CHAMPAGNE

Champagne is vast. The northern sections fan out from Epernay. North across he chalky Montagne de Reims  towards Reims, west along the Marne Valley towards Paris, then due southwards, the Chardonnay slopes called the Cotes des Blancs. Way further south, there is Montgueux, to the west of Troyes (where we found Jean Velut). Finally, in the bottom right hand corner, there is the Aube, our fertile hunting ground for smaller family Champagnes. Our house Champagne Amyot comes from this area.

 

MONTAGNE DE REIMS

 

JAQUES BEAUFORT  (Ambonnay)                                                                                                                     BIO-DYNAMIC

Mad? Dizzy? Eye-watering labels? Bio-dynamic? Yes to all of these from the eccentric Jacques Beaufort, a delightful gem we unearthed on our visit to Champagne last month. A picture of rural bliss, our conversation was almost drowned out by the din of his geese, hens and a cockerel. Jacques was one of the first two people (along with Georges Laval below) to begin practising bio-dynamic wine-making in Champagne, in 1971, a time when the authorities made it almost impossible to carry out their perfectionist (we like to call it visionary) philosophy. Now of course, more are jumping on the band-wagon that he started rolling!

He has 1.5ha in Ambonnay where he lives and a further 5ha an hour’s drive south in Polissy in the Aube.

Gutsy and broad in the mouth, there is something deliciously hand-made about all of his wines - distinctive Champagne with a mind of its own!

 

	Brut Reserve	NV	29.99
	Brut Grand Cru	1999	44.99
	Brut Rosé	NV	36.99

 

GEORGES LAVAL (Cumières)                                                                                                                                BIO-DYNAMIC

Georges Laval, along with Jacques Beaufort above, was one of the pioneers of Bio-dynamism in Champagne. Now made by his son Vincent, the wines are high-class with their complex fennel, caraway nose and classic Cumières raciness. We often think of the village of Cumières as something of a Montagne de Reims/Cotes des Blancs hermaphrodite – plenty of Pinot but also more Chardonnay present than usual, providing racy freshness more often associated with the Cote des Blancs just across the Marne. Vincent also showed us a barrel of 100% old-vine Pinot Meunier which, if all goes well, he will bottle separately. We hope so – it was fascinating!

 

	Brut Nature	NV	38.99
	Brut Nature HALVES	NV	19.99
	Rosé	NV	48.99

 

DELAVENNE (Bouzy)

This is the everyday story of a family Domaine in the village of Bouzy, started 4 generations ago when everyone had livestock, vegetables, grain…and some rows of Grand Cru vines on chalky Bouzy soil. The current Madame, Marie-Paule, was from the neighbouring village of Cramant, duly bringing a parcel of Cramant vines to the marriage. Their Cuvée Tradition is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. They tell us “there is never any Pinot Meunier in Grand Cru.” It is very impressive - fresh and bright in the nose with a vigorous body, thanks to the 25 year-old vines. There’s even a savoury tang at the end.

 

Grand Cru Tradition

NV

22.99

 

FORGET-CHEMIN (Ludes)

This is the smaller and much sassier sister to Veuve Clicquot. Each year Monsieur Forget sells some of his output to Veuve, jealously keeping the best grapes for himself! In the village of Ludes, between Reims and Épernay, the Champagnes are made in the classic Montagne de Reims style. He has 12 ha of prime 1er Cru vines scattered over ten villages, four of which are in the Montagne on chalk. Carte Blanche is a blend of three vintages made in equal parts of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. We managed to hoover up the last of his fabulous Rose in halves.

 

	Forget-Chemin Brut HALVES	NV	12.99
	Forget-Chemin Rose Brut HALVES	NV	13.99

 

 

COTE DES BLANCS

Clearly visible from the motorway south of Reims the Côte des Blancs runs south from Épernay and boasts the highest concentration of Grand Cru vineyards in the region. This is the home of Blanc de Blancs; 100% Chardonnay, fresh, extremely elegant and fine.

 

SAINT CHAMANT (Épernay)

Charming, moustachioed, elderly Monsieur Christian Coquillette of Saint Chamant, often sporting a beret, has his labyrinthine cellars under Épernay. He took us for an exhilarating drive in his beaten-up 2CV out to Chouilly, the first Grand cru village south of Épernay on the Côte des Blancs, where he has 11 hectares of Chardonnay.

His Carte d’Or Blanc de Blancs NV, a gold medal winner in Paris, has a fresh, lemony  nose with hints of aniseed and caraway and a lively body. The Brut Millésimé Blanc de Blancs 98 is fabulous. Fresh, deep and complete.

 

	Carte d’Or Blanc de Blancs	NV	27.99
	Brut Millésimé Blanc de Blancs	1998	32.99
	Brut Millésimé Blanc de Blancs	1999	32.99

 

GERARD DUBOIS (Avize)                                                                                                                                          

Gerard Dubois is gently winding-down towards his retirement and is talking about passing his vines to his brother’s kids. He assures us he has plenty of supply for us for the foreseeable future. We have always loved his vintage Blanc de Blancs. Like Meursault with bubbles.

