Vendanges, Champagne 2012

Scenes of Harvest 2012, Champagne, France.

 

Local wisdom is predicting an exceptional year for Chardonnay, especially.

 

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[Pinot Noir, Moët & Chandon]

 

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Saint-Emilion Wines 2012 Classification

by Paige Donner

[First published on Technorati]

Just released is the new 2012 Saint-Emilion Classification which ranks 82 of the most respected chateaux and wineries of Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux. Four made it into the Premier Grand Cru Classé A rank: Château Angélus, Château Pavie, Château Cheval Blanc and Château Ausone. This rank was awarded based on the wines' exceptional ageing potential and their celebrated reputations. The two newcomers to the A rank for 2012 are, of course, Château Pavie and Angelus.

Different, and innovative, for this 2012 classification is that the whole of the procedure was put under INAO (Institut national des appellations d'origine) supervision alongwith the Ministries of Agriculture and Consumption. Within the INAO a special commission was appointed made up of 7 carefully chosen evaluators who were not from Bordeaux. This commission in turn enlisted the support of the two certifying organizations, Qualisud and Bureau Veritas Certification.

"64 Grands Crus Classés and 18 Premiers Grands Crus Classés are awarded their precious status in recognition of the work accomplished by the estates, their consistency in quality and their quest for excellence," stated the Saint-Emilion Wine Council.

This following classification list was was submitted for approval to the National Wines and Brandies Committee of INAO on September 6th, 2012 and was accepted. The Ministries of Agriculture and Consumption must now officialize it.

PREMIERS GRANDS CRUS CLASSES :
(in alphabetical order):
Château Angélus (A), Clos Fourtet,
Château Ausone (A), Château la Gaffelière,
Château Beauséjour (héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse), Château Larcis Ducasse,
Château Beau-Séjour-Bécot, La Mondotte,
Château Bélair-Monange, Château Pavie (A),
Château Canon, Château Pavie Macquin,
Château Canon la Gaffelière, Château Troplong Mondot,
Château Cheval Blanc (A), Château Trottevieille,
Château Figeac,  Château Valandraud

GRANDS CRUS CLASSES :

Château l’Arrosée, Château Fleur Cardinale, Château Monbousquet
Château Balestard la Tonnelle, Château La Fleur Morange, Château Moulin du Cadet,
Château Barde-Haut, Château Fombrauge, Clos de l’Oratoire,
Château Bellefont-Belcier, Château Fonplégade, Château Pavie Decesse,
Château Bellevue, Château Fonroque, Château Peby Faugères,
Château Berliquet, Château Franc Mayne, Château Petit Faurie de Soutard,
Château Cadet-Bon, Château Grand Corbin, Château de Pressac,
Château Capdemourlin, Château Grand Corbin-Despagne, Château le Prieuré,
Château le Chatelet, Château Grand Mayne, Château Quinault l’Enclos,
Château Chauvin, Château les Grandes Murailles, Château Ripeau,
Château Clos de Sarpe, Château Grand-Pontet, Château Rochebelle,
Château la Clotte, Château Guadet, Château Saint-Georges-Cote-Pavie,
Château la Commanderie, Château Haut-Sarpe, Clos Saint-Martin,
Château Corbin, Clos des Jacobins, Château Sansonnet,
Château Côte de Baleau, Couvent des Jacobins, Château la Serre,
Château la Couspaude, Château Jean Faure, Château Soutard,
Château Dassault, Château Laniote, Château Tertre Daugay,
Château Destieux, Château Larmande, Château la Tour Figeac,
Château la Dominique, Château Laroque, Château Villemaurine,
Château Faugères, Château Laroze, Château Yon-Figeac,
Château Faurie de Souchard, Clos la Madeleine,
Château de Ferrand, Château la Marzelle

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Gosset Champagne

by Paige Donner

There are two new exciting developments at Gosset Champagne. The first is its "new" cellars and the second is its brand new eco-friendly bottle labels.

Gosset Champagne Epernay Cellars

For the "oldest wine house" (est. 1584)  in Champagne to expand much of their operations to Epernay from Aÿ, is no small feat.  It's also not as if there are exquisite champagne cellars up for sale every day in Epernay. Most of the cellars in this quaint little Capitale du Champagne have been inhabited for centuries and mostly by the really big boys, you know the ones, the household name champagnes.

