Tag: brut

A WORD ON BARGAIN CHAMPAGNE

Of all the categories, Champagne (actually sparkling wine in general) is the most difficult to promote on a consistent basis.  First off, it is the most ‘brand oriented’ because people feel the need to have the recipient of a gift or the guest know the status of the item.  So the marketing is done with that is mind. High profile, non-vintage Champagnes are particularly poor sources of value because the big houses have an orientation to build their prestige via higher pricing (warranted or not) in conjunction with a more significant promotional infrastructure (boots on the ground, tchotchkes, etc.). 

Also, because they are non-vintage, the opportunity to talk about this or that bubbly is reduced.  Most are blended to achieve a consistent profile via the use of a series of reserve cuvees that can be varied to hit a particular style.  This gives the consumer more confidence of course, but offers little in the way of ‘news’ as nothing visibly changes year to year since there are no vintages.  It also can be confusing with respect to reviews since there is no vintage.  If a Champagne got a 93-point review in 2011, is that review good forever?  Of course not, but some people treat it that way. 

Some writers try to eliminate the confusion by publishing the disgorgement date they reviewed.  Often by the time the review hits the market, usually several months later, that date is no longer available or not in a particular market.  So that additional information doesn’t necessarily help most would-be buyers as trying to find that specific bottling is suddenly a source of angst. 

There’s plenty of angst in the world already, and Champagne is supposed to be fun.  As people who don’t need a holiday, celebration, or any other excuse to pop a bottle of bubbles, and enjoy it in a wide variety of situations like, say, Wednesday night, we’re solely in it for the juice and always on the lookout for bargains in the category.  We have talked about Monthuys Brut Reserve before.  But it has been a while and we recently tasted it and decided it was time to talk about it again.  After all, tasty, legit Champagne for under $25 is always newsworthy whether the vintage changes or not.

Monthuys has been around a long time by our standards.  The Baron family itself has been managing vineyards in Champagne since the 17th Century. They began as grape growers, and transitioned to Champagne producers in 1966 when Gabriel Baron decided to vinify his fruit by himself. The bottles were initially only sold to private customers and local restaurants. The estate developed into 20 hectares of vines nestled in the village of Charly-Sur-Marne, on the west side of Marne Valley.

The cuvee of 60% Pinot Meunier, 30% Chardonnay, and 10% Pinot Noir is selected from the best plots in the region, chalk and clay soils from along the Marne River, and the finished wine is given additional time in the bottle.  There’s not a lot of techno-geek fodder as the cellar work is pretty straight forward and they riddle by gyro-pallet.  That may not be ‘romantic’ to some but this one delivers plenty for the fare and that ultimately Is the point. 

We found it a very pleasing mouthful of apple, peach and pear with a certain ‘biscuit’ aspect to the nose and hints of honey and toast as it finishes. Clean lines, fresh flavors, and a certain roundness in the mouth without being sweet, it hits all of the notes.  It’s tasty, real Champagne without the pretense or the price tag ($24.98).  Obviously, something like this is worth mentioning again and again.

A NEW ‘OLD’ NAME IN CALIFORNIA BUBBLY

PAULA KORNELL BRUT

It has been a long time since we have found anything new and interesting to talk about regarding domestic bubbly.

This particular item comes along at just the right time in the marketplace.  Part of the problem with domestic sparklers is that the players never change, the quality doesn’t seem to get much better and the prices keep edging up.  For that reason the success of this launch is important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to add a interesting new option to a somewhat unexciting cast of characters, and maybe a little quality improvement and price reductions to potentially liven up a static category.

That’s a lot of pent up hope to lay on one producer.  We have chronicled a precious few new domestic sparkling wine sources over the years that have done a fine job with the bubbles themselves, but have priced themselves into competition with top French Champagne houses with the predictable result of not getting much lasting traction in the marketplace.  Paula Kornell has the right idea in taking her talents to the public with a tasty, affordable sparkler. 

As a number of you have figured out, Paula Kornell herself is something of an insider in the wine business.  Hans Kornell, who’s sparkling wine cellar was highly visible in the Napa Valley until its closure in 1992, was her father.  Paula herself spent time in both retail and hospitality before returning to the family estate in 1982.  After a number of years on winery, and vintners boards, world traveling, and charitable work, she opened a consulting firm in 2014.  Subsequently, the first sparkler was made in 2017 and the Paula Kornell brand was launched two years later.

As we often say, you never know if a label will stand the test of time.  But she is off to one heck of a start.  There are two bottlings, this one and a more ‘reserve’ level Napa Valley Blanc de Noir.  It was this Paula Kornell California Brut that got our attention for a number of reasons, mostly for value performance in the category.  Fine bead, the fruit component was fresh and engaging, and the wine was impeccably clean from start to finish and showed a bit of personality. 

The hard part will be getting the word out that there’s a potentially important new player in the game if this first effort is any indication of where this project is going.  Most of the reviewers don’t talk about California bubblies because there is little in the way of ‘news’.  In all fairness, it’s the same producers making non-vintage ‘house style’ sparklers year in and year out.  Someone new coming into this section of the marketplace, particularly with the kind of family history that Paula Kornell has, is definitely worth a few lines.

We did find some nice words in the Wine Enthusiast that did hit the key points here, “This inaugural release is stunning and incredibly impressive—a wine well worth stocking up on for the price and quality. A beautiful jasmine aroma leads to marzipan, peach and cherry flavors as lively acidity envelopes the palate. It’s a blend of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir…94 Points.”  A wine like this has a large potential audience available to them if subsequent efforts hit the same quality level.  As to this one, if you are buying one of those ubiquitous California sparklers or widely distributed Spanish cavas, you definitely need to give this one a spin.