Armand de Brignac : Brut Gold

Tasted from magnum (the 750-milliliter bottle costs $285), the NV Brut (Gold) opens with lovely matured brioche, toast and ripe fruit flavors. Fresh, pure and elegant on the palate, with beautifully matured flavors and an elegant creaminess I don't find in the other cuvées, the "Gold" is a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier as well as the vintages of 2009, 2010 and 2012. The wine reveals good grip and mineral tension and drinks well as an aperitif or with seafood and fish. Tasted from L09B8, April 2018.

By far the most voluminous of an admittedly modest range, quantity wise, this golden flagship is a blend of 2012, 2013 and 2014, relatively recently disgorged and dosed at 9 g/l, the liqueur de tirage the only component which has been oak aged. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir share the honours, the balance of 20% made up by Pinot Meunier. Beyond the green gold hue and persistent mousse there is an impressive vanillin richness, hints of acacia and buttered toast; ripe semi-tropical fruit is grounded by soft chalk, powdery yet discrete. The finish needs a little more time to settle; there is energy, which will soften, and power which will underwrite an impressive development over the next couple of years.

Light gold. Musky orchard and pit fruit aromas are brightened by hints of lemon zest and ginger. Ripe pear and honey flavors show a touch of heat and pick up a toasty quality with aeration. Finishes soft, warm and slightly loose, with a hint of bitter peach pit, echoing toastiness and decent length. This bottling actually impressed me a few years ago but that wasn't the case this go-round.

Tasted out of magnum, the bright silver/straw-colored NV Champagne Gold Brut is a blend of roughly half Pinot Noir, with 40% Chardonnay and 10% Meunier. Fresh and inviting, the nose is springy with aromas of white peach, dewy wet stone, cherry blossom, and bread dough. Medium-bodied and juicy, with a fine mousse and a sweet, citrus-inflected finish, this versatile Champagne would be perfect as an aperitif or for an end-of-night toast. Drink 2024-2030.

A blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir, this ripe, well-balanced wine has some toast that adds complexity and richness to the apple and lemon fruit, indicating a mature bottling. The wine in a gold-foil bottle is one of five made by the Cattier house for rapper and entrepreneur Jay Z's Armand de Brignac Empire brand with the “Ace of Spades” logo.