Anthony Gismondi: 12 champagnes to toast the New Year

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What will you be drinking on New Year’s Eve?

I hope you can find your way to drink a bottle of the world’s best sparkling wine, better known as champagne, especially if you stay home. With no Uber/taxi rides to pay for and not having to pay a hefty restaurant markup applied to egregiously taxed wine, you have probably saved at least twice, if not three times, what you would have to spend for a single bottle on a night on the town.

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The short course in champagne knowledge is all about its style and the blending of fruit. Ultimately, the nuances create the differences between one producer’s ‘house’ style and another, from the light and ethereal mineral citrus offerings to the rich and robust or the heavier toasted/biscuity style. All producers work with three main grapes, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier, tweaking their percentage in every vintage blend to maintain a consistent “house” style.

When Pinot Noir dominates the blend, the wine is noticeably richer. The extra body and weight from Pinot Noir’s power also allow the sparkler to age longer in the bottle, further its complexity and gravitas.

When Chardonnay is the focus, the wines tend to have a leaner structure and often appear lighter and creamier in the mouth. Elegance and finesse are the hallmarks of exceptional blanc de blancs that can be intoxicating when young but can be even more sublime with serious bottle age.

Meunier is the region’s swing the grape. In essence, it is the fruit component that, while never as prominent in champagne as it might be in sparkling wines from other parts of the United States or Australia, still plays a vital role in the final assemblage or blend of many champagnes.

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Today, we highlight the broad category of champagne known as non-vintage brut. Interestingly, the somewhat derogatory term is an expression many champagne houses are moving away from, preferring instead to describe their sparkling jewels for what they are: multi-vintage, multi-blended wines. Most contain different grapes from scores of vineyards and, more often than not, have years of reserve wine that can be as old as 10, 15 or 20 years, and some beyond that.

It’s the flexibility to add older wines and draw from a diverse range of vineyards that allows each champagne house to reproduce a consistent taste and or house style year in and year out — not unlike a fine cognac or blended whiskey.

If you are new to champagne, starting with a multi-vintage blend is probably best. You can tell them apart by their labels at the start, but with time, you will associate the style of wine with the house name, allowing you to choose the type you like as time passes.

Here’s a short list of some of the best multi-vintage blends in our market. Our wines of the week, found elsewhere on this page, will feature some of the best high-end picks in the market. Happy New Year to all, and be safe wherever you decide to celebrate.

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• Champagne Taittinger Brut Reserve N/V $69.99
• Champagne Mumm G.H. GrandCordon Brut N/V $76.49
• Champagne Louis Roederer Collection 243 N/V $84.99
• Champagne de Venoge Cordon Bleu Brut Sélect N/V $88.99
• Champagne Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve N/V $92,99
• Champagne Moët & Chandon Rosé Imperial N/V $93.99
• Champagne Laurent-Perrier Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature N/V $149.99

Weekend Wine Picks

Champagne Taittinger Brut Reserve N/V, Champagne, France 

$69.99 I 91/100

UPC: 3016570001030

The multi-vintage blend is usually a 40/45/15 mix of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. The high percentage of Chardonnay is the key to its finesse and legendary elegant house style, which sets Taittinger apart from most of the competition at this level. The nose opens with a whiff of smoke and toast over a rush of lemon and white flowers. The current edition pitches a slightly more complex palate, adding to its charm. The bead of bubbles is exquisite, and the creamy, chalky, leesy notes go on and on. This is an impressive brut champagne you can buy with confidence.

Champagne Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut Travel Pack N/V, Champagne, France 

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$69.97

92/100 I 03018333005354

If you are looking for a solid champagne on sale with two flutes, the Piper Heidsieck Cuvée Brut Travel Pack is it. The Piper folks call it a night champagne for bars, clubs, and the theatre. It translates nicely to a party bubble, and its insulated red carry pack comes with two elegant champagne glasses. All you need to do is add one. The champagne is bright and fresh with a chalky, citrus profile and a dusting of sea salt. Perfect for any occasion, including nightlife.

Champagne Moët & Chandon Rosé Imperial N/V, Champagne, France 

$93.99 I 92/100

UPC: 03185370696842

The true story of Napoleon Bonaparte, depicting the French leader’s rise to power and his relationship with Empress Joséphine, is in movie theatres now. Would you be surprised that Moët Chandon has records dating back to 1881 showing Napoleon, or maybe Josephine, ordered the Rosé Impérial? The mix is 80/20 Chardonnay with Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. Expect an intriguing nose of strawberries and cherries with a whiff of early morning bakery. The palate is a red fruit affair with a citrus lining to keep the line moving through the palate. The finish is medium long with more cherry flecked with leather and spice. Ready to drink and very food-friendly. Perfect for a ratatouille, the more daring fresh frittata, or maybe with friends and the movie Napoleon.

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Champagne Laurent-Perrier Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature N/V, Champagne, France 

$149.99 I 93/100

UPC: 325843419003

This is a relatively new cuvée from Laurent-Perrier, first launched in 2019, but not the first zero-dosage released by the house, Grand Vin Sans Sucré, back in 1889. We can thank the British for demanding a drier, bubble style in an age when everyone was drinking sweet. No sugar means a lighter, fresher style of champagne that dances across your palate and is gastronomic in the true sense of the word. I love the tension, precision, and, best of all, the chalky mineral palate with a citrus undercurrent. Freshly balanced, it floats across the palate, drawing you back to the glass with each sip. It’s a fabulous oyster wine, but any raw seafood would work here, including caviar. Split the cost with friends and treat yourself to a delicious bottle of champagne.

Champagne Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades Gold Brut N/V, Champagne, France 

$375.00 I 92/100

UPC: 00813497005256

The Cattier house is in the tiny village of Chigny-les-Roses, where they have owned and cultivated family vineyards since 1763. Today, patriarch Jean-Jacques Cattier oversees the family’s artisanal winemaking traditions, including the Armand de Brignac label. The nose mixes citrus, orange blossoms, and peach with a leesy, warm brioche. Tiny bubbles preview a creamy, decadent, candied, curious affair on the palate before a toasted nutty finish. Like the gold-clad bottle, everything is slightly extravagant here, which undoubtedly adds to its popularity with those who love celebrating with champagne. The Ace of Spades Brut Gold was voted No. 1 champagne in the world in a blind tasting of 1000 brands in 2010, and the first release remains the iconic cuvée in the range.

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B.C. Wine of the Week

Boyd Classic Cuvée N/V, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada 

$35.99 I 91/100

UPC: 626990418979

The Classic Cuvée is Chardonnay grown at the Silhouette estate on the cool northern Naramata Bench. Its tiny bubbles move in a tight, small bead about the wine glass. The nose is a mix of savoury Okanagan sagebrush and citrus that spill onto the palate. A restrained lemon/lime peel is streaked with peach and mineral, with a slight sweetness to balance the acidity. Oysters are the first choice, but the matches are endless. Aging slowly, which is always a good sign. The grapes are hand-picked at ideal ripeness for a sparkling base wine (with high acid) and then undergo first fermentation to dryness in stainless steel. No malolactic fermentation occurred before its secondary fermentation in the bottle. The wine sat on lees for 20 months and was then riddled, disgorged, and bottled with no dosage in August 2020. Great value and real wine here.

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