Champagne and Cuban Cigars

[Redgoldband]

Hoping to glean the collective wisdom of the forum with this query. So, my 7th wedding anniversary is coming up on Monday. I’ve already got a few CCs in the dry box to commemorate the occasion. I’m curious, what CCs pair best with champagne? If folks could recommend specific CCs and particular champagnes, that would be great. Bonus points for spelling out the tasting notes and flavors between the pairs.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BrightonCorgi]

Depends on how festive you are while enjoying both.  The more celebratory, the less skinny I'd go. 

[BigGuns]

“All of them”

- The Lounge Lizards podcast anytime Pol Roger comes up… @LizardGizmo

[JohnS]

Quite simply, the answer is the champagne that you prefer, in general, for your palate. I mean, there's all types of champagnes' whether they're 'light and citrus-y or fruity' or 'heavy and bread-y' or brut and dry, sweet and sec, rose, aged vintage or non-vintage. As @BigGuns mentioned, I would hazard to guess that a number of our members would agree with that sentiment (i.e. 'all of them'). I know I do.

Anyway, some fun threads to read further on the matter...

[Redgoldband]

Quite simply, the answer is the champagne that you prefer, in general, for your palate. I mean, there's all types of champagnes' whether they're 'light and citrus-y or fruity' or 'heavy and bread-y' or brut and dry, sweet and sec, rose, aged vintage or non-vintage. As [mention=5207]BigGuns[/mention] mentioned, I would hazard to guess that a number of our members would agree with that sentiment (i.e. 'all of them'). I know I do.
Anyway, some fun threads to read further on the matter...
[/url]

Excellent, sir! Much appreciated.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Shakey]

There are two broad categories of champagne: "reductive" styles that tend towards mineral/citrus/floral notes and "oxidative" styles that have more cream/nuts/bread/yeast notes. I'd personally pair a reductive champagne with a cigar that has a lot of twang and an oxidative champagne with a creamier, nuttier cigar. CCs probably lend themselves more towards pairing with reductive styles, it seems like Pol Roger is a big favorite.  Here are some examples of each style:
Reductive - Dom Perignon (and other Moet brands), Billecart-Salmon, Pol Roger, Roederer.

Oxidative - Bollinger, Krug, Veuve Clicquot

IMO Billecart-Salmon is one of the best deals going in both non vintage and vintage champagne. 

[Duxnutz]

QDO, ERDM and Cohiba all are fantastic with champagne. 

[Li Bai]

Any (good) cigar pairs well with a good champagne 👍

[RDB]

One thing worth considering is the level of sweetness (dosage) of the champagne. I would avoid bone dry or very low dosage bottlings, and go for a little sweetness. I don’t necessarily mean positively sweet demi-sec, just not the trendy modern ultra minimalist wines. Any of the Grande Marques should be good. I’d probably lean into Pinot Noir and Meunier rather than Chardonnay. Bollinger? Gosset? And probably go for a milder smoke as pairing rather than full on earth and spice. 

[SUP8333]

One of my favourites would be a Egly Ouriet 2012/2014 paired with a QD 52 or HOYO E2. I like them a little sweet and this is the best. 

[vinnyvega]

I would think the cigar would dominate the subtle aromas and nuances of the champagne.  I stopped wearing cologne when I worked at a wine shop because it too much of a distraction. 

[Chas.Alpha]

@Ken Gargett

Question answered!

[Ken Gargett]

3 hours ago, Chas.Alpha said:

@Ken Gargett

Question answered!

nice to know. missed his one and quite a few referred to above. apols for that. lots covered here. 

[Ken Gargett]

just looking at this, there really is nothing to disagree about.

dividing into oxidative and reductive is an interesting way to go - and absolutely nothing wrong with it if that is your thing. but i'd suggest there are other ways to divide that might be easier to understand, especially for beginners.

you can look at vintage/non-vintage for example. there is a perception that vintage is always better. perhaps in general but plenty of exceptions. a friend and i had a look at a few bottles of non-vintage last Friday - Laurent Perrier's Grand Siècle No 26, Ulysse Collin Les Perrieres and a Krug Grand Cuvee which was the 164th edition, so based on 2008 but with vintages back to 1990 included. three of the most brilliant champagnes. happy to put any of those three up against almost any vintage you like. 

if you go vintage, not all are equal. the last twenty years, for me 2008 is the absolute star. plenty of others - 2002, 2004, 2012, 2013 (an under the radar year), 2015 (very hot but the best of the hot vintages i have seen for many years), some great chardonnay based champagnes from 2017. early days but 2018, 2019 and 2020 are touted as a trio to match 88, 89 and 90. some very ordinary vintages as well. very few champagnes from 2001 and 2011 for very good reason. you see a few but avoid them. 2003 was a horrible hot year. krug and dom are not bad champagnes from 03 but i will never believe that it was not the beancounters who made the decision to declare the vintage. 2016 is the other vintage many seem to have declared. why, i have no idea. most taste like pretty ordinary new world fizz.  

