Zachys Opening Celebration

Washington DC
Tasted Thursday, September 21, 2017 by Matt T with 488 views

Introduction

This was a fabulous event featuring champagne from a number of top producers including a large lineup of grower champagnes. I was quite impressed by the depth and mix of wines, which included a number of vintage wines from 1995, 1996, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. The food was also quite excellent with an assortment of cheese, hand-passed appetizers, truffles, and caviar.

Flight 1 (3 Notes)

Flight 2 (3 Notes)

Flight 3 (3 Notes)

Flight 4 (3 Notes)

  • 2009 Taittinger Champagne Brut Millésimé 90 Points

    France, Champagne

    Opinions were sharply divided on this wine. I like the compromise between more mineral-driven versions and brioche-filled champagnes. This was medium bodied with a nice element of fruit and brioche. A bit too sweet for some. Definitely an early drinking vintage.

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  • NV Taittinger Champagne Brut Prestige Rosé 89 Points

    France, Champagne

    Similar in style to the brut millesime. This had good balance with a bit more cream and brioche. Rich and rewarding, but the seemingly high sugar in this is not for everyone.

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  • 2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 93 Points

    France, Champagne

    This was very similar to the brut millesime, but had a touch more elegance and balance. A bit less fruit forward, but a similar medium-bodied "compromise style" between the more mineral-driven and full bodied champagnes. I liked this a lot, but it was not for everybody. Fine to drink now, but should age well for the next decade.

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Flight 5 (2 Notes)

  • NV Delamotte Champagne Brut 90 Points

    France, Champagne

    A bit of a revelation to me. Really excellent balance and easy to drink. More saline than many other wines. Terrific value.

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  • 2002 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 95 Points

    France, Champagne

    A small pour, so a bit difficult to evaluate, but this was extremely well-balanced. Really nice mix of salinity and fruit. Tending perhaps to more fruit than is usual for this wine, but definitely not fruit forward from my perspective. Long, long finish. Elegant stuff.

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Flight 6 (4 Notes)

Flight 7 (3 Notes)

  • NV Perrier-Jouët Champagne Grand Brut 91 Points

    France, Champagne

    I have not been a huge fan of this bottling in the past, but it really performed well tonight. Nicely balanced. A touch less brioche and cream than the Taittinger. Medium bodied with a nice finish. Very pleasant.

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  • NV Perrier-Jouët Champagne Blason Rosé 90 Points

    France, Champagne

    Another nice example of a medium-bodied champagne. Very easy drinking. Not much more to say in this long lineup.

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  • 2008 Perrier-Jouët Champagne Belle Epoque 94 Points

    France, Champagne

    This was an extremely exciting wine that shows the real potential for 2008 to be a banner vintage. Terrific acid and tension that just seemed to build and build as this crossed my mouth. Medium bodied with a super long finish of fruit and cream. This was tremendous fun. Had this wine had a bit more balance and elegance, it would have been 95 plus points. 93-94 points, but I will give it the extra point for such a good showing.

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Flight 8 (4 Notes)

Closing

This was a fabulous tasting with some real surprises. The 2002 Salon, 1995 Heidsieck, and 2008 Perrier-Jouet were the highlights, but there were many fantastic wines. We did not get to the Gosset, Laherte, Allart, and a couple others because there were too many wines to try. A terrific event. Best of luck to Zachys in DC!

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