LeDomduVin: 3 is always the ideal number of bottles and choices when it comes to wine.

Why? 

For the number of bottles, during most dinners or events with 3-4 or more people, estimate about half a bottle per person as a general rule of thumb. So, for 3-4 people, 2 bottles might not be enough; 4 bottles are usually recommended for a backup. Hence, three bottles are ideal for regular drinkers drinking with moderation.      

For the choices, it is quite obvious that with 3-4 people or more, diversity is a must, as not everyone likes the same thing. Hence, offering 3 types of wine, like the ones in the photo above (champagne, white, and red), is by far the most ideal choice to please everyone. And these 3 wines were, in fact, really pleasing 

If you incorporate French traditions and culture into this, it is polite to offer your guests champagne as an aperitif with some "amuse-bouches" to awaken their taste buds, then serve white wine with the appetizers and starters, followed by red wine with the main course. 

Jacques Selosse Initial Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut Champagne NV

I have opened several bottles of Selosse’s “Initial” over the years and have always been very pleased with this champagne. Some might say the price is a bit high, but you should keep in mind that, besides being Selosse’s entry-level cuvée and a non-vintage—making up more than half of his annual production, with about 33,000 bottles out of roughly 55,000 to 60,000 made each year—it remains quite limited compared to most small independent and especially large Champagne Houses. 

Additionally, Initial is usually a blend of three successive vintages, aged on lees (both the first and second alcoholic fermentations) for at least six years before disgorgement. This justifies the price and the wait, don’t you think? And, if “Initial” were a person, it would be a “he,” as I find it more masculine than “V.O.” (which I would consider more feminine), and to describe him, I would say he is a smiling, pleasant, curvy, cheerful, relaxed, chic, and cosmopolitan gentleman.

Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "Les Pucelles" 2019

Here's another classic in my collection, as I have dubbed myself the “unofficial” ambassador of Domaine Leflaive, especially “Les Pucelles,” since my first taste in 1997. It’s a refined wine with prominent mineral notes and a touch of ripeness in its youthful fruit—ripe yet still fresh. The nose reveals apples, pears, and other ripe yellow fruits, all elegant and well-balanced, with beautiful minerality from start to finish. I appreciate it greatly, though I wish it had a bit more acidity to boost its freshness. It’s a very harmonious, full-bodied, and voluptuous wine, with a long-lasting finish. Overall, I love it, but a little more acidity would have completed it. Nice!

Maison Joseph Drouhin Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru 2020

I had not tasted this wine in this vintage before, and I must say, I was really impressed. The nose is beautiful, boasting fresh aromas of red cherries, ripe wild cherries, a little spice, mingling with floral, herbal, earthy, and mineral notes. The palate is very silky, extremely well-balanced, elegant and refined, very feminine (for my palate), very delicate yet complex, rich in a very subtle way, harmonious, with lots of cherries, from the attack to the lingering finish, presenting a light touch of earthiness in the end (touch herbaceous?) but not in a bad way. What a great wine! Kudos to Véronique Boss-Drouhin. My grandfather used to say that: “A wine often resembles its maker!” Well, here is a perfect example: refined, delicate, precise, seductive, and feminine.   

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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