WINELINE TOAST THE NEW YEAR WITH FRENCH BUBBLIES.Byline: LARRY LIPSON It's obvious that there are few bargains anymore when it comes to buying French champagne. And with the best of the real champagnes -- those from the Champagne district in France -- ticketed at $100 or more, where do we find a really good bubbly for about half that price? Lawrence Osborne, with the help of Tim Bowen of Chambers Street Chambers Street is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, at south of the Old Town. The street is named after William Chambers of Glenormiston, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh who was the main proponent of the 1867 Edinburgh Improvement Act, which gave permission for the street's Wines, a New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of wholesaler, thinks he has the answer. Osborne reviews several ``grower champagnes'' in the current issue of Men's Vogue An American men's fashion magazine, spun off from Vogue, a women's fashion magazine. magazine, which hits newsstands nationally today. Bowen doesn't hold anything back about his assessment of the labels of Champagne. ``You know, most champagne is crap,'' he says. ``Of the big houses, I'd give the nod to Krug, Bollinger and, maybe, Pol Roger. But the latter two are no match for (the smaller) houses. The difference in quality is amazing.'' His eight choices: Tarlant Brut Brut, Brute (both: br  t), or Brutus (br Zero ($41.99), Pierre Peters Cuvee Cuvée (or Cuvee on some English language labels) is a French term used on wine labels to denote wine of a specific blend or batch. The word originates from the French word cuve meaning "vat". de Reserve ($33.99), Larmandier-Bernier Blanc de Blancs ($44.99), Egly-Ouriet Brut Grand Cru ($41.99), Bedel BEDEL, Eng. law. A cryer or messenger of a court, who cites men to appear and answer. There are also inferior officers of a parish or liberty who bear this name. Entre Ciel et Terre Brut ($47.99), Gaston Chiquet Special Club Brut ($47.99), Vilmart & Cie Cuvee Creation ($68.99) and H. Billiot Fils Brut Rose Grand Cru ($42.99). Prices, of course, vary, according to amount purchased by the retailer, individual mark-up policies and transportation costs. Locally, the best outlet for these (and any) champagnes is Wine Expo, 2933 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, (310-828-4428 or 800-946-3397). Here, all the above labels are in stock except for Tarlant and Bedel.Wine Expo boasts of an inventory of more than 200 champagnes. The Larmandier-Bernier at $43.99 is in stock at Woodland Hills Wine Co., 22622 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills (818-222-1111). And the Pierre Peters ($40.99) and Gaston Chiquet ($48.99) bubblies can be found at Liquid Wine & Spirits, 10100 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Chatsworth (818-709-5019). EXPENSIVE TASTES: If money is no object, the most expensive champagnes in the world are Krug Clos du Mesnil and Bollinger Blanc de Noir, both from single vineyards, very rare and costing from about $700 to $800 per bottle. Good luck finding them. NEW RELEASES: Two cabernets from Arns are available. They are the 2003 estate-grown cabernet sauvignon ($75) and the Napa Valley cab ($50). Information: (707) 963-3429 or www.arnswinery.com. ... And two more cabs ($55 each) will hit the shelves in January from Raymond Vineyards, both 2003s and both designated as district reserves. One is the Rutherford, the other St. Helena. Information: (800) 525-2659 or www.raymondwine.com. ... Made from grapes off 40- and 71-year-old vines, 2004 Lake Sonoma Saini Farms zinfandel ($22) has just been released. Information: (707) 473-2999 or www.lakesonomawinery.net. ... The 2005 vintage of Lockwood Vineyard chardonnay ($11) is out. Information: www.lockwood-wine.com. ... Three bargain-priced ($9.99 each), 2005 well-made Central Coast reds from Cycles Gladiator gladiator (Latin; swordsman) Professional combatant in ancient Rome who engaged in fights to the death as sport. Gladiators originally performed at Etruscan funerals, the intent being to give the dead man armed attendants in the next world. have come forth within the past eight weeks: a merlot, a syrah and a cabernet sauvignon. All have small quantities of other red grapes in their cuvees. The winery's 2005 pinot noir ($14) and 2005 chardonnay ($9.99) were released earlier this year. Information: (831) 678-2132 or www.cyclesgladiator.com. SIPS AND NIBBLES: Alsace wine authorities have projected a lower-volume, higher-quality 2006 vintage. Information: www.alsacewines.com. ... Wine Enthusiast magazine Wine Enthusiast magazine is a magazine covering wine, food, spirits, travel and entertaining topics. It was founded in 1988 by Adam and Sybil Strum and reaches 686,000 (2006 Mendelsohn Affluent Survey) readers. has bestowed Wine of the Year honors on the DeLoach Vineyards 2004 30th anniversary Russian River Valley pinot noir ($45). Information: (707)526-9111 or www.deloachvineyards.com. ... An interesting wine- tasting and dinner Jan. 20 and 21 at San Antonio Winery The San Antonio Winery is the only remaining winery in the city of Los Angeles, and has operated since 1917. It only produces white wine. However, it does not grow the grapes at its Los Angeles location as its former vineyards have been developed with dense industry. , at 737 Lamar St., downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or , will include samplings of 2005 Turnbull sauvignon blanc, 2005 Grgich Hills fume blanc, 2003 San Simeon chardonnay, 2001 San Felice chianti classico riserva, 2002 Sterling merlot, 2005 Opolo zinfandel and 2005 Maddalena muscat Muscat, Maskat, or Masqat (all: mŭs`kăt, mŭs`kət), city (1993 pop. 533,774), capital of Oman, SE Arabia, on the Gulf of Oman. It is flanked by rugged mountains. canelli. Tab is $60. Information: (323) 223-1401 or wineshop@sanantoniowinery.com. Larry Lipson, (818) 713-3668 larry.lipson@dailynews.com |
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