The 100 Best Non-Vintages Champagnes

    HELSINKI, FINLAND, June 19, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Putting brand images and prices aside, FINE blind tasted through the current non-vintage offering. Despite consistency year in and out being the goal, there are rising stars and evident disappointments.

Non-vintage is the bread and butter of the industry. Commonly it makes up over 80 percent of each champagne houses' production. Therefore, despite a nice hype around specialty products, it is the non-vintage that makes both the image and financial success of most houses. Clovis Taittinger explains:

-"Even though people know our Comtes de Champagne, it is Taittinger Brut Reserve they base their quality opinion on as that is what they drink."
If you talk to Champenois, many of them are likely to tell you that the non-vintage is their favourite wine in the range. At Mercier they even call it their flagship wine. In addition to the NV's commercial importance, it is also the wine that is the most difficult to make, the one in which human intervention is greatest. Bruno Paillard adds:
- "In this marginal climate we live in permanent uncertainty. And it is people who need to compensate for the nature's caprices. Therefore blends are superior in this region."

The verdict

The quality level was fairly uniform with most of the wines averaging around 85 to 87 points. There were a dozen champagnes which stuck out with their personality and quality. Most of them possess a lovely potential for further aging. Some of the wines were clearly fresh disgorgements and did therefore not show as well as they could have. But such possible miss-judgement is a problem of the NV category if disgorgement dates are not known and the wines sent early onto the markets.
Many of the grower champagnes ended up slightly disappointingly below 85 points as their singularity and sometimes slight rusticity lowered the marks. However, taking price quality-ratio into account, there are some great purchases to be done there.
The rose category was less consistent and exiting as the regular NVs, only two wines surpassing 90 points. It is, however, a matter of taste is one prefers the roses over the regulars. Then their price premium should not be a problem either.

TOP 5

1.Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve
2.Roederer Brut Premier
3.Taittinger Brut Reserve
4.De Venoge Blanc de Noirs
5.Pommery POP Earth Brut

Full list, just click the link:

http://www.epaper.fi/reader/?issue=7012;ac5a16e44446a7810446838a2b094ee6

Source: Fine Publishing
Website: http://www.fine-magazines.com

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