LCBO Food and Drink Holiday 2016

champagne victoire brut prestige LCBO 190025, $39.95

This bubbly was first produced in 1989 by two brothers, Jean-François and Christophe Rapeneau, members of a family involved with Champagne for five generations. They add to their own grapes by buying from growers in 100 villages in the area, a fre- quent practice in Champagne that gives the blender a broad variety of wines for the final assemblage. At less than $40, this is a rare bargain for Champagne especially since the wine is no slouch, scoring 90 points from Wine Spectator.

TASTING NOTES “In blind tastings, these entry-level Champagnes often punch above their weight,” says Igor. “On the nose, I get nuttiness and a hint of black rye bread crust from the lees—I often find that aroma in wines that have a lot of red grapes in the blend. There’s good length, a nutty, buttery finish, slightly oily… It’s a happy glass.” I agree completely. Victoire is a balanced, mellow bubbly with plenty of sub- stance coming from the 65 percent Pinot Noir and 15 percent Pinot Meunier in the blend. I’d be happy to raise a flute of it on any occasion.

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