Notes below from a recent champagne tasting I hosted… part of the Daly Watch Club experience.
I bet you are going to be drinking some bubbly this New Years Eve… The question is: What Bubbly??? How do you make that decision? Take a moment to ponder that.
I would guess that most people don’t really decide at all. The decision is made for you in one way or another. You defer to your partner or the host of the party that you’ll be attending. You outsource the decision based on someone else’s taste. If you happen to be the one forced to make the selection (“hun, run into the store and grab a bottle of champagne”), you may be faced with a wall of choice, literally. How much to spend? What does my wife like? Just get the one you know! You end up being directed by marketing, convenience, product placement, and gimmicks.
That’s not how we roll.
So, to help you make a slightly more informed decision, I’ve provided some notes from a recent Champagne tasting hosted by yours truly, as part of the DWC monthly gathering series. This was fun. We picked a bunch of popular, widely accessible bottles with good reputations, all around the $30-$40 price point (give or take). We tried each straight up and also paired with a bunch of champagne friendly foods, think Poached Shrimp Cocktail, Sushi Rolls, Salumi platter (thanks Brad and Chef Joe Gramaglia!!), and a Mushroom Lentil soup (a la Fresh Daly).
In my experience, THIS is the way to decide. You try multiple high quality examples side by side, focusing on the sensory experience, and analyzing the subtle differences in order to determine your preference. YOUR TASTE. It’s helpful to pause at stages just to reflect on what you’re doing and also hear the feedback from others. This often triggers the detection of some nuance you hadn’t quite been able to put your finger on (“now that you say pears… yes, you nailed it”). Having someone in the group who has depth in the matter, and can help with vocabulary, is also helpful (like in wine, sweet vs dry, medium or full body, tannins, etc.).
Now, back to the bubbles: Despite how available and well known these “benchmarks” examples are, it’s pretty amazing how different each of these champagnes can be. From crisp, acidic and linear (Veuve), to more full bodied, round, and lush (Moet).
My main takeaway is that the right bottle really depends on the setting and how it will be consumed. Sushi dinner? I’d go Perrier-Jouet. Cocktails trailside in Aspen (Brad is heading out there!), it’s Veuve all day. Seafood dinner… I’d go Moet. All fine choices, but the discerning individual knows how to make an informed choice, has a rational for making that choice, can defend the choice, and is open to sensory feedback. I hope you pick the wine that will make the night sing for you!
Good luck out there!!! My tasting notes with links to professional reviews for each below.
Actual follow-up email to DWC Members below:
DWC Bros – Thanks again for joining last night. Good times. Per request, here are some notes and links to the wines we had yesterday. Keep that Veuve flowing!!!
Mionetto Prosecco Brut
https://www.wineexpress.com/
From the review: “The mousse is creamy and the wine finishes clean, making it an ideal candidate for a spritz.” Could not have said it better myself!! Spritz all day!!!
Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut
https://www.wine.com/product/
From my notes: Lemon rind, pear, sour apple nose. Very crisp, clean, nice acidity. Best food pairing: Poached Shrimp Cocktail
Moet & Chandon Imperial
https://www.wine.com/product/
From my notes: Bakery sweets, yeast, pie crust, floral on the nose. Bigger, weightier, richer mouthfeel. Tight bubbles. Best food pairing: Mature Cheeses, Mushroom Lentil Soup
Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut
https://www.wine.com/product/
From my notes: Fruit tart, candied red and blue fruit, strawberries and cream on the nose. Well balanced, clean, excellent ripe fruit on the palate. Very effervescent. Long finish with touches of caramel, toffee, crème brullee. Best food pairing: Sushi Rolls, Spicy Tuna
Mailly Brut Reserve Grand Cru
https://www.totalwine.com/
From my notes: Cleaner style, like the Veuve, more red and granny smith apple on the nose, bit of bread, yeast. Clean style, perhaps a bit rounder, fuller that the Veuve, but not by much. Best food pairing: Prosciutto, Shrimp Cocktail
There you have it. For me, I like the bigger fuller style… Moet was probably my favorite, closely followed by the Perrier-Jouet…. Either would be killer with a seafood / sushi dinner…. Next date at a BYO sushi spot…. Chill one of those. You’ll be a hero. $35-40 retail price point at a good wine store. Pretty serious value, IMHO. Apres ski, wedding cocktail hour, oysters, NYE toast…. Veuve or Mailly all day!!!
Thanks again guys!!!
-Dan
A few closing thoughts on Daly Watch Club:
It’s not really about wine or watches or food. It’s about taste. It’s about having discerning taste. It’s about choice and choosing what you like based on your own qualitative judgement.
It’s about tuning out the judgement of others, deciding for yourself what you like, what you find valuable, what works for you, what gets you excited, what gets your heart pumping.
What is the quality of the experience that you enjoy? What is quality? It’s subjective. And Daly Watch Club is about being subjective about the things in your life. It’s about actively choosing how you want to live, detecting the difference between alternatives and making an active choice.
It’s not about watches. It’s about living with intent, choosing how you want to live, making informed choices. It’s not about watches, or clothes, or food or wine, per se, it’s about everything.
In each moment, every day, we choose. So, choose how you want to live. We have amazing freedom to choose what we want and how we want to live, our path. Life is filled with choice. So how do you choose well? How do you go about making the right choices?
Experience is key, and more so, being honest with yourself about how those sensory experiences impact you. Being alert to sensory experience, to that which draws you in, and having the honesty and courage to lean in that direction, often in spite of consensus views, in the face of conflicting opinion, in fact. To see value when others don’t, you need an eye and a point of view and awareness of what resonates to YOU. That is Daly Watch Club. That is what I’d like to share.
Thank you for the time and attention!!! I’d love to hear your feedback. Comment or DM!
-Dan
