LOUISE NICAISE BRUT RESERVE PREMIER CRU–This is really something out-of-the-ordinary, a grower Champagne that we can sell for under $30?! Not only that but it is in what we’d call crowd pleasing style. In a world where growers are focusing more on low-dosage cuvees that focus on the terroir that are best served while reading existential prose or financial reports, this young turk’s effort encourages one to don one’s party chapeau. A lot of people will remember this story because it comes from the village of Hautvillers, the village that was the home base of a guy called Dom Perignon way back when. These folks have only been at it for four generations. The most significant event in their history, their daughter Laure marrying Clement Preaux, a serious talent who subsequently kicked up the quality at this estate. He was 25 at the time (in 2007) and had apprenticed with Selosse as well as worked at a Champagne co-op and is now seriously making magic by reducing dosages and kicking up the fruit quality. He still makes a user-friendly style with this blend of 40% Chardonnay and 30% each of the Pinots. A late comer to the lineup, this is one of the best deals of the season thus far.
MARIE COURTIN EXTRA BRUT EFFLORESCENCE (2012)-Named after Dominique Moreau’s grandmother, Marie-Courtin is a small vineyard in the Aube, on a hillside of the Cote des Bars, which seems to be quite the breeding ground these days for a new movement in Champagne. The vision here is to produce single-vineyard, single varietal, single vintage champagnes from biodynamically grown grapes, using native yeasts and no dosage while employing a minimalist intervention philosophy. This area is particularly prized for its Pinot Noir grapes grown on Kimmeridgian/limestone sub soils. The Champagnes retain a freshness similar to Chablis, which is actually physically closer to here than is Reims! The grapes for this cuvee were harvested from the bottom of the hill because there is more clay, a favorite soil for Pinot Noir. The wine manages to maintain a Pinot-y vibe yet remain thrillingly light on its feet. A 94 point score from Galloni who called it, “A complete and wonderfully nuanced wine…fabulous…bright and sculpted.”
DE SAINT GALL GRAND CRU BLANC DE BLANCS CUVEE ORPALE 2002-Great old Champagne is something of a luxury and it’s pretty special when we can find something that shows a true picture of older bubbly yet still has a reasonably broad appeal. Some folks have a little trouble with older bubbles because of expectations. People like the idea of aged Champagne, but also expect it will have the same aggressive fizz and nervy brightness of a younger bottling. Instead there will be a much lower pace to the bubbles, a creamier palate feel, and a slightly more caramelly/doughy bent to the flavors. Still the 2002 vintage leans a bit more delicate and this one has a freshness that sets it apart from a lot of older bottlings. A Suckling 96 on this tete de cuvee from a cooperative, the $59 fare is definitely a bonus, and loose comparisons were made to Taittinger Comte de Champagne in another piece we read. Fresh, vibrant, yet chock full of the classic toasty, doughy aromas that mark older cuvees, this wine captures the dense fruit character of this outstanding vintage.
PHILIPPONNAT BRUT ROYALE RESERVE-It’s hard to verbalize something like Philipponnat. Not the first name most people think of for Champagne because they don’t do a lot of the mass market stuff other more visible Champagne houses do, though their signature Clos de Goisses has an ardent following. They have an excellent reputation as a solid go-to and we’ve had their Brut Royale and rose a number of times and it always pleases. As it has been with so many others, however, the juice from the 2012 vintage moved many a really good guy up a couple more notches in quality. So it is here. The blend is 65% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, and 5% Pinot Meunier, made from first press juice of mainly Grand and Premier Crus (label). Not to beat the proverbial cheval, but here again the 2012 vintage elevates and expands creating the best example of this in years. The style here is certainly more ‘vinous’ but not in a zero dosage type of way. That sense of lower atmospheres gives the wine a rounder palate feel, enriched further by the density of the fruit of the vintage. However, the wine still remains light on its feet, delivering a clean, vibrant yet full-bodied bubbly.
WARIS-HUBERT GRAND CRU CHARDONNAY AVIZE-Yeah this one is something of an indulgence of ours from a commercial standpoint, and definitely off the radar. This label, which looks loosely like some sort of custom bottling for a wedding, is actually that of a husband and wife team that merged their family properties with their marriage back in 1997. They definitely owned dirt in the high rent district in the Cote des Blancs, possessing vines in both Avize and Cramant. Vines are over 20-years-old here, and this is strictly from the first press of Grand Cru Chardonnay grapes. As is seemingly more the fashion these days, these folks produce no-dosage cuvees. Avize is home to such luminaries as Selosse and this wine follows in that path though more classically ‘bubbly’ in its presentation. Certainly more ‘culinary’ in style, this fizz shines with a near-Teutonic white rock minerality and white chocolate essence to the Chardonnay fruit, with a broad-yet-focused mid-palate.