Working through the backlog of notes, I have two from our New Year's Eve
celebration with my mother and some friends. With a selection of
charcuterie, crudité, olives, cornichons and caviar with créme fraiche
on blini, we opened:

NV Diebolt-Vallois Blanc de Blancs "à la Cramant"
nose: apples and citrus
palate: firmly acidic, fine mousse, good balance of fruit and acid

NV Larmandier-Bernier Blanc de Blancs Vertus
nose: toasty, with some citrus fruit underneath
palate: creamier, with good acidity and a leesy, toasty finish

Both were fine wines, but the Diebolt-Vallois I found closer to my taste
than the more leesy Larmandier-Bernier. Jean preferred the latter,
though. Both were excellent with the selection of food at the party.

Mark Lipton
--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

On Jan 5, 4:37*pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> Both were fine wines, but the Diebolt-Vallois I found closer to my taste
> than the more leesy Larmandier-Bernier. *Jean preferred the latter,
> though. *Both were excellent with the selection of food at the party.
>

I think preferences in Champagne are interesting, kind of hard to
correlate to any other type of wine. You can't really say the people
who like modern Bordeaux more than old style or high acid Chablis over
ripe vintage Meursault are more likely to go for one style of bubbles
than the other. At least in my experience.

On Jan 7, 8:54�am, DaleW > wrote:
> On Jan 5, 4:37�pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
>
> > Both were fine wines, but the Diebolt-Vallois I found closer to my taste
> > than the more leesy Larmandier-Bernier. �Jean preferred the latter,
> > though. �Both were excellent with the selection of food at the party.
>
> I think preferences in Champagne are interesting, kind of hard to
> correlate to any other type of wine. You can't really say the people
> who like modern Bordeaux more than old style or high acid Chablis over
> ripe vintage Meursault are more likely to go for one style of bubbles
> than the other. At least in my experience.

My preferences tend to be fairly broad depending on my mood or the fod
and occasion. I tend to like the more fruit driven wines in the
summer or with apps and the leesy, yeasty wines in the winter or with
substantial foods. I never pass up a glass of Rose.

DaleW wrote:
> On Jan 5, 4:37 pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
>> Both were fine wines, but the Diebolt-Vallois I found closer to my taste
>> than the more leesy Larmandier-Bernier. Jean preferred the latter,
>> though. Both were excellent with the selection of food at the party.
>>
>
> I think preferences in Champagne are interesting, kind of hard to
> correlate to any other type of wine. You can't really say the people
> who like modern Bordeaux more than old style or high acid Chablis over
> ripe vintage Meursault are more likely to go for one style of bubbles
> than the other. At least in my experience.

I couldn't agree with you more. I've been trying to establish my own
preferences with difficulty, let alone those of others. FWIW, I've
found myself growing increasingly sensitive to the toasty aromas of
Champagne. Perhaps it's the side-effect of drinking more sparkling
Vouvray these days -- I dunno. Whatever the reason, I find quite a few
Champagnes so overtly toasty that I can't enjoy them. A recent example
was a Gimmonet. Lately, Roederer, Taittinger and now this
Diebolt-Vallois come closest to what I look for in NV Champagne.

Mark Lipton

--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

Mike Tommasi wrote:

>> Now THAT is a great way to celebrate NY...
>
> All that's missing is Egly Ouriet. I think Dale took care of that.

Thanks, Mike. I've had one Egly-Ouriet a few years ago and recall it as
a very intriguing wine. The one that I'd hoped to secure for this event
was Cedric Bouchard's NV Inflorescence, which I've heard so much about,
but no joy.

Happy New Year!
Mark Lipton
--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

Mark Lipton > wrote in
:
>
> I couldn't agree with you more. I've been trying to establish my own
> preferences with difficulty, let alone those of others. FWIW, I've
> found myself growing increasingly sensitive to the toasty aromas of
> Champagne. Perhaps it's the side-effect of drinking more sparkling
> Vouvray these days -- I dunno. Whatever the reason, I find quite a
> few Champagnes so overtly toasty that I can't enjoy them. A recent
> example was a Gimmonet. Lately, Roederer, Taittinger and now this
> Diebolt-Vallois come closest to what I look for in NV Champagne.

Interesting. I do not think Gimonnet (if Pierre Gimonnet) is too toasty.
For me, their wines are marked by the lively acidity that comes from Cuis,
and that in my opinion gives them tension and nerve.

I have had a toasty Gimonnet, but it was 20 years old (and one of the best
wines of my life, but that's another story).

Do you remember which bottlig of Gimonnet you were tasting? Was it the
basic Premier Cru "Cuis" NV?

s.

santiago wrote:

> Interesting. I do not think Gimonnet (if Pierre Gimonnet) is too toasty.
> For me, their wines are marked by the lively acidity that comes from Cuis,
> and that in my opinion gives them tension and nerve.
>
> I have had a toasty Gimonnet, but it was 20 years old (and one of the best
> wines of my life, but that's another story).
>
> Do you remember which bottlig of Gimonnet you were tasting? Was it the
> basic Premier Cru "Cuis" NV?

Your pointed question has forced me to rely not on memory but on my
archived notes, a good thing. Now I realize that it was a bottle of
Gosset Celebris Brut, not a Gimmonet, that I'd found so toasty. Sorry
for the confusion.

Mark Lipton

--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

Mark Lipton > wrote in
:

> Your pointed question has forced me to rely not on memory but on my
> archived notes, a good thing. Now I realize that it was a bottle of
> Gosset Celebris Brut, not a Gimmonet, that I'd found so toasty. Sorry
> for the confusion.

Well, at least it started with G

BTW, it is Gimonnet. One m, two n. I have made the same mistake many times.
Now, if I could just remember if it is Nieeport or Niepoort (or
Beerenauslese - Bereenauslese).

I am getting older

s.

santiago > wrote:

> Now, if I could just remember if it is Nieeport or Niepoort

One e, two o: Niepoort.

> (or Beerenauslese - Bereenauslese).

Beeren-.

Berry = Beere, berries = Beeren.

M.