Serious About Champagne? Here’s How To Taste It

Ever wonder how a wine professional tastes Champagne? Madeline walks us through how to taste Champagne with a bottle of Palmes d’Or (“golden fins”).

Palmes d’Or is a “prestige” Champagne by the region’s largest cooperative, Nicolas Feuillatte. The wine sits on tirage (aging on the lees) for at least 8 years which suggests it will have desirable flavors of toasted brioche, cake, or nuts. Flavors like these really only come out with extended aging.

This is what is so exciting about buying aged vintage Champagne.

How to Taste Champagne

There are essentially 3 major parts:

1. Identify the aromas and think about what they mean.
2. Take note of the bubble finesse, acidity, and other basic wine traits.
3. Conclude about how the components of the taste create balance or imbalance with the aromas.