 I opened my last bottle of 1982 Blanc de Blanc from Jean-Claude Vallois last night. This was the Champagne that I once served by the glass at Restaurant Gala in Aachen, where I worked as a sommelier until the late eighties. Gerhard Gartner was - ah, those were the days - one of Germany's finest chefs at that time! Disgorged over twenty years ago, the bubbles had aged in typically British fashion, with well-integrated crispness more reminiscent of wine than Champagne. Although I tend to drink Champagne more often on its crisp, pure and fruity side, I perfectly understand those who prefer mature bottles rather than older vintages that have only recently been disgorged. Comments
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