Master Sommeliers TOP 5 Champagnes 🍾🥂

Five million people have seen us talk about champagne in the last 30 days. We've had over 10,000 new followers across our new TikTok page and Instagram and we've had record downloads of our podcast and it's all around the topic of champagne. Champagne baby and it's funny because last year in December of course the infamous video with Olivier Krug which was never ever drink champagne in a fruit gave us up five million and 20,000 new followers. So people love champagne content and while the going is hot we are ready to pop some bottles. I'm Angus at Laughlin, Master Sommelier's friend. Because the Master Sommelier is sitting across from me, Carlos Santos. How are you sir? I'm very good. Another exciting episode. Yes. I'm sure. Yeah. At least we have a nice bottle to open today. Absolutely. Very exciting. We've been opening some nice bottles yeah? We did. The 1988 La Mission Chateaubriand. It's still hot. It's very hot. Okay. Thank you. And of course I'm infamous for butchering the names of many champagne houses. So my apologies to the French in the comments. Carlos what are we doing today? So we will talk about my favorite five champagne houses which I've obviously tasted and drank over the years and if I were to pick top five I think this would be it. Of course there's so many others and everyone will be saying oh what about this? What about that? But you know I've got to pick five right? I know what they are and number one genuinely shocked me. I thought for sure I knew what it would be. Well it doesn't look like it would be the best. Um I think I'd look a bit more like Simba Bichir. What if I told you it starts at $3,000 a bottle? What? I've never seen it before. Never seen or heard of this brand. And it's a surprise so stick around for it. As we get ready to open up this bottle of champagne. Carlos you have the honors. Big moves early everybody. Carlos has picked the burgundy glasses to appreciate this. A big tick of approval from Olivia Krug. All right so we now have two glasses and I should point out burgundy glasses of champagne in front of us as Carlos the master smelier prepares to take us through his top five and of course for retention of audience we are going to start at number five. Well it is one of the champagnes that we that we've played with. Agrappa. Because Agrappa is a very small house. It is a Recolta Manipula. So one of these producers that actually own their own vineyards. They are based in Aviz. So one of the villages of Cote de Blanc. So if you look at champagne at the champagne map obviously starting with Rams, Vallée de la Marne and then Cote de Blanc, Cote de Cezanne and then Cote de Bas. So Cote de Blanc is the most important sub-region of champagne for Chardonnay. And that's where Agrappa is based. And then of course they produce several different cuvées. Avis Oise, Cuvée Mineral. Between others. But it's a very clean, very fresh style of champagne. They use older oak barrels. They pick earlier in the season. So really to keep that freshness that liveliness in the champagnes. And all of them are pretty much like this. Very much a mineral driven wine. Less exposure to oxygen. Therefore a much fresher style. So I can reveal the first this or that that we did on Champagne. Which got a couple of million views. Ayala was a favorite of yours along the journey. And a lot of people had never heard of Ayala. But I can say it does not make your top five. Why does Agrappa over Ayala for your personal preference make it into your tops? Because Ayala, I mean, although they are somehow similar styles. Fresh, it's a more reductive style of champagne overall. Ayala is a much larger producer. It's a Negotia Manipula. While Agrappa is a Recolta Manipula. So Ayala will buy grapes in to produce the champagnes they make. On very small amounts, if any, of the wines they make. While Agrappa owns every single vineyard of the champagnes they make. They are similar style. But Agrappa is just that fine precision. Really small production. And again, four or five different cuviers. Maybe more that they make these days. But all very pristine. It's a very, very elegant style of champagne. And Chardonnay based. Chardonnay based. They just only produce Chardonnay. And it's just insane. Insanely delicious. So obviously if you're listening to this in Europe or watching this in Europe. You do not get the same prices as us. In Australia we get absolutely lynched with money. When we buy