If there’s one time in the year when the popping of champagne corks is heard around the world in unison, it’s on December 31. Faithful to the rendezvous, champagne is always a staple at every New Year’s Eve soirée.
Whether you’re attending some fancy NYE party, dining with your spouse at an upscale restaurant, spending it with your entourage at a friend’s house, or staying in the coziness of your home, as you wave 2022 goodbye and ring in the new year, it’s important to dress the part and accessorize with the right bubbles.
So, when the clock strikes midnight, what bottle of champagne should you pop open to kick off 2023 on the right note?
Here are my five suggestions for the special occasion:
1. R. Dumont & Fils Tradition Brut
This lovely wine is a blend of 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay.
The house’s vineyard, located in the heart of the Cote des Bar on a Kimmeridgian soil, produces full-bodied and fruity wines with a rich and complex viscosity. Fermentation takes place in vat at low temperature which enhances its aromas and elegance. The BRUT TRADITION classically blends 4 to 5 harvests and ages on lees for two years in the cellar.
2. Nicolas Feuillate Brut Reserve
The blend is 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Meunier and 20 % Chardonnay.
Rich and creamy, showing the dried fruit, nut, and spice notes of fruitcake, with lemon meringue and honey flavors. Clean citrusy acidity and crunchy apricot integrates beautifully and provides an elegance to this refined champagne.
3. Champagne Drappier Carte d’Or
The Carte d’Or cuvée is 75% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay and 10% Meunier.
Drappier’s flagship cuvée. With its very high proportion of Pinot Noir, one is almost tasting a Blanc de Noirs. Champagne with a fine aromatic richness, it opens with aromas of stoned fruits such as white vineyard peach. A spicy hint announces a powerful complex palate. A vinous Champagne of lovely complexity with a characteristic note of quince jelly.
4. Champagne Philippe Fontaine – Brut Tradition
This champagne is composed of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Meunier
Philippe Fontaine’s flagship bottling stands out among Grower Champagnes for its blanc de noirs cepage and extended time en tirage. Golden citrus and orchard fruits lilt along on a silky textured palate that glides into a very fresh and cleansing finish.
Located in Balnot-sur-Laignes in the Côte des Bar region, Champagne Philippe Fontaine is above all about a history of family and tradition. Most of the vineyards are in the prestigious Les Riceys part of the region. They are comprised of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% mixed Pinot Blanc, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. All of Philippe Fontaine Champagnes are handcrafted at the estate, small production, sustainably farmed, and represent a tremendous value in the Grower Champagne category.
5. deVenoge Cordon Bleu Brut
The blend is 33% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay and 33% Meunier
This is an exquisite champagne with wide aromatic complexity ranging from Granny Smith apple to a vibrant bouquet of citruses and honey evolving toward brioche, butter and dry biscuit. Following 3 years of cellar aging, champagne Cordon Bleu is well-balanced, round, complex and subtle. A classic among the many non-vintage cuvées produced the Maisons de Champagne.
Henri-Marc emigrated from his native Canton of Vaud to Champagne and created “de Venoge & Cie” in 1837 with his son Joseph. The Cordon Bleu is adopted as the symbol of the House, in reference to the Venoge river and to the order of the Holy Spirit, the most famous order of chivalry of the French monarchy.
However you decide to spend New Year’s Eve, the one universal tradition to observe is Champagne!
A friend of mine once told me that the way you celebrate December 31 will determine the mood and style of the coming year.
To that I say: Life without champagne is flat so make it pop!