you can split between normal blanc and rose. 

vintage and prestige. 

blanc de blancs or blanc de noirs. the older i get, the more i love blanc de blancs. 

growers or houses. 

current release or late disgorged. 

non-dosage or with dosage. thankfully most houses are largely past the trendy fad of non-dosage. i found that unless they got them perfectly right, and very few did, they were hard and rarely aged well. 

single site or normal blend - we are seeing more and more single site champagnes and that includes some stunners, but in general, this is a region that blends. we are seeing more single site champagnes because more and more growers are entering the market. the majority do not have the resources or the finances or a suitable vineyard. they are learning why it is a region for blending. but there are some stars. 

i'm sure there are more options i have missed. and plenty of these cross boundaries. so you could have a single site, no dosage, late disgorged, grower rose. so many options.  

main thing is to taste as widely as possible, with or without a cigar, to work out what suits you. 

[Amori_Smkr]

CORO with Salon is a pretty good pairing . 

[AllorNothing]

Wow, my post has gotten some attention! My birthday is coming up so I bought a bottle of Krug Grand Cuvée, Perrier Jouet Belle Époque 2014 and Dom P 2013. I think this can be a hell of a tasting. I'm going to pair with either a Cohiba Lancero or Trinidad Fundadores!

[Ken Gargett]

7 hours ago, AllorNothing said:

Wow, my post has gotten some attention! My birthday is coming up so I bought a bottle of Krug Grand Cuvée, Perrier Jouet Belle Époque 2014 and Dom P 2013. I think this can be a hell of a tasting. I'm going to pair with either a Cohiba Lancero or Trinidad Fundadores!

that is a pretty special trio. 

[SUP8333]

11 hours ago, AllorNothing said:

Wow, my post has gotten some attention! My birthday is coming up so I bought a bottle of Krug Grand Cuvée, Perrier Jouet Belle Époque 2014 and Dom P 2013. I think this can be a hell of a tasting. I'm going to pair with either a Cohiba Lancero or Trinidad Fundadores!

Very nice, hope you have a blast. 

[BrightonCorgi]

13 hours ago, AllorNothing said:

Wow, my post has gotten some attention! My birthday is coming up so I bought a bottle of Krug Grand Cuvée, Perrier Jouet Belle Époque 2014 and Dom P 2013. I think this can be a hell of a tasting. I'm going to pair with either a Cohiba Lancero or Trinidad Fundadores!

The Krug should be the best of the trio. 

[Shakey]

On 6/24/2024 at 10:49 AM, Amori_Smkr said:

CORO with Salon is a pretty good pairing . 

Damn, how was that? With Salon at just under $1000/bottle these days I've only had it for very special occasions, have not had an opportunity to pair with cigars. 

[Ken Gargett]

10 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

The Krug should be the best of the trio. 

love krug grande cuvee. had the 164th edition with a friend last Friday and an old one from before they started publicly numbering them the week before. both sensational. but i'd argue that if they all drink to best of ability, preference will come down to the style one prefers. they should all be brilliant (they are all brilliant). just different styles. 

as for salon, amazing champagne. to be honest, i would not be letting a cigar anywhere near it. it is not going to be improved by a cigar. i'd enjoy it by itself. been a while since a bottle was just a grand down here. these days, the cheapest you'll find (and very, very difficult to find) is twice that. 

[BrightonCorgi]

7 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

love krug grande cuvee. had the 164th edition with a friend last Friday and an old one from before they started publicly numbering them the week before. both sensational. but i'd argue that if they all drink to best of ability, preference will come down to the style one prefers. they should all be brilliant (they are all brilliant). just different styles.

Shame to drink a vintage Champagne like those under 20 years old. I'd more than happy with just 3 Krugs and call it done.

[Ken Gargett]

3 minutes ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Shame to drink a vintage Champagne like those under 20 years old.  I'd more than happy with just 3 Krugs and call it done.

i certainly would not argue against that at all, but i suspect that the krugs would age more sublimely than the other two (although all three will do well). but again, i have friends who are very serious winelovers but aged champagne has little interest for them. they love it young. they would turn their noses up at 20-year-old champers. personally, love to see any of these in 20 years. very much each to their own. 

[AllorNothing]

Definitely will look at buying additional bottles to age but I need to try all 3 bottles young. I'm throwing a cristal in the mix as well. I'm going to find which style I prefer and hopefully at the end of it all, I can remember it the following morning.  

[Shakey]

19 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Shame to drink a vintage Champagne like those under 20 years old. I'd more than happy with just 3 Krugs and call it done.

I've had La Grande Dame that was brilliant at 15 years and fell off significantly at 20, Cristal that was tight at 15 and just getting good at 20, Dom that was going strong at 30+. There are no firm rules.