So  in 2009,  when the Group Laurent Perrier put these cellars up for sale, the team from Gosset Champagne, including their cellar master Jean-Pierre Mareigner and the President of the house, Jean-Pierre Cointreau, took one look at these exquisite 60-foot deep cellars carved out of pure chalk and said, Oui. Oui! Oui! Oui!

Purchased in the 425th year of the house's existence in Champagne, they are located just off of the Avenue de Champagne and just behind Pol Roger. The grounds also include a National Heritage Classified 2 hectare park with ornate wrought-iron gate and 19th century buildings, dating back to the 1850s.

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International Director Gosset Champagne, Philippe Manfredini

On a guided walk through the 1.5 kilometers of cellars 60 feet underground, surrounded by cool, damp chalky soils, you can just feel how happy the more than1.2 million bottles of aging champagne grapes are nestled back in the womb of their natural habitat. On one of the walls, there is even an engraving from a former G.I., one of the WWII liberators, who carved his name along with his home state - Connecticut. The date? 1944.

The buildings can also house 26,000 hectoliters of vinifying vin clair or still champagne wine. With this allowance of space, many of the growers from whom Gosset purchases their Grands Crus and premiers Crus (only) grapes have dedicated vinification tanks. Some even as small as 20 hectoliters. For their growers, many of whom they've worked with for decades and some for centuries, whose grapes are harvested from the 60 best-rated villages in Champagne, this is a source of pride. It also gives Mareigner luxurious precision for his assemblages.  In a second tank room are multiple 1,000 hectoliter tanks filled just with reserve wine.

The distinction of being the oldest wine house in Champagne is that Gosset was producing the favored red wines back when Fracois I and Henry IV spent much of their time in Aÿ (1584 and thereabouts). The Salamander emblem on their Aÿ cellar walls is testament to the Francois I connection. 

These exquisite Pinot Noir red wines are still used today for Gosset's signature Grand Reserve Rosé, whose hints of wild strawberries and red fruits balance out its non-malo freshness. Wonderful accompaniment with poached lobster, red mullet, Asian sweet pork. And, of course, as an aperitif. 

 

Eco-Friendly Labeling

Gosset Champagne bottles are instantly recognizable. They haven't changed since the house first started bottling their champagnes in the 1800s. The heavy, hand-blown bottles were able to withstand the pressure of the bubbles which can be as much as 6 atmospheres. The house has kept the bottle design and their trademarked jewel neck label, but innovated significantly in terms of sustainability.

The materials used for the modified powdery gold cap now comply with European environmental directives and American standards. This Antique range  by Gosset Champagne labeling has received acknowledgment for their innovative as well as eco-friendly design, including "Imprim'Vert" label.

In addition, their gift boxes are now FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified.  And the Gosset Champagne new Ecological "Green Line" caps are made with a glue-free complex - aluminum-polyethylene-aluminum - and biodegradable acrylic inks. The acrylic inks are water-based so completely naturally solvent and rather than using glue to afix the label onto the bottle, polyethylene is melted between the layers of aluminum.

Tradition, innovation and, of course, fabulous champagnes: Gosset. 

 

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California Wine Month - September

Join the California Wine Institute and Girl Meets Grape at The Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills on Thursday, September 6th from 6-9 pm and taste your way around the state (70+ wineries! - see below) as we kick off California Wine Month 2012.

More Info: http://discovercaliforniawines.com/californiawinemonth

Valet parking is included with ticket price and tickets are extremely limited. Do not miss this opportunity to celebrate California wine without leaving LA!

Heitz  -  Ovid  -  Baldacci  -  Trefethen  -  Viader  -  Kenefick Ranch  -  Kenwood Vineyards  -  Wrath - Bernardus  -  Pianetta  -  J.  Lohr  -  Noble Vines  -  Ventana Vineyards  -  McCay Cellars  -  Machhia - Borra Vineyards  -  Talley  -  Saucelito Canyon  -  Laetitia  -  Ancient Peaks  -  Tangent  -  Zocker - Santa Cruz Mountain  -  Cooper-Garrod  -  Bargetto  -  Beauregard Vineyards  -  Silver Mountain  -  Woodside - Villa Creek  -  Adelaida  -  Eberle  -  Hope Family  -  Justin  -  Tablas Creek  -  Villa Creek  -  Brewer-Clifton - Foxen  -  Margerum  -  Buttonwood Farm  -  Grassini Family  -  Riverbench Vineyard & Winery  -  Balletto - Davis Bynum  -  Alexander Valley Vineyards  -  Chateau St Jean  -  Landmark  -  Quivara  -  Etude - J Vineyards and Winery  -  The Lucas Winery  -  Heritage Oak Winery  -  Michael David Winery - St. Amant Winery  -  Joel Gott  -  Rosa d’Oro  -  Six Sigma  -  The Steven Kent Winery  -  Mitchell Katz - Wente  -  Cedar Mountain  -  Concannon Winery  -  Fenestra Winery  -  Baily  -  Palumbo Family - Monte de Oro  -  Robert Renzoni  -  South Coast  -  Wilson Creek  -  Bonterra  -  Beringer Vineyards - Robert Mondavi Winery