imported wines. So that being said. Of course we have a tax on alcohol as well in this country. Which is wild. But you can pick up an Agrappa for about $195. Yeah. I think I saw it for $170. So it is a semi-approachable wine. But once again, an occasion wine. But it's not the one that we're drinking in front of us. No, it is not. Yeah. Because number four of Amastor Sommelier's favorite champagnes is. It will be Agliorié. So that's what we're drinking now. And can we say cheers? Cheers. Absolutely. This beautiful golden color. Very fine bubble. Of course this is a champagne that it's totally the opposite of Agrappa for instance. Because Agliorié. Well first of all they are located in Reims. So that's the northernmost wine region. Montagne de Reims to be more precise. And they are based in Amboné. But yeah, Amboné is a Pinot Noir based village in which these guys are based. They also, I think they make about 10 hectares of. They grow 10 hectares of vineyards in the region. And then they also have in Vallée de la Marne, I think about three hectares. Vallée de la Marne is mostly Pinot Noir. And that's where they make some of these wines. So it's a very different style. Why? Because Agliorié is much more exposed to oxygen. So more influence of oak, micro-oxygenation, etc. So the wines are broader, more shouldery. They're richer, they're more powerful. A lot more toasty aromas. But still very, very precise. Very low dosage. Meaning a very low sugar in these wines. So they lean. They lean as in in terms of sugar. But shouldery big in terms of style and taste. That makes sense. So I'm an idiot when it comes to wines and champagnes and fortifieds. But one thing I do is sort of my first recognizer when I'm assessing a wine that has bubbles in the glass and is kind of perceptible to be champagne or sparkling is that brioche effect, which I've got here. This beautiful, warm, when you're making bread, that beautiful smell. Which is in this glass. And I know I haven't tried every sparkling wine in the world, but I've tried a fair few. Why do we not get that in sparkling wines? And why is that so distinctive for champagne? Yeah, well, because of the lees aging. So the longer the wine stays on its own lees maturing, because it's so strict how long they have to keep on lees and bottle, etc. And then Cava, there's some good examples as well, because they also have those strict rules. Some Italian sparklings. You know, Blanga, Alta Langa, for example, Franciacorta, etc. Those wines have some rules as well. But then Prosecco, for instance, most Prosecco is meant to be drank youthful and fresh and clean and zesty. Although there are some... Of course, outliers. That's right, that's right. There's the outliers. But typically it's a wine to be drunk fresh, zesty, you know, with oysters at the beginning of the meal as an aperitif. You know, so that's why. Well, this is absolutely delicious. I bought this for $255 here in Australia for this bottle, which is specifically... Which one, Carlos? So this one is Levine de Bisseuil. Aigliorie produced a wine called Levine de Vreni in Marley-la-Marne, just south of Ambonnet. So they're right next to each other. This wine spends 48 months on its own lees. So again, that toasty, that biscuity comes from there, that toffee almost aromas. This would have probably about two grams of sugar. So, you know, it's still considered very dry. Yeah, very dry wine. It's very dry wine. That just gives that zesty, lean, sharp taste, but bold at the same time. Really cool. Funny story about this is we're recording this on the Thursday before it's released. And I said to Carlos on Tuesday, I think we should do a champagne episode because we planned on recording a different episode, which we still will do a great episode coming out very, very soon. And Carlos was like, yeah, no worries. And then I got his top five, found one that we could afford, wanted to get an Agripar, but because I've had Aigliorie before, couldn't get Agripar, found an Aigliorie. And I bought it, called them up and I said, can this, will this on Tuesday, will this be delivered by Thursday? And they're like, we can't guarantee it. So I was like, oh yeah, okay. Well, I'm going to have to, and I paid for shipping at that point anyway. I was like, I'm just going to have to come and go and get it. So I had to get off the train, walk a kilometer and go to this wine store and pick it up. No, I didn't refund the postage. I was just like, just whatever, I