Four champagnes on offer now in the SYD F lounge

[drewbles]

y Champagne I've come across that I truly dislike is Perrier Jouet. They have the prettiest bottles, but too much of a yeast taste for me (I hang my head as an Australian; I don't like vegemite). I'm not fond of most Roses, and generally prefer Bruts.

We can never be friends The Belle Epoque is my favourite of favourites. Apparently AA used to serve it in F once upon a time.

The Belle Epoque are the hand-painted bottles (I'm assuming this is the 'pretty' you're referring to) with flowers. Their regular NV and others have the flower motif, but they're just on stickers.

Even a bog standard PJ i'll take any day (although, if they put the Billiecart Salmon into the F lounge, they'd have a hard time making me leave, that's a lovely drop!).

 

[drewbles]

Haha, well for some of us Champagne (and wine in general) is a career.

I'm only a jnr sommelier, but i've focused my studies in sparkling so this is my opinion on each of the offerings:

Bollinger NV: quite a full bodied champagne, great mousse with long finish and quite crisp acidity. What I like most about a NV Bollinger is that its quite powerful and has a big body for it's price point, so its one of those sparklings you either love or hate. The winemakers style is to let the pinot grape skins come into contact a little more than would usually do. Eat With: I'd probably most like to drink this with the Salt & Pepper squid in the F lounge, and its full body means its probably the choice pick for heavier dishes like steak, or rich tomato dishes (but really you should just go for a red with that...)

Interesting. To my palate, the Bollinger is very flat and flavourless (except the rosé which i'll drink in place of water). The Taittinger, yes. Very fruity but it's nice.

Not a fan of the Veuve as much. I'll always drink it though (The Cliquot, not the Deveaux).

 

[tehuringa]

Bollinger quality has increased a great deal in recent years.....Their current Grand Annee 2000 is an absolute belter! Taittinger Comtes de Champagne would be one of my favourites also from 2000. I tend to be a fan of grower champagnes rather than the Grand Marques......Anselme Selosse, Larmandier-Bernier, Egly-Ouiet, Vouette et Sorbee, etc.

Transportation of stock is a big issue with Champagnes we get in Australia....Billiecart used to show huge variability but the importer now ships in reefers so that has changed. The new issue is with parallel imports....the bigger retailers are buying grey market Champagnes from failed export orders and passing them on cheaply. These Champagnes more often than not sit in warehouse....often in Asia....without temperature control and a shipped without temperature control.....so it's buyer beware if you purchase the cheap French fizz from the big guys.

 

[tehuringa]

Haha, well for some of us Champagne (and wine in general) is a career.

I'm only a jnr sommelier, but i've focused my studies in sparkling so this is my opinion on each of the offerings:

Bollinger NV: quite a full bodied champagne, great mousse with long finish and quite crisp acidity. What I like most about a NV Bollinger is that its quite powerful and has a big body for it's price point, so its one of those sparklings you either love or hate. The winemakers style is to let the pinot grape skins come into contact a little more than would usually do. Eat With: I'd probably most like to drink this with the Salt & Pepper squid in the F lounge, and its full body means its probably the choice pick for heavier dishes like steak, or rich tomato dishes (but really you should just go for a red with that...)

Veuve Ponsardin: probably what most people will enjoy, quite an approachable wine with fairly neutral palette. Good on the nose, nice color and decent mousse if bottle kept closed properly. Medium-full body with toasty brioche flavours, and a bit of honey. Quite high autolysis with Veuve, so you get that bready kind of flavour. I'm a little biased, Veuve is not my favorite, I think its a bit over rated but its easy to drink, and by no means a bad champagne. Eat With: I'd probably like to have this with sweet foods, dessert, cakes, fruit, etc.

