So Elegant, When I closed My Eyes, I was at at Ball in Versailles
One of the Most Elegant Champagnes Made Toda
Stunning Concentration and Aromatics
Most of the Champagnes I've bought direct and sold so far have been in the $30 range. They are incredible values that would normally cost $50-$60 at traditional retail. But many of you have asked me to find some premium Champagnes that would normally cost over $90-100 and sell them in the $50 range. Well I've been traveling all over Champagne this past week and I found a direct from the estate Champagne like this and offering it today. I can confidently say that there is no better buy for $50 in grower Champagne today. Period. Of course, I "cheated" by going direct to the grower instead of through 2 middlemen who each marked the wine up, otherwise it would cost $90-$100.
I'm offering the 2008 Brice Bouzy Grand Cru Champagne for as low as $49.99 on a 12 case purchase. I don't do very many case prices but this is so good and such a great value (partially because of the strong dollar) that I want Champagne lovers to drink as much as possible and (hopefully) share with their friends.
Brice's style is as elegant as it gets in Champagne. This wine is at the same qualitative level as its stylistic cousin Pommery Cuvée Louise ($100-150 at traditional retail). It has an incredible level of finesse and sophistication. There is density, sap and incredible concentration all wrapped in the most elegant package you can believe. The nose offers up intense and powerful aromas of red fruits and compote. The palate has a sharp beginning and stunning balance superb structure and a long sappy finish that dissipates. This is a Champagne to sit and contemplate like a great bottle of Burgundy. It is 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay.
2008 is my favorite vintage since 2002/1996 for its high acidity, nerve and precision. As any Champagne lover knows to find a 2008 for $50.00 a bottle from a Grand Cru village such as Bouzy is an opportunity that does not come along often.
This is beyond a steal. This is highway robbery. To give you an idea of the insanity of this price, the blended 2002 Brice Brut Tradition (which is good but not as good as the 2008 Grand Cru) is $89 in New York.
If you normally spend $80-$120 and up on Champagne, buy as much of this as you can and drink it once a month. Serve it at parties. If you splurge once a year on a great bottle, this should be it. It will give you an entree into the normally unaffordable world of top tier Champagne.
The family that runs Champagne Brice has been in Bouzy since the 17th century. Their wines are made from grapes grown in incredible terroir including including vineyeards in Aÿ, Bouzy, Cramant, and Verzenay. Bouzy is a Grand Cru Pinot Noir village. In Champagne they will classify a whole village as Grand Cru or 1er Cru versus Burgundy as in Burgundy where they have classifications within the village. Brice, for me, is a terrific producer. I like every single one of their Champagnes. They are using only Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and block the malo, which, Mr. Brice explained to me ensures that the wines have utmost finesse. He is right and then some. This estate and its wines across the board have ridiculous finesse. I'm very proud to be working with them.
On Dosage
Many of you will ask me about dosage now. It's not zero dosage but you can't taste the sugar. The wine is in perfect balance.
After tasting all over Champagne, my opinion is that just looking at a wine's dosage is, in my opinion, misguided. Just like any other category of wine, low to no dosage Champagne can stink. They can be brutally austere with no fruit and barely any minerality. I learned that lesson in Champagne one unfortunate night.
The amount of sugar that makes sense depends on the other elements in the wine; it adds texture. It's like adding salt to food. With things like legumes, you need to add salt or they are tasteless. Even after adding the proper amount of salt, they don't taste salty. They just taste like they are supposed to. The non-dosage movement was a reaction to overly sweet Champagne where sugar dominated. But always having no or low sugar is like insisting on no salt in your food because you had few over-salted dishes. Overly sweet Champagnes are not a sign that NO sugar should be left in Champagne. It's a sign that those winemakers either didn't know what they were doing or were appealing to a market that likes sweet beverages.
In any case, if you like sweet Champagne, this wine is not for you. If you like perfectly balanced Champagne, you need to try this.
Champagne Brice - welcome to Fass Selections.
Brice Bouzy Grand Cru 2008 $54.99
$211.96 4 pack
$599.88 special case (12) pricing
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