*Estate Bottles or Grower Champagnes for the Holidays*
Recently Sara Baggett and I attended a Grower's Champagne seminar in Austin where we tasted 16 growers or non-negociants champagnes. We will order these wines by November 29th. The champagnes we tasted were fabulous and really highlighted the differences in Grower champagnes and ones from the Big Houses. They are fresher, cleaner, and fruitier and have less of the yeasty musty flavors of some of their more famous non-negociants cousins.
"The Champagne region in France is dominated by a handful of brand names. These negociants and cooperatives produce 80% of the total output in Champagne, yet they own only 12% of the vineyards. The may, by law, purchase as much of their grapes or pressed juice or already made sparkling wine (known as sur-lattes) as they wish from all over the region. And They bring to marker a mass-produced commodity- the most successful processed agricultural product in human history-a champagne made in a "house style." This is a sparkling wine made in a highly interventionist and formulaic way with swift pressing, extensive use of chaptalization, acidification, cultured yeast strains, enzymes, nitrogenous yeast nutrients and rapid temperature controlled fermentations which amounts to millions of cases annually. By contrast, Small Growers, or "recoltant-manipulants," handcraft their limited quantities of Champagne from individual villages and parcels where the inherent qualities of the vineyards imprint themselves into the wines. These winemakers are brace souls in an industrialized age: growing, vinifying and bottling their own Champagne and offering it to the world as their life's work."
We picked a few of these gems to order in small quantities, but will give you, our customers, the opportunity to order more if you are so inclined. To follow we will give you a few of highlights of info we gleaned along with our favorites and their prices if you are interested in ordering any of these great holiday champagnes that are among the best in the world please have your order to us by Saturday November 27th, you can email us at kim@invinoveritaswines.com or call us during business hours at 325-223-1045. We will give a 15% discount for bottles ordered minimum of 3.
The Special Club
"The club began in 1971, under the name Club de Viticulteurs Champenois, when a group of about a dozen growers banded together to create, in effect, a prestige cuvee of grower champagne. Being small houses in the shadow of huge and powerful negociant firms, they reasoned that the marketing power of the collective would be greater than that of any individual member, and so decided to create an exclusive label and bottle that would be used only Club member, and only for their top wines. Quality, of course, was of paramount concern to the founding members, and it still remains at the core of the club philosophy today. In order for a wine to be released under the Club label, it must be estate-grown and must adhere to strict rules of viticulture and vinification, as well as undergo blind taste tests by a panel of Club members- once as vin clair, or still wine, and again after three years of aging on its lees in bottle. Some wines have failed this test.
Once the Club has agreed that the base wine is of suffiecient quality, the grower is the permitted to put the wine in the Special Club bottle and induce the second fermentation. After a minimum of 3 years of aging, the wine may be disgorged and tasted a second time by the Club. If the Club approves of the finished product, it may be labeled and sold as a Special Club wine.
A Special Club wine is intended to be the prestige cuvee of the house, and its quality should reflect that promise. Club wines are often produced from a house's oldest vines and best vineyards, and are usually aged longer on the less than the house's other vintage wines. Although they come from diverse villages and are made of different blends of grape varieties, Club wines tend to share a certain sense of richness, concentration and complexity. Some of the Club's growers are better than others, of course, but in general, the Club label is an indication of exceptional quality.
-Pierre Gimonnet Special Club Brut 2004 6 pack $79.00/btl. Cote de Blanc region, light and delicate no oak all stainless steel fermentation.
-A. Margaine "Special Club" Brut, 2004 6 pack $71.00/btl., Montagne de Reims region,
our favorite Special Club member, Clean, fresh, and not too much acidity, great Holiday wine!
-Jean Milan Selection "Terres de Noel" Villes Vignes Brut 2004 $85.00/btl
Creamy and has a slight blueberry taste, Sara's favorite.
-Varnier-Fanniere "Cuvee Saint Denis" Brut, N.V. $65.00/btl
From Cote de Blanc region
70 year old vine, very rich flavors of poached pear spice a fraction of sweetness. My favorite of the tasting.
-Jean Lallenment Reseroe Rose Brut N.V. $61.00/btl Montagne de Reims region
My favorite Rose, dry but with great fruit.
We have always championed Grower Champagnes; my absolute favorite is Pierre Peters Blanc de Blanc, we also carry several others. These are ones we currently have now, with the listed ones above coming in before Christmas.
Happy Holidays to all!!
Let In Vino Veritas be at your service for any of your Holiday wine needs!
*We also make gift baskets for quick and easy Holiday gifts!*
Call in your order asap!
(325)-223-1045