Tattinger: very fruity, and citrus flavours come out on the nose, and follow nicely through to the pallete. From tattinger I tend to taste mostly apples, peach with a bit of citrus acidity, but not too much, it still remains quite a juicy and satisfying champagne. Quite a long finish. Drink this if you like juicy sav blancs. Eat With: This would be quite nice with fish dishes, and light soups, or works as a good apertif for most dishes.

Overall these are pretty good choices, if not a little safe. They've stuck to fairly big winemakers which is a shame because there are some great small wine makers in champagne i'd like to see get traction. And instead of offering mass-produced Vueve, why not support our local industry and serve a nice bottle of Tasmanian Arras (better than most vintage champagnes on the market).

Whereabouts are you a Somm?

 

[simongr]

The Galleries T5 F Lounge had (on Sunday)...

- Bollinger Rosé
- Taittinger Millesime 2004

Considering the first is around $150AUD and the second around $104 (from online sources), i'd say QF need to catch up in the Champagne stakes (Although they had the bollie rosé for a while; i'm guessing the $$ quickly killed it!)

That said, i'm quite happy with normal Taittinger (although I do prefer the Cuvee prestige!)

But champagne is so much cheaper in the UK. 12 years ago a Friday night bottle of Moët was not uncommon and I was on a lot lower income than I am now...

 

[BVT]

We can never be friends The Belle Epoque is my favourite of favourites. Apparently AA used to serve it in F once upon a time.

The Belle Epoque are the hand-painted bottles (I'm assuming this is the 'pretty' you're referring to) with flowers. Their regular NV and others have the flower motif, but they're just on stickers.

Even a bog standard PJ i'll take any day (although, if they put the Billiecart Salmon into the F lounge, they'd have a hard time making me leave, that's a lovely drop!).

Billiecart Salmon is my all time fav.

It is often listed as one of the J choices, but have never been able to get it; "Sorry we have just run out, have some Laurent Perrier, instead"!

Every time ... coincidence?

 

[samh004]

...Transportation of stock is a big issue with Champagnes we get in Australia....Billiecart used to show huge variability but the importer now ships in reefers so that has changed...

That must mean something different where you’re from

I thought it may have been a word with two meanings, but my dictionary is siding with my definition

 

[BVT]

That must mean something different where you’re from

I thought it may have been a word with two meanings, but my dictionary is siding with my definition

"Reefers", I am thinking a type of ship? Is there another definition?

 

[samh004]

"Reefers", I am thinking a type of ship? Is there another definition?

My definition is different - Urban Dictionary: reefer

 

[fbrimfield]

Interesting. To my palate, the Bollinger is very flat and flavourless (except the rosé which i'll drink in place of water). The Taittinger, yes. Very fruity but it's nice.

Not a fan of the Veuve as much. I'll always drink it though (The Cliquot, not the Deveaux).

Everyones palettes are different, it's all pretty subjective. Glad you're a fan of the tattinger though, people like to dismiss it as not very good cause its the cheapest of the three.

Whereabouts are you a Somm?

I work for a wine distributor in HKG, and then for a winemaker, and an importer in Hobart.

 

[tehuringa]

Everyones palettes are different, it's all pretty subjective. Glad you're a fan of the tattinger though, people like to dismiss it as not very good cause its the cheapest of the three.



I work for a wine distributor in HKG, and then for a winemaker, and an importer in Hobart.

I reckon it's fairly likely that we know a few of the same people then

 

[tehuringa]

My definition is different - Urban Dictionary: reefer

The perfect pairing with Champagne maybe?

It's a temperature controlled shipping container

 

[oz_mark]

My definition is different - Urban Dictionary: reefer

Reefer is a refrigerated ship: Reefer ship - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[tuapekastar]

Everyones palettes are different, it's all pretty subjective. Glad you're a fan of the tattinger though, people like to dismiss it as not very good cause its the cheapest of the three.



I work for a wine distributor in HKG, and then for a winemaker, and an importer in Hobart.

