October 2023

CHAMPAGNE ALERT: ANDRE CLOUET

As we have mentioned on several occasions, there is a lot going on in Champagne, most of it not necessarily good. There has been a concerted effort on the part of the Champenois to push prices upward. We took a quick scan at wine-searcher for data to support our thesis. The average market prices on some of the ‘favorites’ don’t make a lot of sense to us and haven’t for a while.. Clicquot $64? Bollinger $66? Pol Roger is actually one of the better buys of that category at $57.

Our constant question is always the same…what exactly are you paying for? Bluntly, you’re paying for their promotional tools and infrastructure to tell you why you should pay more. Granted, we have the advantage of getting to taste a wide range of Champagne. Given that, what do you think we take home? Admittedly we have confessed our preference of grower Champagnes because the fact that they come from specific terroirs ( as opposed to the big houses that blend from across the region). The site specificity adds another dimension to the wine.

Not only that. Often the grower Champagnes come through small, passionate importers and, as such, miss a markup or two along the way because there are no ‘marketing intermediaries’ or traditional distributors to add to the cost. That’s to say nothing of the fact that we find the juice in the bottle to be more complex and interesting even at the same price. It’s the ultimate win-win.

Our latest edition to the lineup is the Andre Clouet Brut Grand Réserve Grand Cru NV. Jean-François Clouet, who was born and raised in Bouzy, still lives in the 18th century village house built by his ancestors. As his family was the official printer to Louis XV’s Royal Court at Versailles, Jean-Francois takes great pride in his lineage. He is also well aware of the influence his family has contributed to the grand and tumultuous history of the region.

The domaine’s 8ha (20 acres) of Grand Cru vineyards are situated in the coveted middle slopes of Ambonnay and Bouzy. They make a full range of Champagnes but their ‘entry level’ made an impression on us, particularly for the fare. Made from 100% Grand Cru Pinot Noir, the nose is a fresh expression of appley Pinot Noir fruit with subtle hints of hazelnut and brioche. The bead is fine and not overly aggressive, and the combination of low dosage and long aging with this Grand Cru fruit creates a Champagne of supreme elegance and charm.

As to the process, 70% of the vintage juice spends 36 months on the lees with the other 30% coming from 2-5 year old reserve wines. We found a particularly interesting quote from a review source we didn’t know called Loibenberg who wrote, “No branded champagne can achieve this extremely good substance in terms of quality. Fantastically creamy apple note, nuts and pear in the aftertaste, infinitely charming and everybody’s darling.”

We have very nice notes from more familiar sources as well. From Wine Advocate, “The NV Brut Grand Réserve Grand Cru is a pure Pinot Noir from Bouzy. It’s pure, fresh, fine and aromatic on the nose and round and delicate on the palate. The fruit-intense finish is chalky-mineral and stimulatingly fresh in its salty finesse and elegant yeastiness. Nice lemon juice flavors give an extra kick of refreshment. This is a picture-book NV Brut… 91 points.

Stacy Slinkard, Decanter Magazine had this to say, “Incredible value for a blanc de noirs (100% Pinot Noir) grower Champagne from the grand cru vineyards of Bouzy. It shows gorgeous aromas of stone fruit, citrus and strawberry, with complex brioche nuances, remarkable balance, ongoing elegance and a rich, refined, persistent finish…92 Points.“

Finally, , JamesSuckling.com, “The effusive nose of candied citrus, ripe pear and brioche pulls you into this fresh and creamy champagne that hits all the pleasure buttons for a non-vintage Brut. Then the chalky freshness at the finish pulls you back for another sip. Excellent balance! 100% pinot noir. Drink now…93 Points.”

All that and only $41.98 per bottle? With all do respect to ‘marketing’, this is how you Champagne.

CHABLIS TRIPLE PLAY FROM COLLET

It may appear to some that we write disproportionately about Chablis. Well, to be honest, we’ve long been fans of the region. But, perhaps more to the point, it has been increasingly difficult to find things to get excited about. First off, pricing in Burgundy overall has become even more expensive even to those of us that have been around it for quite some time. Add to that the dual effect of global warming, and the success rate seems to have been greatly reduced.

First off, these days, it seems they have some sort of weather disaster on a regular basis. There have been a few untimely frosts over the last few years that have decimated the size of the crop almost to the point where you wonder how these folks can make ends meet. Farming in Chablis these days would hardly be a proposition that would invite outside investment given the variability in the crop size.

Perhaps more consistently problematic is the increasingly warm growing seasons threaten the mojo of Chablis itself. As we have also said of Sancerre, the riper vintages and lower acidity presented by global warming make far to many examples from the region today taste fat and flabby, definitely not the crisp, flinty profile that makes Chablis, well, Chablis. So when we do run across something that gives us a wine that is crisp, linear, vibrant, truly terroir driven and packed with nuances of the marine soils that define the region, these days that is newsworthy.

Within that context, 2021 was a cooler, closer to normal (from a weather standpoint anyway) vintage for fans of traditional Chablis. The producer in this case was Jean Collet, a domaine we have featured a few times of late because they are, unlike a lot of other sources in the region, are still making Chablis that tastes like Chablis, really good Chablis as a matter of fact.

