Bubblicious...!

Drinking a glass of champagne always instantly endows one with a sense of well-being. There is something magical and inexplicable about its ebullient perfume, rousing effervescence, and the gentle caress of the mousse... And the entire process around serving of champagnes — no matter how informal the setting — is an occasion unto itself: ice rustling in the bucket, the unwrapping of the foil, the sigh of the cork a-popping and the lush fizz as it is poured into the glass. It is probably because of all these factors that champagne is the de facto drink of ceremonies and celebrations. Even the uninitiated understands this universal notion.

To the discerning wine lover, however, champagne does a lot more than merely accessorise a celebration. They understand that champagne is wine. It just happens to have bubbles in it. In fact these are wines typically made from two of the noblest of grapes, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, whose capacity for complex development is beyond question. Even the third varietal Pinot Meunier, once thought as the blending grape, an undeserved "outsider", has recently proven itself as equally noble by certain Champagne growers who have successfully demonstrated its complex character in single-varietal cuvées. What an exciting time for Champagne as a region, and for the progressive wine lover who are searching for new discoveries. Funny how these rediscoveries lie in the familiar spaces, like the champagne region.

My friend DO once remarked how wonderful his recent Italian trip was as he dined with friends in great restaurants and tried several older Champagnes on the wine list. Although champagne is not a new beverage to him, having a meal significantly paired with serious champagnes, as opposed to using champagnes merely as apéritif (an unjustifiable misnomer in my books!), opened up a delightful rediscovery of the potential greatness of the bubblies of bubblies as proper meal-time companion. He told me that he wanted to set up a champagne dinner as soon as he got back. I couldn't be more agreeable to the idea. And pairing it with Japanese food is a no-brainer; always one of my favourite combinations.

A quick trio of lesser known champagnes were presented to kick off the evening, courtesy of CL. The first wine was NV Champagne Marie Demets "Tradition" from Gyé-sur-Seine. Very soft mousse, rather reticent somewhat stalky nose, evidently high in pinot noir. Slightly syrupy and quite quaffable, I couldn't help but think there was a tad too much dosage in here. Berry-fruity flavours with a slight bitter pith finish. And uncomplicated champagne with very little distinctiveness unfortunately (83 points).

The second installment, NV Larmandier-Bernier 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs, possessed more vigorous bubbles with a markedly meaty nose. Somewhat harsh and nervy now, but without the promise of finesse of substance in the midpalate, in fact, it was strangely flabby around the edges. I find this disturbingly aggressive and unbalanced at this point (NOT RATED).

The last of the trio brought things back on track. The 2000 Larmandier-Bernier Vielles Vignes de Cramant came from one of my favourite terroir — the grand cru Cramant — and in spite of the preceding disappointing performance of the NV Blanc de Blancs, fortunately this delivered. Fine bubbles with a coherent energy unlike the preceding wines. Intense and creamy with subtle pear and green apples flavours. Finished with persistence and minerally stoniness. Although not a prototype of finesse, this still managed to impress with its balance of intensity, texture and length. Still rather nervous today but at least the wine was cohesive (89+ points).

1976 Lanson Brut in magnum hit home a superb showing today. This strengthened the case for the magnum format for champagne. Lanson's straight vintage cuvée is not their prestige champagne, but as this case clearly showed, it doesn't have to be in order to age well and deliver. 32 years young, this charmed everyone with its slightly nutty, honeyed, oatmeal overtones leading to sweet and sappy flavours of passion fruits and lemon candy. Still quite fresh and utterly delicious at this age, and not at all bone dry. The noticeable dosage did little harm to the overall balance, lending a fine texture and polish to the finish. Delectable (91 points).

JC's 1992 Philipponnat "Clos des Goisses" from an underrated and relatively unknown vintage reminded everyone once again that at the end of the day, it is key to rely on the strengths of the producer and the terroir in order to deliver in less-than-illustrious vintages. Mealy, with hints of smoke and meat in the nose, yet it was gracefully elevated with hints of clove and fresh citrus fruits. The trademark Clos des Goisses sleekness and weightlessness reappeared quite readily with a discreet and unsuspecting length and persistence. Finished with a whiplash of sudden energy and power that this clos is well known for. A great performance for the vintage and a testimony to the greatness of this terroir (92 points).

After the first corked bottle of 1990 Dom Pérignon, the second bottle came on with a healthy nose of honey, oatmeal and a touch of wet earth. Very fine bubbles, a la classic Dom, and a fine mousse, still this version was less fresh and captivating than the last bottle I had six months ago as the overall fruit profile was lower toned and the sweetness was a tad too noticeable. A bottle variation I am quite sure... (91 points).

CW said he couldn't locate his 1990 R.D. at the last minute and so decided to bring along a 1990 Bollinger Grande Année which more than sufficiently held its own. Yummy nutty aromas typical of the house. Although its oxidative forcefulness was already quite subdued at this present age, the autolytic and popcorn aromas could still be found. Yet there's an elevated sense of freshness due to its solid backbone. Complex hint of cardamom spice emerged with further airing. I admire this 'humbler' vintage wine which still promises further upside in the time to come (91+ points).

Up next, the trio of Krugs began with the 1985 Krug. A powerful Krug nose which combined smoke, lees, toast, lemon and butter was followed up with a voluminous palate of discreet acacia honey and barley, framed by a taperingly long finish enlivened by faultless acidity. Already rather mature and delicious now I must say (93 points).

The 1990 Krug followed on. Decisively more acid driven than the plush 1985, the high pitched Krug nose was also noticeably riper than the 1985. Definitive autolytic character in the nose, there was now higher pitched hints of lime blossoms and stone fruits and again preserved at the back end with an impressively energetic acid backbone. This reminded me of a tamer version of the 1996 Krug. Drinkable now but have a long long way to go (94+ points).

When DO asked me to taste the champagnes tonight earlier on in order to determine the order of serving, I was quite clear I had to serve the 1988 Krug last, and for a good reason. This was a monumental wine, reminiscent of a great Montrachet. An incredible soaring melange of smoke, minerals, vitamins and stonefruits in the nose which continued to evolve to unveil exotic tones of lime peels and white flowers. Incredible energy and volume in the mouth yet never once asserted its weight on the palate, plus a haunting sense of presence. The wine could be tasted long after it was swallowed or spat — I admit I could hardly spit this wine — and such was the profundity of its inner mouth perfume. A great Krug, a monument to the greatness of champagne, and is in no way close to reaching its peak (96+ points).

JL who joined us late, sneaked in a blind champagne. Pretty, berry-like fruits with very fine mousse and biscuit-y character. Definitely rather high in pinot noir percentage. A soft tone of meat and mushroom complicated the otherwise rather strawberry oriented fruits in the palate. I thought this was rather Dom Pérignon like but probably lost a shade or two in terms of fineness of the bubbles. Very well preserved for this medium-aged champagne I thought when we discovered that it was a bottle of 1988 Veuve Clicquot (91 points).

The food at Akashi, especially in the company of DO, is always top-quality. Price is never cheap but it is always reliable. And tonight, in the company of the champagnes, I would hardly complain.

For those who wonder what wine to drink with sashimi/sushi-oriented Japanese meal I feel morally obliged to suggest that German Rieslings and champagne are probably the most versatile beverage to pair with after sake. Pick a few styles of champagnes to pair with the diversity of the meal courses to match the weight against the umami/fat quotient of each course. The pairing will most likely work out effortlessly. Going tempura? Even more so compatible. At other times I would also team Japanese food with Burgundies (both white and red), but that would call for more specific combinations. High-acid wines like these can handle the zest and sting of wasabi rather admirably.