Thanks for the reviews fbrimfield and I think you have a job in an industry that may make many here envious. My palate cannot pick up many little nuances and be able to identify them, but I know what I like! And I like Taittinger best of the three at the F lounge. But could happily consume the other two, as well as any 'good' local sparkling.

And to be picky for a minute, it is Taittinger (with the extra 'i'). (acknowledging that I make my own share of speling, err, spelling mistakes).

 

[medhead]

Reefer is a refrigerated ship: Reefer ship - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And I was thinking of a refrigerated container. Otherwise, it would be one massive reefer if it could hold a bottle of plonk.


Sent from the Throne

 

[fbrimfield]

Billiecart Salmon is my all time fav.

It is often listed as one of the J choices, but have never been able to get it; "Sorry we have just run out, have some Laurent Perrier, instead"!

Every time ... coincidence?

I thought the current choices in J were either Charles Heidsieck Reserve or Billiecart NV? I'm a big fan of the NV Billiecart, I haven't had the Heidsieck before.

 

[BVT]

I thought the current choices in J were either Charles Heidsieck Reserve or Billiecart NV? I'm a big fan of the NV Billiecart, I haven't had the Heidsieck before.

All I took away from EVERY exchange abpout the champagne was that Billecart was ALWAYS "just finished". I was SO disappointed that I could not remember the name of the substitute.

Not suggesting a conspiracy, just saying, thats all .......

 

[docjames]

I'm only a jnr sommelier, but i've focused my studies in sparkling so this is my opinion on each of the offerings:

Bollinger NV: quite a full bodied champagne, great mousse with long finish and quite crisp acidity. What I like most about a NV Bollinger is that its quite powerful and has a big body for it's price point, so its one of those sparklings you either love or hate. The winemakers style is to let the pinot grape skins come into contact a little more than would usually do. Eat With: I'd probably most like to drink this with the Salt & Pepper squid in the F lounge, and its full body means its probably the choice pick for heavier dishes like steak, or rich tomato dishes (but really you should just go for a red with that...)

Veuve Ponsardin: probably what most people will enjoy, quite an approachable wine with fairly neutral palette. Good on the nose, nice color and decent mousse if bottle kept closed properly. Medium-full body with toasty brioche flavours, and a bit of honey. Quite high autolysis with Veuve, so you get that bready kind of flavour. I'm a little biased, Veuve is not my favorite, I think its a bit over rated but its easy to drink, and by no means a bad champagne. Eat With: I'd probably like to have this with sweet foods, dessert, cakes, fruit, etc.

Taittinger: very fruity, and citrus flavours come out on the nose, and follow nicely through to the pallete. From tattinger I tend to taste mostly apples, peach with a bit of citrus acidity, but not too much, it still remains quite a juicy and satisfying champagne. Quite a long finish. Drink this if you like juicy sav blancs. Eat With: This would be quite nice with fish dishes, and light soups, or works as a good aperitif for most dishes.

Overall these are pretty good choices, if not a little safe. They've stuck to fairly big winemakers which is a shame because there are some great small wine makers in champagne i'd like to see get traction. And instead of offering mass-produced Vueve, why not support our local industry and serve a nice bottle of Tasmanian Arras (better than most vintage champagnes on the market).

Great post.



I'm surprised the F Lounge doesnt have tasting notes or match suggestions for it's menu already. As presumably they have engaged a sommelier to select the wines.....

 

[BVT]

I am loving this thread!

16 pages and 158 (+1) posts about champagne in an Airport Lounge! WRM*

What
Really
Matters

:mrgreen:

 

[tehuringa]

Great post.



I'm surprised the F Lounge doesnt have tasting notes or match suggestions for it's menu already. As presumably they have engaged a sommelier to select the wines.....

They should have a more focused approach certainly....getting a Sommelier would make sense.

They have plenty of wine writers doing stuff for them + the winemakers on the selection panel so tasting notes wouldn't be to much of a stretch.

They had great plans for a sommelier in the sky program a while back but I think that never got off the ground....excuse the pun.