The aromas all centered on the happy scents of crisp apples, ripe limes, and seashells, with a fine underpinning of acidity to support a fruit component that was giving but with the proper amount of tension. In other words, delicious Chablis bottlings that were well made, terroir driven examples of what they were supposed to be. We tasted four and bought three because each one was such a spot-on, focused expression of their distinct Crus. Thrillingly ‘real’ Chablis…tasting notes from Burghound and quite good scores for him.

Domaine Jean Collet Chablis Les Forêts 2021 (90-93 ♥)-“A slightly riper nose features nose of white peach, sea breeze, citrus confit and quinine. There is again fine volume and intensity to the relatively powerful, even muscular, medium-weight flavors that flash ample minerality on the youthfully austere, balanced and more complex finale.”

Domaine Jean Collet Chablis Montmains 2021 (90-92)-“A much more floral nose expresses nuances of citrus confit and spice if more moderate amounts of Chablis character. There is however both better volume and refinement to the medium-bodied flavors that offer a lovely minerality on the lingering, balanced and delicious finale. If this can add depth with a few years in bottle it could be excellent.”

Jean Collet et Fils Chablis 1er Cru Montee de Tonnerre 2021 (90-93 ♥)-“Discreet but still noticeable wood easily allows the elegant floral-suffused aromas of mineral reduction, lemon rind and sea breeze. The racy, wonderfully refined and beautifully detailed flavors exude a bracing minerality on the youthfully austere and impressively long finale. This too needs more depth but appears to have the necessary stuffing to develop it.”

ROCKIN’ RIOJA FROM RODA

This has been a rather interesting story since the onset. When we first ran into the label years ago, it was one of the more impressive newcomers we had seen. Yes it was Rioja within the definition of the appellation, but somehow there was a deeper color, plumper mouth feel, and bluer fruit than we had generally experienced in our extensive ‘research’ with a variety of labels in the region. We took this fresher fruit style to be a more modern but very successful take on the genre and we were big fans in those early years.

Some time later, new offerings from Roda seemed to miss the mark, and what had been an exciting new source for us previously was eclipsed by a number of things we found as we continued our research into the region. We weren’t as enthusiastic in seeking out the newest releases and, for a time, we didn’t see the wine at all. A couple of years ago the Roda label reappeared with a new distributer and clearly had rediscovered their mojo. This 2019, essentially their second tier bottling, is the best Roda we have tasted in that series.

Roda’s history isn’t as lengthy as some of the bodegas in the region. Their explanation is “in the late 80’s, a new generation renews the vine and wine sector. Carmen Daurella and Mario Rotllant arrived in La Rioja with the firm intention of creating a project able to provide the world of winemaking with something new. This is where a fascinating, ambitious, exigent and unprecedented adventure began: Bodegas Roda.” We aren’t sure what that means but they seem to be doing everything right.

Their fruit comes only from their estate vineyards and certain parcels are selected for each expression (there are five) of Roda’s wines. In their words, “In RODA we look for the parcels that that year have ripened in a red fruit profile, with the expression of the aromas present in the edge of the glass, ready to be felt immediately; with sweet spice notes and a kind freshness. In the mouth the red fruit carries the importance, with a fresh, long, silky, voluptuous and continuous mouth pass.” The vineyards are sustainable, and no chemicals are used.

The vines for the Roda Rioja Reserva 2019 bottling are over 30 years old and bush vines, harvested by hand into small crates. The grapes are sorted on a conveyor belt then fermented in upright French, temperature-controlled oak vats. Malolactic occurs in 225L barriques. The wine then spends 14 months in French oak, 40% new, and then 22 months in bottle until release. The blend for this vintage is 91% Tempranillo, 5% Graciano and 4% Garnacha. The wine has gotten some nice press already.

Luis Gutierrez from Wine Advocate wrote, “The wines are quite transparent of the vintage conditions, with the 2019 Roda being round, lush and velvety, with polished and sleek tannins and more volume and concentration, reflecting a low-yielding, warm and dry year. This is a cuvée with more red than black fruit produced with 91% Tempranillo, 5% Graciano and 4% Garnacha from 30-year-old vines fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in French barriques, 50% of them new, the other 50% second-use for 14 months. It’s a red with 14.5% alcohol, ripe fruit, measured oak and integrated acidity…92 points.”

And from James Suckling, “Fruity and primary with rich black cherries, red plums and damsons, adorned by some coffee, black pepper and chocolate. A pretty, modern, juicy expression of Rioja with a medium to full body, rounded by assertive and fine-grained tannins. Long, with some dark chocolate in the finish. Drink from 2023… 93 points.”

That said, we’ll politely disagree a little. We’ll give the scribes the benefit of the doubt since both notes are nearly a year old. Presumably this wine has developed further in the bottle because what we tasted was pretty sensational. It hits all of the notes that the best Roda efforts have. The fruit is bright, tender and complex, with the dark red fruits they claim they are looking for in full bloom and even leaning a little blue. Black cherry, ripe plum, and even impressions of blackberry, spice notes, vanilla, dark chocolate, it is succinctly balanced and both modern and engaging. This is an expressive, hedonistic, beautiful, refined bottle of Rioja that really rang our proverbial bell from the first whiff.