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Maison J. De Telmont Champagne

by Paige Donner

The J. De Telmont House of Champagne located in Damery, France counts itself among the major twenty champagne houses of the region. Considering the players who are on that team, this is no small accomplishment for a family-owned and still family-run Champagne House.

 

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J. De Telmont is currently overseen by Bertrand Lhopital, the fourth generation since his great-grandfather, Henri Lhopital, began to elaborate his own champagnes as one of the first growers of the region to gain Recoltant-Manipulant (grower-producer) status when this title was first created in the region. Bertrand is joined by his sister Pascale and his brother-in-law, Philippe, in the running of the vineyards, the vinification, the export and the myriad other tasks that are involved in the successful operations of a champagne house.

The actual brand name J. De Telmont, was established by the second generation of the family Lhopital to run the business. It was during the time when the house was expanding and purchasing strategic vineyard plots, many of which were, and are still, on Grand Cru designated terroir. The name "Lhopital," traditionally evoked the original meaning of "hospitality" or "welcoming" but when it became synonymous with the modern day meaning of "hospital," they decided to create a brand name more evocative of what the champagne house stood for and what their champagnes represent.

Le Grand Rosé

This NV Brut is a blend of 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir of which 15% of that is reserve wine. The light raspberry pink color with salmon reflections is derived from partial maceration, not a blend, which lends subtlety and a long finish to this fresh and fruity exceptional rosé.

Cuvée Grand Couronnement

Only first pressing juice is used from the choicest grape selection from the Grand Cru de la Côte des Blancs, which is to say the best of the best of Chardonnay Champagne grapes. And did I mention it's made only in the best harvest years and aged until it's at its height of perfection? The house itself describes it thus:  An exceptional vintage that "crowns" our production... It is reserved for only the most dedicated connoisseurs.

 

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Route du Champagne

by Paige Donner
Article first published as Route du Champagne on Technorati.

Every year for a weekend in summer, champagne houses in the Côte des Bar open their doors and welcome visitors for champagne tastings, cellar visits, art exhibits and live music acts.

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The catch? Get this - not only is there NO catch, but to drink your fill of fine French champagne straight from the vineyards costs you a whopping 15 Euros - TOTAL.

Yep. Nope. Not a misprint. Each year a certain part of the Côte des Bar, which is the champagne growing-producing region closest to Troyes, the southernmost major town in the region of Champagne, France, swing open their doors for an entire weekend of festivities. During the weekend of La Route du Champagne they welcome tens of thousands of visitors to taste their champagnes and enjoy the exquisite Côte des Bar landscape. They even elect a Miss Champagne, a young maiden from one of the nearby villages, to officiate at some of the tastings.

To participate in the tastings along the Route du Champagne you must purchase the specially designated champagne flute glass, this year printed with the “La Route du Champagne en Fete! 2012” slogan. That flute of champagne costs you 15 Euros. Once. And with that, this year, you had over 20 champagne houses and producers and even a Champagne Château - Château de Bligny - where you could get your fill of champagne. Of course, proper etiquette means that you either spit or designate a driver. But with all the impressive art exhibits, the festive decorations along these pictoral and picturesque small country roads and the live music - well, this weekend of champagne tasting was more like a celebration of summer and bubbly all wrapped into one.

One of the most surprising things about this Bar-sur-Aube region of Champagne, indeed the entire Aube region, is how different it is in terms of landscape from even the other counties in Champagne. The history of the region is that its gently sloping hills and graceful terrain was first tamed by monks, Cistercian monks to be exact. The most famous of which, in terms of champagne, was St. Bernard de Clairvaux who died in 1153. There are references all over the region to this monk who is just as famous here as Dom Perignon is in other parts of Champagne. Local legend has it that it was this Cistercian influence that rendered such a manicured and tapestried look to the rolling hillsides of Pinot Noir (dominant) and Chardonnay dotted by peacefully grazing sheep and cows.