need it. And I went in there last night and the lady was like, oh, so we've all been wondering, you really needed this bottle by today. Is there something special that's going to be happening? And she thought because of, I was like, I need it before. She must've thought I need it before the long weekend in Melbourne because she thought it must've been proposing to my partner or something big. And I was like, I just said to her, I was just like, she's like, what's it for? I was like, um, review. And she's like, oh, that's, it was the weirdest answer I could have possibly given. So apologies to the house if you do watch this. You probably should have said, yes, it's for a proposal. They probably would have offered to you. Oh, they should have given my shipping back. Yes, exactly. Anyway, Carlos, I'm very surprised. Everybody is going to be shocked by this. I think because it's the biggest name in Champagne. Our Master Sommelier's third favorite Champagne house is... Krug. Yeah, I would say Krug. I mean, again, the top three, the top five, you know, whether you, it depends on the mood as well. You know, if you wake up on a mood for something fresher, probably it would be one. If you wake up on a mood, or if you're having a big meal, probably a steak, you probably go for a different type of Champagne, right? But this list is like, if you had to pick, like if, if number one is the only Champagne you get to drink forever, your choice wouldn't change. I'll probably keep it, yeah. Okay. I'll keep it. So Krug at number three, the most famous Champagne house, Actually, Moet Chandon and Veuve Clicquot are probably more famous or well-known. Yeah. But I would say famous Champagne houses. Okay. I will go even further than just say Krug. I will go to Krug Clos d'Abonné. Yeah, you'd love that. It's almost like a distinctive, not almost, it is a distinctive wine that the house produces. Overall, I think Krug may produce about 600,000 bottles a year, which is still fairly small by Champagne standards. Since you mentioned Moet de Chandon, Veuve Clicquot owned by the same group that produced probably like 40 million bottles or something, you know? And I don't want to say this too out loud because I'm getting in trouble, but but yeah, Krug Clos d'Abonné, it's a very, very special wine. I've had the pleasure of obviously drinking the first vintage in the vineyard, which by the way is only 0.68 hectares. That's super tiny in the village of Abonné. And they produce what? I think 3,000 bottles of this wine on average. I think 96 was exactly that, 3,000 bottles. It's 100% Pinot Noir. The vineyard is very interesting because we have Olivier Krug in the podcast. In 1991, when he joined Krug, he found this vineyard in Abonné that was between a clue since 1766. And then, of course, that became Clos d'Abonné, a very special plot. And that's where they make the wine from. So Clos d'Abonné. You've spoken about that bottle before. If people want to deeper dive into your history, the Olivier Krug episode, we'll put that into the show notes. It's a very special episode and close to our hearts. Definitely one of our favorites and definitely put our podcast on the map. So it's very important to us. But that bottle as well that you're talking about in Australia retails for $4,000. Yes. Well, yeah. I mean, because it is that special. Why? Because, again, 3,000 bottles. And ever guess how many wines since 1995 vintage has been produced? Since 1995, only how many vintage you think has been produced of this wine? Okay, right. You see what I mean? It's not made every single year. So every year that it's good enough to do it, they'll get 3,000. Since 1995, so we're looking at nearly 30 years. How many vintages do you think you can find in the market? And good luck finding them. I'm going to say 20. Five. So a handful of vintages have been produced of this wine until today. Well, okay. Maybe there's something on the books to be released eventually. But five vintages that are... Special wine. So that's it. And for the Krug, just the Cuvée, the Grand Cuvée, that's $450 in Australia at the moment. Yes, that's the Grand Cuvée. That's their cheese and butter, if you like. Of course, Blanc d'Amoné is a much more unique, exceptional, rare, for sure, bottle of wine. Yeah, it's ten times the price. Okay, we've done number five. We've done four. We've done three. For those of you who have seen the Instagram posts of This or That, the Champagne edition, these names