Bling & Bubbly

A 750 mililiter faux gold bottle with signature Ace of Spades pewter insignia costs $250. Is it worth it?

You might well wonder about the quality of the juice, given all the attention lavished on the bottle itself. Interestingly enough, it holds its own against the tête de cuvée competition.



Last year, Fine Champagne Magazine sponsored a blind tasting of the world’s top champagnes, including Cristal and Dom Pérignon. Armand de Brignac came in first. The 2002 Cristal took fourth place. I tried it last year and thought it was a complex and elegant champagne, reminding me more than a little of the 2000 Dom Pérignon, the number 2 one in the Fine Champagne Magazine tasting .

In fact, I liked the bubbly better than I liked the bottle. And just look at that bottle.







--WSJ