Americans are testing the limits of dry champagne, said Eric Asimov in The New York Times. At virtually all price points, sweet sparklers are losing market share, with bruts pushing aside all stickier wines. True wine geeks take the battle a step further, seeking out “extra brut” or “brut nature.” But choose wisely, because barely sweetened bubbly can be “punishingly austere.”
Bérêche & Fils Extra Brut Réserve NV($57). This is an impeccably balanced extra brut—“taut yet plush,” with “tangy citrus flavors.”
Georges Laval Brut Nature Premier Cru NV($70). This “lively, pure” wine offers lingering flavors of “flowers, herbs, and chalk.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Benoît Lahaye Brut Nature Grand Cru NV($58). “Generously fruity but precise,” this one has surprising energy.
-
The Olympic timekeepers keeping the Games on trackUnder the Radar Swiss watchmaking giant Omega has been at the finish line of every Olympic Games for nearly 100 years
-
Will increasing tensions with Iran boil over into war?Today’s Big Question President Donald Trump has recently been threatening the country
-
Corruption: The spy sheikh and the presidentFeature Trump is at the center of another scandal