 

	Blanc de Blancs	1994	26.99
	Blanc de Blancs	1993	29.99

 

HENRY DE VAUGENCY (Oger)                                                                                                                           

Sounds shallow but it was the label which made us want to try Henry de Vaugency. Spotted recently at 10 metres across a restaurant in Epernay with all the Fleur de Lys and bold use of colour, we were slightly sceptical about how the contents may taste. Against all our preconceptions the wine was delicious - classic Cotes des Blancs Chardonnay. Right in the centre of the village, the de Vaugency domain is an eccentric set-up. Pascal Henry is the son-in-charge. His parents started a collection of marriage artefacts and now run a “Museum of Love” from the same location. There is something fabulously Gracelands about it – a private shrine not to Elvis, but Marriage. Hope you (like us) fall in love with these champagnes.

 

Carte Noir

NV

23.99

 

PIERRE MONCUIT (Le Mesnil-sur-Oger)

Le Mesnil-sur-Oger is the spiritual heart of the Côte des Blancs where Pierre Moncuit makes fabulously expressive Blanc de Blancs. When we visited him recently, Monsieur Moncuit reckoned he had lost 60-70% of his fruit in the hailstorm which may affect his supply in two or three years. We can cross our thumbs in the meantime and enjoy his current releases.

 

	Blanc de Blancs HALVES	NV	11.99
	Blanc de Blancs Grand cru Cuvée Nicole Moncuit  Vielles Vignes	1999	30.99

 

 

VALLÉE DE LA MARNE

 

TARLANT  (Oeuilly)

Tarlant is another family-owned domaine at Oeuilly in the Marne Valley about 15kms west of Épernay. Since 1687 the family has built up a holding of 13ha in three villages (Oeuilly, Celles les Conde and Boursault) on steep sections of the valley. The family is passionate about their wines and the four surviving generations still meet for the assemblage (blending) at the end of April each year. It was Benoît, the son, who stressed the concept of “the wines of Champagne rather than brands”. .And what a wine-making palette they have at their disposal! 45 parcels of vines at different elevations, 4 different soil types and all three of the classic grape varieties (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier). Apparently, Chardonnay on sable (sand) is a heavenly combination. Then there is the use of oak, still fairly rare in the Champagne region. They use 12% new oak and every cuvée spends some time in oak. Some cuvées are fermented in barrel with bâtonnage (stirring of the lees to add further complexity) while others age in oak after fermention in tanks. With the exception of the luxury Cuvée Louis, where the oak is clearly noticeable, the oak is used discreetly, generally adding another layer of texture and flavour.

 

Brut Zero is a remarkable wine. No dosage (without the usual sugar in the liqueur d’expedition added after dégorgement) means it is absolutely bone dry. If you ever wondered what Champagne really tastes like, this is it! Focused, complex and clear. Best with food. Great with fish (lemon sole, sea bass) or goat’s cheese.

 

The Brut Prestige 96 is 65% Chardonnay and 35% Pinot Noir and has a lovely nose. Creamy, rich and mouthfilling 30-40% barrel-fermented.

 

Cuvée Louis is their award-winning luxury cuvée named after Benoît’s Great Grandfather who replanted their vineyards after WW2 in 1946 and 1947. Super-rich nose, spicy with a shot of toasty vanilla oak. Bags of flavour, almost like sparkling Meursault. Super-long and complex.

 

	Rose	NV	28.99
	Rose Zero	NV	32.99
	Cuvée Louis (with wooden box)	NV	44.99

 

 

THE AUBE

 

JEAN VELUT (Montgueux)

The wind roars across the flat plains of Champagne 100kms south of Epernay. There is just one small hill - it's just west of the city of Troyes and covered with vines, many of them Chardonnay. The village at the top of the hill is Montgueux, recently hailed by a French Journalist as “the Montrachet of the Cotes des Bars”, and that's where we found the Velut family.

 

Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs

NV

21.99

 

CHAMPAGNE CHRISTOPHE (Colombey-les-Sec)

A family Domaine for 3 generations in the tiny village of Colombey-les-Sec, near the de Gaulle memorial at Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises. Across the range they are beautifully made, with impressive complexity, bright freshness and good depth of flavour. Tradition is 80% Pinot Noir with 20% Chardonnay from a sunny slope overlooking the village.

 

	Brut Tradition HALVES	NV	12.99
	Brut Tradition	NV	19.99
	Cuvée Prestige	NV	22.99
	Cuvée Imperial	NV	29.99

 

ERICK SCHREIBER (Courteron)                                                                                                                          BIO-DYNAMIC

It was snowy when we visited, the van sliding unpredictably. We were determined to taste Bio-Dynamic Champagne. We did the meeting in Erick’s kitchen, a fantastically lived-in family kitchen with laundry drying on racks.

Bio-dynamic Champagne? What does that taste like? Erick Schreiber went bio in 1990. He says he was the first. "Organic is a bit passive, Bio-Dynamic is active - it's about micro-biology." Constantly experimenting with the soil, the different communes, with oak, with lees contact, with blending and aging, he says he's "like an orchestra conductor". The wines? Impressive. Fragrant.

 

Grande Reserve

NV

23.99

 

AMYOT  (Loche-sur-Ource)

Many of you already know our classic House Champagne. Amyot is a small, family producer based in the Aube, closer to Dijon than Reims. Jancis Robinson gave it a great review in the FT. At a recent blind Taste-off for an Asset Management company in the City, the Amyot NV came out top. Year in, year out it’s big, bold and incredible value!

 

	Carte Or	N.V.	16.99
	Carte Or  HALVES	N.V.	9.99