will come as no surprise to you. But the big moment for me in this episode is at the end of the finale of This or That Champagne. It was Celos versus Ceylon. That's right. And Carlos, you genuinely... It wasn't staged. You could not and would not make a choice. And so we said to the people at the end of it, write your comment below, which do you pick? And since then, a lot of people are like, surely he has a favorite. Like, what is your favorite Champagne? Now, of course, it's a personal preference, but it also comes from a Master Sommelier, so there's a huge amount of weight behind it. I've demanded Carlos pick which is his favorite out of Celos and Ceylon. Coming out at number two is... We've got to pick Celos for number two. Which means Ceylon is number one. Make sure you stick around. In like three or four or five minutes, you're going to find out why it's his favorite. But let's give the credit it deserves to a very worthy number two. So many people commenting. Hundreds of people have commented on our socials saying Celos, Celos, Celos, Celos, Celos. I mean, look, it's a much smaller... I wouldn't say much smaller than Ceylon, but it's definitely smaller than Ceylon. Celos is very, very special because it is also, well, from the village of Aviz, so the same as Agrappa in the Côte d'Aublin, but they are very different styles. As I said, Agrappa is a much linear style, much fresher, while Celos is a broader, a little bit more shouldery, a little bit bigger style of champagne. Celos, and I would speak particularly of a cuvee called Substance, which is one of the top champagne. It's more like, I wouldn't say a sherry, but wine made from fractional blending, if you like. So it's a multi-vintage, if you like, as well. And that makes it, again, a lot more complex, a lot richer, a lot more toasty and biscuity, a lot of that toffee and mocha. It's a super wine. So when it comes to Celos and Ceylon, and of course, I don't want to take away Celos' time, the difference between Ceylon and Celos, like you talked to Agrappa being a different style to Aigliore. Yeah, Celos, and if we talk Celos Substance, it's really that perpetual blending that I was just talking about. It doesn't matter the vintage. It matters the quality of the wines that go inside that blend of wines that started in 1986. That makes it so complex, so unique, so much of that toasty, coffee, mocha aromas and that exposure to oxygen as well. So that's Celos Substance, for instance. And I should point out, that is $1,800 a bottle here in Australia. Yeah, and the Ceylon is different. Ceylon is the opposite. It's a fresher style. So it's almost like saying Aigliore and Agrappa at the second tier, and then the first tier say Ceylon and Celos. So similar comparison, if you like. I mean, if you were talking in Burgundy, in a Burgundy style, for example, if you were to compare to Burgundy, you would say Coche, Coche du Riz and, for example, La Font. So again, same things. One are richer, one are lighter in the same village, basically. Love it. Well, the entry level of Celos, which is Jacques Celos. That's right? Yeah. $1,200, roughly, in Australia. So if you are in France laughing at us, fair enough. And please send us some bottles and just don't say it's wine. Just say it's a video game or something. But then again, they have different cuvées as well, version original, etc. And the number one, Master Sommelier's favorite champagne brand. If you were to get told you're going into a bunker, we have limited supplies, we can only ever have one style of champagne, one house underneath to survive forever. You are picking? I would pick Salon. Never had a Salon? Of course. I mean, I know I'm about to reveal the price, but you know. Yeah, Salon is very special. It's a very small house. They're based in the village of Menil-sur-Roger. So again, also in the village of Côte d'Aublin. So Chardonnay based only. They have a sister house called De La Motte, which produces, by the way, exceptional champagne. But on a much larger scale. Also 100% Chardonnay. And then these two brands are owned now by Laurent Perrier. So a much more famous brand and a much huger brand. Much more recognizable as well. But Salon being their top wine, it's fantastic. It was created in 1905 and Salon is not produced every single year. So a little bit like the other ones, it's produced in exceptional years. So have a guess, since 1905 in 120 years? 