HOLIDAYS + ENTERTAINING
Behind The Bubbles
That infamous saying “champagne taste” originates from the most desirable and rare champagnes, renowned for their luxury. The iconic pop of the cork is a legendary symbol of joy, often marking special celebrations. The primary types of Champagne include Non-Vintage, Vintage, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, and Rosé. Non-Vintage blends multiple years for a consistent style, while Vintage comes from a single harvest with aging potential. With New Year’s approaching, is there a better way to welcome 2025 than with an exquisite bottle of bubbly! Coastal Drive Magazine has selected a few rare and delicious champagnes to spotlight.
Cheers!
Dom Perignon Plenitude 2 (P2)
Vintage2003
97 per Robert Parker, 100 Wine Enthusiast
Dom Perignon is a celebrated champagne made from chardonnay and pinot noir grapes. Each vintage is unique with grapes sourced from only the best vineyards in Champagne, France. Former cellar master, Richard Geoffrey introduced the Plenitude concept with three releases at different stages of the wine’s development – First after 9 years is known as the Standard Dom Perignon Vintage, after 12-15 years is known as the second Plenitude-Bottled as Dom Perignon P2 and the final plenitude occurs after approximately 25 years and is known as Dom Perignon P3.
Krug Champagne
Brut Vintage 2002
97 per Robert Parker. 100 Wine Enthusiast
Krug is one of the most prestigious houses and is one of the most collectible and expensive in Champagne. Blended from a reserve of wines from 10 or more vintages from the Krug Library, it is aged for 6 years. Every year, the chef de cave heads a tasting committee to decide on the final blend.
Billiecart-Salmon
Le Clos Saint-Hilaire
Brut Vintage 2005
95 per Robert Parker. 96 The Wine Independent
Billiecart-Salmon is a house located in the village of Mareuilsur-Ay in northern France. The pinnacle of the Billiecart-Salmon collection is the Le Clos Saint Hilaire, which is a blanc de noirs champagne from vines planted in 1964. Aged in small barrels, there are no more than 7,000 bottles produced per year.
Salon
Blanc de Blancs
Le Mesnil
Vintage 1996
99 per Robert Parker. 95 per Wine Spectator
Salon is one of the most prestigious houses in Champagne, France. Salon makes a single prestige cuvee made entirely from chardonnay from the village Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and is only made in the best vintages. Held back in a cellar for much longer than other champagnes, it can spend up to a decade in a bottle before it’s released. This champagne has a deep golden color with smaller bubbles and has layers of fruit and nutty flavors.
