needed some wine. I had opened a few non-descript bottles at various restaurants since I can't cook at home, but Saturday I was at a dinner party with a private chef who also turned out to be a wine geek.

And he loved old Champagne... Yay!

-1990 La Grande Dame (from magnum)

Oooh, wow, this smells so young! A bare hint of oxydation/caramelization added depth to the minerally pears and apples and yeast that filled the nose. Some bread and dough aspects filled out the palate, with a shockingly crisp finish, especially for something this old and from this year. This really lived up to its name, a Grande Dame who's ageing with grace and dignity. Lovely.

-NV Jacquesson 731

Vive la Difference! Completely different from the Grande Dame, with riper pear and apple notes on a rounder structure, with some slight disjointed acidity at the back. While this was nice on its own, it seemed to fill out with food and come into balance. I feel this needs some more time in the bottle to really strut its stuff. The ripeness and rounder mouthfeel could be coming from the 2003 vintage in the assemblage.

There were a few other bottles, including a 2006 Prager Riesling which was shockingly good and a 2004 Chateau de Maligny Montee de Tonnerre which was quite nice, with chalk, seashells and lemons on a tight frame.

In any case, it was such a pleasure to drink well after a long week of kitchen reconstruction.

Cheers!