Champagne New and Old

I had an opportunity recently to taste two very different Champagnes together with great food and friends. (The best way to do these things really)
A group of us went to Ariana’s in Bend Oregon. If you have are in Bend and have not been to Ariana’s, call now and book a reservation. As a group we most like to  order the Chef’s tasting menu, and have yet to taste anything less than excellent.  The menu is in the gallery below.
The two contenders for the evening were 1988 Piper Heidsieck Rare and the newly released Louis Roederer Brut Nature.
The Piper Heidsieck Rare 1988 was notably darker amber in color as would be expected with a white wine that twenty-six years old.  On first sniff it showed exactly what you might expect, rich deep aromas: Fresh baked croissant smothered in butter, caramel, butterscotch and a crushed clam shell funk that often shows in shy older bottles of champagne. This normally clears after being given time to open up to the world and this bottle did not disappoint.
The appearance was a deep golden amber with small fine bubbles.
The nose as described above continued to evolve and surprise throughout the meal bringing forth candied orange zest, pineapple, truffle, white flowers, oats, vanilla, sandalwood, chocolate and coffee.
On the palate it had a big and generous attack of flavor that was very balanced.
The Louis Roederer Brut Nature 2006 was a completely different experience. This is the first new bottling offered by Louis Roederer since 1974 (Cristal Rose). The Brut nature is the driest style of Champagne with less than 3g/L of residual sugar. Popular on the cutting edge for Champagne drinkers it is not widely known to most.  The Roederer Brut Nature which is a blend of 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay has one other interesting change in its production, it is bottled at 4.5 bar instead of the typical 6. This makes a big difference in the mouth feel of the wine. The wine is very obviously dry, but not screeching thanks to the creamy feel brought on by the lower bottle pressure. This almost gives your palate a slow motion impression compared to the palate blinding rush that would be this wine at full pressure.
Light straw color in the glass.
The attack is very firm and very well balanced evolving on the palate a huge backbone of rocky minerality, Pinot Noir flavors of cherry and red fruit and notes of pear, anise, chalk with  a beautiful floral finish. This was one of the most enjoyable zero dosage wines I have ever had, I believe the lower pressure in bottle is a big part of this. It was so drinkable that it made evaluation difficult. I kept getting lost in it.
Both of these Champagnes were amazing in their own style.
Round one (course one) went to the Roederer
Course two went to Heidsieck, the richness went very well with the bisque.
Three went to Heidsieck which picked up the earthy richness of the beets and pistachios.
Four was again Heidsieck, the richness and age holding up against the steak bully.
Finally dessert was one of the most difficult to judge, the edge goes to Roederer.
What an amazing experience. Overall the numbers show a victory for Piper Heidsieck. The consensus of the table was Piper Heidsieck too. Personally my palate leans towards older richer Champagnes but I was so taken with the Louis Roederer that I am going to give them the win in this contest.

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Tags: On the road