Lauren Drewes Daniels
Audio By Carbonatix
Caitlin Peters fell in love with the world of wine-making while in college, captivated by the blend of history, culture and craftsmanship. She has spent time curating wine programs for fine-dining restaurants and recently joined the team at Pogo’s (one of our favorite spots to buy wine or any liquor) as a wine sales manager to help guests explore new regions, uncover hidden gems, and find bottles that inspire.
We recently tracked her down to get her top picks to bring in the New Year in a tasteful style. Here are some hidden gem Champagne picks. The picks below coordinate with the photo at the top, working from left to right.
Clos Sainte-Sophie 2018, Jacques Lassaigne ($260)
Peters: “This is a grower’s Champagne [meaning a small family-run vineyard] from 2018, and a really cool blend; a 100% chardonnay and brut nature, so no sugar added. It’s aged in cognac barrels, French oak barrels and then Savagnin ouillé barrels from the producer Ganevat. It just makes a really elegant, beautiful blend.”
Le Mesnil Champagne Grand Cru Brut ($55)
Peters: “This is a really unique project in that 100% of the vineyards they own are from Grand Cru vineyards, blanc to blanc, so 100% chardonnay. I love this selection because I feel like you should have a Champagne for every occasion, even Tuesday night. So this one’s just really rich and lush and over-delivers for the price-point.”
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Champagne Delamotte, 2014 ($129)
Peters: “This is a blanc to blanc from the 2014 vintage. Vintage Champagne [meaning all the grapes are sourced from one year] is a little bit harder to come by because of the fickle weather in Champagne; sourcing all the grapes from one year is difficult to do. Champagne Delamotte was really successful in that with this 2014 vintage. … It’s a really lush, fruit-forward wine with a brioche and zesty finish.”
Billecart-Salmon, Le Rosé ($99)
Peters: “This is probably one of our biggest sellers for the holiday season. This is a classic style of rosé out of Champagne from an iconic producer. It doesn’t hit the market all the time, but when it does, we’re very excited. It’s a blend of pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay. A little bit lighter style of Champagne rosé, so the color is this pale pink color and you get this really bright pop of fruit on the finish.”
Annamaria Clementi, Ca’del Bosco ($99)
Peters: “When I’m not drinking Champagne, I’m usually going to Franciacorta in Italy. This is probably the most iconic sparkling wine producer that comes out of Franciacorta. This is from Cadel Bosco. This is their Teta Couve (first pressing) … always going to be vintage-aged, this is from 2015. This is a winery that really spares no expense or effort when it comes to taking care of its grapes. Everything is hand-harvested, meticulously looked after, all first-pressed juice. You’re getting a wine out of Italy for $99 that has the same care and wine-making style that Champagne does.”