If you want more history on the region, go to www.aube-champagne.com which is the regional tourist information site. Since this year’s weekend of La Route du Champagne is now fini, start planning for next year’s which will take place the weekend of July 27th, 28th and will focus on the Celles sur Ource geographical area of the Côte des Bar. For more information click on routeduchampagne.com. It’s best to make your plans in advance, as though this weekend may not be well-known to American or Canadian tourists, it is famous among the Europeans who are within driving distance - Belgians, Germans, Swiss - and word has it they plan their summer vacations around this weekend on their way south. Can you blame them? Many of the champagnes available during the weekend can be purchased for anywhere from 13 - 30 Euro per bottle from the producers directly. And this is where you can get those hard-to-find explosively fresh Blanc de Noir champagnes.

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Philipponnat Champagne's Clos des Goisses

by Paige Donner
First published as Philipponnat Champagne's Clos des Goisses on Technorati.
Very few families, even in France’s historic Champagne region, can date their ancestral roots in the region as far back as 500 years. The family of Philipponnat, namesake of the champagne, is one of these rarities. Not only are they still in the region where their ancestors settled in 1522, they are still in the small village of Mareuil-sur-Ay. It’s also how they came up with their prestige cuvées name “1522.” A few vinification traditions this house respects that have great bearing on their champagnes:

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• Philipponnat uses only the first press juice for vinification
• Moderate dosage
• Mostly Pinot Noir grapes during blending
• Barrel-fermented wines (which is not the total amount of the must) do not undergo malolactic fermentation
• Slightly delayed harvests for their Pinot Noir grapes to achieve optimal maturity

Balance is key. Balance of freshness and acidity are the hallmarks of the house, headed today by Charles Philipponnat who is aided by cellar master Thierry Garnier and vineyard manager Claude Laurent. As many of the best winemakers will tell you, their belief, and practice, is that good oenology means as little manipulation as possible. So their vinification methods are as natural as they can maintain them. During fermentation they keep temperatures “deliberately low.” For the oak barrels they do use, mostly so that specifically designated juice can be in contact with oxygen when aging, they source from Burgundy and choose barrels which are usually 1-2 years old.
Their historic 18th c. cellars, upon which the fairly recent (2002) winery was built in Mareuil- sur-Ay so as to be closer to their crown jewel vineyard, the Clos des Goisses, are actually the historic cellars of the former Château de Mareuil. This means that during harvest, the prime Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes growing in the 5 ½ ha. Clos des Goisses and Le Léon reach the Philipponnat pressoirs within hours and after very little - in some cases less than a kilometer - of transport. Walking past the Clos, you can actually see, from a cutout of the steep hillside, the depth of the famous chalky soils.

As a connoisseur, you can’t go wrong with a Philipponnat champagne. A few tasting highlights follow:
Grand Blanc; 100% Chardonnay, this is made exclusively from the best Premier and Grand Cru vineyards. It is an exceptional champagne in the Phillipponnat portfolio in that it resembles a Blanc de Blancs and exhibits what the Champenois call a “creamy” texture. Try it with lobster, langoustine, scallops, seafood.
1522 Grand Cru; Blended from the very best of the first press Pinot Noir (60%) and Chardonnay (40%) juice. Only a third of the usual Brut dosage for champagne, this one, at 4.5 gr. sugar per liter, is expansive with excellent balance of acidity. This fine-palate champagne can pair with meals of fish and seafood, or, to be slightly daring, a spicy Tandoori chicken dish. It contrasts with the Clos des Goisses cuvee, “by virtue of a pursuit of balance rather than of great power.”
Clos des Goisses, (2002): Always and only a vintage champagne. Low dosage (4 to 5 gr. sugar) and extended maturing under cork stoppers at the constant cellar temp. of 12C/ 54F. Of the potential 55,000 bottles that could be produced of this from the harvest, only 3,000 to a maximum of 40,000 bottles depending on the year, are ever issued. Only the best grapes, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, from the exceptional vineyard of Clos des Goisses, are used. Vines are average 25 years and older. “A truly great wine before being a champagne.” Best served with truffles, game, caviar, soft cheeses. The 2002 vintage, disgorged in June 2011, has a length to it during which it reveals to you its chalky terroir roots, its days spent in the sunshine up against the Marne River and the non-malolactic fermentation religiously observed for this wine. French wine critics call this “one of the world’s best wines.” Rightfully so.
All photos © Paige Donner 
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