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I’ve taken a good long look through Issue #1 of Champagne Warrior, and when I tell you it’s jammed full of content, I’m not just blowing smoke up your wine thief; there’s 131 freaking pages! Brad’s mission is stated thusly: “To provide wine lovers with reliable, accurate, and descriptive details that will enable an informed purchasing decision on Champagne and sparkling wine.” To that end, the inaugural effort has succeeded admirably. Each issue will be divided into four or five sections: |
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 Producer
Profile – Each issue will feature one or more in-depth reports on a notable
Champagne or sparkling wine house. Brad’s first choice is “Big, Bad, Bold
Billiot – I Love It!” As he remarks in his intro, “There are many exciting
producers in Champagne today and right at the top of the list is Henri Billiot.
Vintage after vintage, cuvee after cuvee, Serge Billiot and team keep producing
top notch wines.”Feature Story – Each newsletter will have a cover story that will focus on an interesting and newsworthy aspect of Champagne, whether it be a producer, a vintage, a person or whatever else Mr. Baker cares to expound upon. I can’t think of a better place to start than “The Best Champagnes of 1996,” which takes a serious look at that classic vintage and how many of the wines are faring these days. Spotlight On – If Brad’s current topic is any indication, this may well be where he speaks his mind and offers his opinions on whatever has tweaked him lately. This one is entitled “Laurent-Perrier's Grand Siecle Policy.” He explains, “You have probably tried Laurent-Perrier's wonderful NV tete de cuvee Grand Siecle. This wine is always made up of three vintages, but the public is not privy to this information? Despite constant calls to make this important information available, Laurent-Perrier has not relented. Together, maybe we can convince them to change their stance.” News and Happenings – From time to time, as news on regulations, the harvest, winemakers, etc. comes out, Brad will highlight these topics and what effects (if any) they may have.  Tasting
Notes – Brad says it best about this section: “What wine newsletter would be
complete without a comprehensive section of tasting notes? You can expect a mix
of notes on newer and older wines, Champagnes and sparkling wines with an
emphasis on new and current Champagne releases. You can also expect updates on
wines as they change over time. If there is any area of the newsletter that will
bring the most value, it is probably this one (or at least I hope it is). My
goal is to be able to help guide you towards getting the most ‘bang for your
buck’ and discovering new and interesting wines that appeal to your palate
and/or sense of adventure.”This issue looks at a smorgasbord of sparkling wines, including 1997 Salon, 1998 Krug, 1998 Clos des Goisses, 1998 Dom Perignon Rose, 1998 Pol Roger Winston Churchill, 2002 Cristal, 2002 & 2003 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rose, 2004 Jose Dhondt, an interesting take on the 2003 based NV cuvees, and much, much more. Kim and I are thrilled for Brad in his new endeavor, and wish him all the best. Hopefully, he’ll find time to contribute to Gang of Pour occasionally, but in the meantime, we’ll be getting our Brad Baker fix by reading Champagne Warrior. You go, Brad! Reporting from Day-twah,
geo t.
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Champagne
and sparkling wine lovers rejoice!