1905, yeah. 120 years, pretty much. 119 years. You're saying how many vintages are coming out? Have been made, yeah. So they don't have, so what you're telling me is they don't have a Brut or a Cuvée. Cuvée, Salon. Yes, but only vintage. That's right, that's right. 120 years. How many vintages have been made? Well, I went for a big guess before. You go for a small one now? I'm going to say 40. Oh, okay. You're very close. 44. Wow. Because that's still only two thirds of production. Can you imagine? So, wow. We're looking at like a third, every third year. They produce a wine, which means that obviously it's very rare. Of course, it's very, very expensive, but it's incredibly delicious. I just think that the finesse, the elegance, the minerality, you know, there are wines, I think there are wines in the world that when you taste, you know what you're drinking. I mean, Cruvée is one, for instance, you know, Cochturie, Francois Ravennaud, those, you know, Didier D'Agonod, for example, a totally different wine. He loves Didier D'Agonod. I do, I do. I think it's the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world. And I'm not a big fan of Sauvignon Blanc, but when you drink Didier D'Agonod, you know you're drinking Didier D'Agonod. Yeah, Salon in 2008 was very special because they've only just released Magnums. So, because the production was so tiny and they produce about 60,000 bottles on average when they make, which is not the tiniest. I mean, comparison, you know, Cru Clos La Monnaie, which on average 3,000. This is a little bit bigger, but they only released in Magnums 2008. So, you won't find a single, you know, bottle. So, pretty, pretty special from that regard. Australia, once again, we get absolutely shivved when it comes to cost. To pick up the 2013 Champagne Salon. Do you want to have a guess how much? You'll probably have a pretty good indication. Yeah. Salon would probably be around the $2,000 mark. $3,800. $3,000. Maybe I should go back to the restaurant. Yeah, or I found a 1996, $3,000. Yes. Well, that would be fantastic. Well, you know, if someone wants to fund the show. We, I've had, I've tried the, well, no, sorry, I haven't tried. But I was dying to try the bottle. It was a Magnum of 1971 Salon Magnum. And the old label and stuff. We had it at the restaurant. And every opportunity I had to sell it, I never managed. The bottle probably still there. But again, it becomes one piece, one piece of. How much was it selling for? A Magnum of 1971 must be $10,000. I can't remember. No, more than that. It was more. Oh, $20,000. Probably, yeah. It's very rare and. Of course. I mean, don't quote me. No, because it might be the only one of that left. Yeah. Oh, yeah, it would be. I think from memory, three bottles came to the country. 1971 Salon. So we had one at the restaurant. And probably still there. I can't remember because obviously I left. Been out of the game for a year. But I, I've been pushing, I was pushing it. Never got to open it. Just so you get to pop that bottle and try it yourself. Of course. But then again, as I was saying, it just becomes almost like a piece of art. Yeah. That it's in the, you know, in the wall. Of course. Aging. There it is. Maybe it's still sitting there. Every year. We have to increase a couple of thousand dollars. There it is. Amasa Simile's top five champagnes. Agrapa, Egli Oreie, Krug, Celos and Salon. How was my pronunciation? Perfect. It was very good. Thank you very much. It was you improving. I mean, clearly you've been working on the. I'm trying my very hardest. Thank you very much for watching this. Hopefully you learned something about some of the top champagne brands in the world. And to the next episode, Carlos. Cheers. And cheers to your beautiful daughter, Naomi. Maybe I should just have another splash for the cheers. Why wouldn't I, you know, I just go back to work selling. Cheers, Carlos. Cheers. To you and your beautiful daughter, Naomi. To you and your beautiful kids too. Nice one. You made it to the end of this YouTube video. Thank you so, so much for your support. If you haven't subscribed, please consider clicking the button somewhere on the screen. And you saw us tease at the start of this episode, Olivia Krug saying never ever drink champagne out of the flute. Well, if you've got another 15 minutes, that episode is on screen just one click away. And just below it is Carlos's choice for his favorite champagne glassware. That isn't, of course, a flute. Until the next episode. See you then. Saúde.