Champagne Devaux blends are not predetermined and the non-vintage wines see a high proportion of reserve wines. The majority of the reserve wines are aged in oak vats while they also incorporate the solera process. Time on lees far outstrips many of their competitors.
For Ken Gargett, the Veuve Clicquot 2012 La Grande Dame is a special champagne. It walks the tightrope between dense and coiled power with delicacy, finesse, and elegance. Great intensity, finally balanced acidity, early complexity, and it is still wonderfully youthful with a long future ahead of it. But what interesting story lies behind this fantastic champagne?
An exceptional tasting of vintage champagnes provides great insight into the enormous differences between the styles made by the various houses, variations in vintages and also in the different versions of champagne available. Ken Gargett took one for the team and lets us know what he thought of these superlative wines.
Pol was the first champagne Ken Gargett ever tried – a sneak swig under the kitchen table from a bottle at one of my parents’ dinner parties. And he particularly loves the Sir Winston Churchill.
Ken Gargett thinks that the 2015 Cristal is a wine of purity. Wonderfully fresh, we have notes of white florals, citrus, honey and chalk. Gentle notes of stonefruit emerge, with a walnut backing, all held together by that line of salinity. This is layered and complex, a beautiful Cristal with serious intensity. Great focus and such length. Impeccably balanced and with a lingering finish. It should drink beautifully for the next 10 to 20 years.
Ken Gargett reports that the sensational Bollinger RD 2008 is a deep golden bronze colour. The immediate impression was two things. First, an impressive array of nutty notes. Hazelnuts certainly, but also walnuts and a touch of almond. Fuller than many, as one expects from Bolly, but the balance never wavers. It shows just how much time on lees can bring about changes in a wine.
Is caviar all it is made out to be or simply fish eggs? One of the world’s greatest delicacies or misshapen bait? And even more importantly, is champagne and caviar the great culinary combination or just one excess on top of another? Ken Gargett goes for a deep dive to find out and shares his thoughts here.
The Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Blanc de Blancs is the jewel of the collection – the quintessential expression of Chardonnay in the style of Maison Perrier-Jouët. And Ken Gargett thinks that the 2012 vintage is exceptional!
Champagne is a lot more robust than people think. While reds and even whites get a fairly rough hand on occasion, there is a feeling that champagne must always be handled with the proverbial kid gloves. When discussing or presenting champagne, Ken Gargett is often asked how long it can be kept. And the answer is far longer than we sometimes suspect. Here he explains why. Cheers!
The Piper Heidsieck Hors-Serie 1982 champagne is a superb champagne. There is no rush to drink it. The wine should continue to age well over the next decade, but that said, there is no reason not to enjoy it now. For Ken Gargett it rates, 96/100.