Champagne Friday: Champagne in All Sizes!

By: Gary Westby | K&L Champagne Buyer

One of the most frequent requests I get from customers here at K&L is for Champagne in non-standard sizes. This month in the newsletter, I wrote about the virtues of magnums, especially during the holidays when there are plenty of friends and family to share a glass with together. I thought it was time to do a feature on bottle sizes, and have a good presentation for you today, including all the crazy names and (much more importantly) the rules regarding whether they are fermented in the bottle or not.

Additionally, I have made a chart for you here on the various sizes:

Name	Capacity	Equivalent (in bottles)	Notes
Split	187ml	1/4 bottle	Can be decanted
Half-Bottle	375ml	1/2 bottle	Must be bottle fermented
Bottle	750ml	1	Must be bottle fermented
Magnum	1.5 l	2	Must be bottle fermented
Jeroboam	3 l	4	Must be bottle fermented
Rehoboam	4.5 l	6	Can be decanted
Methuselah	6 l	8	Can be decanted
Salmanazar	9 l	12	Can be decanted
Balthazar	12 l	16	Can be decanted
Nebuchadnezzar	15 l	20	Can be decanted

Here is a smattering of bottles we have in-stock in the various sizes:

 Pommery "Pop" Rosé Champagne (187ml) at $12.99 makes a great stocking stuffer!In split, we have the Pommery "Pop" Rosé Champagne (187ml) at $12.99. This was designed to be drunk from a straw in nightclubs, and is all the rage with Parisian models. I have been trying to get more of them to shop here, but so far I have been happy that our regular customers have been buying them.

Pierre Paillard Grand Cru Brut Champagne is available in 750ml, 1.5 L (Magnum), 6L (Methuselah), and 9L (Salmanazar)! In half bottles, the Fleury Brut Rosé Champagne (375ml) $27.99 is just the right size for a glass each before dinner. It is composed of 100% pinot noir, is made by maceration, with all of the skins in contact with all of the juice. Most rosés made in this style are very big, but this one is the exception; it is very elegant.

For a regular bottle, it is hard to beat the great value of the Ariston Aspasie "Carte Blanche" Brut Champagne at $27.99. It is all estate fruit and aged for five years on the lees! If you have never had this, try it!

When it comes to magnums, I recommend them all. This is the way to drink Champagne and there is something truly magical about this particular size. I love the new 2007 Franck Bonville "Millesime" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne 1.5L at $84.99 for its fantastic Chablis like tension between richness and minerality. This could go with crab tonight, or be buried for decades in your cellar.

For Jeroboam, the Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé Champagne (3L) at $369 will make quite an impression at your next party. It is the benchmark big house rose for a reason and four bottles in one goes around more than once at a holiday party!

For bigger sizes, we have very few as we prefer just to deal with bottle fermented Champagne. Luckily, Pierre Paillard bottle ferments their big bottles and we have both methuselah (Pierre Paillard Grand Cru Brut Champagne 6L at $599) and salmanazar (Pierre Paillard Grand Cru Brut Champagne 9L at $899) available in very small quantities.

A toast to you!

-Gary

Champagne Friday: Champagne & Foie Gras… 15 days left!

By: Gary Westby | K&L Champagne Buyer

Champagne & Foie Gras… 15 days left!

Foie Gras is one of my favorite pairings with Champagne, and sadly here in California, we only have 15 days left to enjoy it. After that, it will be illegal to sell in this state and fans of the noble liver will have to travel to enjoy it. The incredible richness of foie gras is the perfect partner for the refreshing high acidity of Champagne. Traveling to the Champagne region, it is a pairing that every restaurant and host suggests, and I have been lucky enough to have it prepared and paired in many different ways over the years. In the today's video, I visit with Jean-Baptiste Su of Fabrique Délice artisanal charcuterie and later share my favorite preparation, which is very simple: thick slices on toasted brioche, with fresh cracked black pepper and a sprinkling of Fleur de Sel.

My favorite Champagnes with foie gras are rich and powerful wines. The indigenous grape Meunier, with its hint of exotic fruit has a particular affinity for it. Older Champagne, with its developed, often chanterelle like bouquet is also a spectacular partner for it. The best pairings I have ever had are when all three of these elements come together. If you have any old Rene Collard in your cellar, nothing tops it with foie gras!

Here are my favorite foie gras partners from our current stock:

Michel Loriot "Marie-Leopold" Sec Champagne ($34.99): This bottle is the best foie gras pairing if you like to serve the liver with compote. This is composed of 80% Meunier and 20% Chardonnay and aged for four years before being released.  The liqueur that is used for the dosage is made in house and based on pure cane sugar. It has a nose that reminds me of tarte tatin, a pastry smell that carries through onto the palate. It has such a nice, lazy bead and polished texture and the sweetness does not seem at all out of place.

Baron Fuente "Esprit" Brut Champagne ($39.99): This mature Champagne will go perfectly with seared foie gras. It is super well balanced and gets an astoundingly luxurious seven years of aging on the lees. It is very rare to find something so reasonably priced that is kept for so long. Composed of even parts Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier it is fermented in stainless steel. The "Esprit" has a very high quality sourdough toastiness arrived at honestly from the long aging on the lees. It is round and easy to drink, with flavors of hazelnuts contrasting its nice citrus zip.

Fleury "Cuveé Robert Fleury" Brut Champagne ($49.99): I have a bottle of this in my refrigerator right now to go with foie gras prepared exactly like I did it in the video. Like the Loriot above, this Champagne is a tribute to the old methods, and in this case also one of the ancient grape varieties of Champagne. It is a barrel-fermented blend of one-third each Chardonnay, Pinot Banc and Pinot Noir. Pinot Blanc is a real rarity in Champagne, and only exists in a few spots in the Aube.

Krug "Grande Cuvée" Brut Champagne ($139.99): Eating foie gras and drinking Krug makes me feel like king for the day. This great house is the outspoken champion of Meunier among the grand marques. Based on 2004 with six years on the lees and reserve wines dating back to 1990, this decadent treat will go perfectly with all manner of preparations.

Cheers!

–Gary Westby

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