While writing about wine is far from lucrative financially, certain perks make it a special gig. Such was the case last month when I was invited to attend La Fête du Champagne, billed as “The World’s Premier Celebration of the Wines of Champagne”.
La Fête started in New York City ten years ago and has grown in size and scope, branching out to Los Angeles, London, and Houston for the past two years. This year, I attended two events, La Fête Tasting and later that day, La Fête Dinner, held at Bludorn Restaurant in Montrose.
There were seven producers set up in the restaurant and out on the patio, and the two hours allotted were just enough to stop and try all the champagnes on offer, since, well, I could. As far as I could tell, I was the only person spitting at the event and was even asked a few times about it, but when tasting over thirty wines, even given the small pours (roughly an ounce or two), if I don’t spit, it could get messy. I prefer to avoid mess.
Certainly, all the wines were tasty, but three really stood out.
First off, for me was Vilmart & Cie., one of the premier grower champagnes.
It was the second table I visited, but Laurent Perrier’s Grand Siècle Itération No. 23 (from magnum) turned out, at least for me, to be the best wine at the tasting. A blend of the 2002, 2004, and 2006 vintages, and aged for 16 years on the lees. This comes really close to being the “perfect” champagne. Whoa. Still light and elegant but layered and profound with one of the longest finishes I’ve ever experienced in champagne. Extraordinary. 99 Points. Warning: it is a bit pricey at ~$550 and only sold in magnums.
The standout of the three incredible wines was the 2006 Pléntitude 2, which retails for a cool $550/bottle. Nutty and rich on the nose after 17 years of aging on the lees. Fantastic and layered with that nutty brioche. Yowza. Extraordinary. 97 Points.
While the wines were certainly fantastic, perhaps the highlight of the tasting for me was the chance to meet and chat a bit with Peter Liem, cofounder of La Fête and the preeminent American Champagne expert.
The team at Bludorn was hard at work, preparing some tasty bites that all paired well with the various champagnes.
Lanson is a favorite of mine, and we always have a bottle of the black label cold and ready to go in our house.
Another fantastic grower, A. Margaine was there…
…as was Sacha Geoffroy, 6th generation winemaker at Geoffroy in Aÿ.
Delamotte was also there, another of our favorite houses, a sister company of the elusive Salon.
The biggest surprise for me was the wines of Cédric Moussé. His grandfather founded the house 101 years ago, but Cedric has really elevated the wines. Made from 100% Pinot Meunier (not normally a favorite of mine), his Non-vintage Moussé Fils l’Or d’Eugène is based on the 2019 vintage, but includes a solera blend of all the vintages from 2003 to 2018. Fruity and layered with a complexity that I usually find lacking in Meunier (80% Pinot Meunier, 20 Pinot Noir). This is pretty incredible stuff and fairly wallet-friendly at only $65. Outstanding. 95 Points.
the drunken cyclist 