Credits: Article and images by Ken Gargett @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/03/02/1907-heidsieck-monopole-gout-american-after-perfect-cellaring-in-a-shipwreck-its-the-worlds-most-expensive-champagne-2/
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It is also worth noting that even without any increase in the sweetness, this was an era in which champagne was much sweeter than the bottles we enjoy today. Estimates suggest that there would have been between 100 and 165 grams/liter of sugar when it was made, putting it in Château d’Yquem territory. Tests revealed that even after all the time at the bottom of the ocean, there were still 44 grams/liter left.
When it was first auctioned, it’s no surprise that the wine world was all agog. This was thrilling stuff, and all eyes were on the auction and just where one might get a taste.
Some readers may recall the mention in Krug Champagne: A Story Of Krugists Earning Five Cases Per Year Every Year For The Rest Of One’s Life And Wine Tasting Like “. . . Angels Have Descended From Heaven” of one Bernadette O’Shea, champagne expert extraordinaire, based in Brisbane. O’Shea convinced her employers at the time (and still today) that they needed to be in on this.
If memory serves, they picked up a couple of bottles at the auction for the bargain price of around $5,000 a pair. A dinner was held, extremely well attended, where there would be a number of fine champagnes, but the inevitable pièce de résistance would be the pair of 1907s.
I can remember the moment as though it was yesterday: the two bottles could not have been more different. The first opened was complex, mature, and had a character very reminiscent of French onion soup. A hint of oyster shell – some have suggested that there might have been a tiny seepage of seawater into the wine, but others claim that in fact, at that depth, there is negligible salt in the water, which also ensured that the wire cages had not rusted through (wax coverings assisted).
A roasted nut, toasty character was also apparent. It was, as one might have hoped, a wonderfully old, complex, mature champagne. Thrilling stuff, indeed.
The second bottle could not have been more different. Despite more than 80 years in the Baltic, when opened, it foamed up and out as though it was a day-old non-vintage. Utterly unexpected. Still fresh and lively. It remains in my mind as one of the most extraordinary things I have ever witnessed. For what it is worth, if I’d have been shown the wines blind, I’d have guessed it was from the 1959 vintage.
I have only seen this famous wine once more since that time – yes, definitely more than my fair share – when a friend from Finland was out visiting a few years ago. A group of us gathered in Adelaide for a farewell dinner at a local bring-your-own restaurant. As our guest, we told him not to bring any wine but he mentioned he did have something he’d like to bring along to share: sure enough, the Heidsieck Monopole Gout American 1907. Still in great form.
Indeed, if I look that good when I’ve passed the century mark, I’ll be very happy.
* This article was first published on February 11, 2019 at 1907 Heidsieck Monopole Gout American: After Perfect ‘Cellaring’ In A Shipwreck, It’s The World’s Most Expensive Champagne.
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Credits: Article and images by Ken Gargett @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/03/02/1907-heidsieck-monopole-gout-american-after-perfect-cellaring-in-a-shipwreck-its-the-worlds-most-expensive-champagne-2/