Chardonnay — Paroles de vignerons - Vinparleur

The expression of #terroir in #Champagne

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

Each time someone says « Champagne » you’d rather think of words like “cuvée” and “blend” than « selection of terroir." And it’s true, we can consider the producers of champagne as being the « kings of blending ». Very few wineries and negociants propose indeed Champagne pure terroir, that derives from a single vineyard. Blended wines, made of grapes from different terroirs, different grape varieties, and different vintages are largely dominant on the wine market (only 10% of the regions production claims to be « Champagne millésimé », made from a single year’s harvest).

In order to assess the expression of different terroirs in Champagne, there’s only one solution: we have to get to know a winemaker that invites you to taste the « base wines » in his cellar. The term "base wine » is given to all tanks, barrels and wine batches produced during the last harvest. Together with so-called « reserve wines », wines from previous vintages, cellared for two or three years, the base wines are used to create the different blends of the winery. During a visit in the cellars of Champagne Paul Lebrun in Cramant this winter, I obviously did not refuse when Nathalie asked me to discover their different terroirs by tasting her Chardonnay wines in the cellar. It’s never an easy exercise to taste very young wines, just a couple of weeks after fermentation. In addition, the base wines of Champagne rely on an acidity and minerality, which may surprise the palate.

First presses (plot on chalk in Barbonne Fayel): aromas of apricot, pineapple and confectionery, crisp, tangy and straight on the palate.
First presses (plot on flints in Saudoy): the overall impression is warmer and more generous, aromatic marked by apples and pears, round and delicious on the palate, a final marked by boxwood aromas.
First presses (Plot on chalk in a place called “Les Bercottes”): fine and elegant, soft, slightly minty and more discreet.
Second presses (terroir of Cramant): a more colorful wine, marked by flowery aromas, honey and beeswax, rich on the palate, smooth with mild acidity.
First presses (terroir of Cramant): fine, elegant, with a delicate, soft and rich aromatic of citrus fruits, lime, lychee, plum and fresh grapes ...
First presses (Vindey - terroir of Sézanne): complex, rich and ripe, with a fresh fragrances of mint, pears and butter, but also a high proportion of minerality and a slightly « smoky» on the final.

In general, the wines grown on chalk seemed to give more structure and minerality, whereas more clayey or sandy soils entrusted more generosity and maturity to the wines. At least in this tasting. We must nevertheless remember that terroir is not only about soils as climate, topography and water availability are equally important factors.

For Nathalie these « taste trends » of different soils are nevertheless somehow confirmed annually, regardless to the vintage.

« Grapes from Cramant always confer a lot of elegance, finesse and minerality to the wines. These are wines that require patience, wines that love to spend a lot of time in the cellar. They are the ones that allow us to create our greatest Champagnes that perfectly suit for the table. In In comparison the Grapes from Sézannais, south of the Côte de Blancs, always show more maturity and generosity. They are more charming wines that better suit for an aperitif. »

As a resume I should say that I was pleasantly surprised, even amazed by the great diversity of tastes expressing the terroirs of Champagne.
Let’s look at what happens at the time of bud burst. #wine #vineyard #grapes

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

Vine leaves its winter rest according to a fairly well established « protocol » that already starts in winter. Everything begins with so called « tears », drops of water that appear on pruning wounds. They indicate that the roots of the vine have completed their winter sleep and become active again, pushing water up towards the wood. The number of weeks that may pass between appearance of the first tears and bud burst varies, because the internal clock of the plant depends on soil temperature and length of days. When all the external conditions are favorable, the vine wakes up and starts the new vintage.

All varieties are evolving at their own pace. Beyond their sensitivity to external factors, they also have a kind of internal clock, included in their genetic code. Depending on that natural “biorhythm”, we distinguish between early and and late ripening varieties. What matters to us in the end it is to pick the grapes from each vine at their optimum maturity to create our wines. That’s why it’s useful to know the ripening period of varieties we plant. Thus, based on comparison with the Chasselas variety as a standard, grapes have been classified as first-, second-, and third-phase varieties, according to whether they ripen at the same time, 12 days later or 24 to 30 days laters than Chasselas grapes if grown under the same conditions. This classification is also called Classification Pulliat, according to a French ampelographist of the XIXth century.

Short cycle varieties are traditionally established in cool wine regions and grape varieties of longer cycles in warmer regions. Of course, the short-cycle varieties show some tolerance to a warmer climate, as there is some good Chardonnay and or Cabernet to be found in warm wine regions, and Viognier, a very aromatic white grape from Condrieu in the northern Rhône Valley, since several years is extending into the Mediterranean vineyards. The installation of third-phase varieties in cold regions, however, is more difficult and sometimes impossible, because their grapes simply do not arrive at maturity.

But let’s look at what happens at the time of bud burst. The buds open in days and unfold the first leaves. But that’s not all. They also contain the tiny grapes, that will be picked five or six months later. In other words, the buds that are bursting at the moment around the vineyards of the northern hemisphere, already contain the harvest of this year. That is why winemakers are particularly concerned by frost or hail in spring. While these two phenomena rarely put the plants in danger, they may still seriously affect the harvest of the year.
SommelierS international says: #Champagne Paul Lebrun Prestige - It’s all finesse and elegance

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

WHAT AND HOW ?
Visual aspect : golden yellow colour, beautiful brilliance. Fine bubbles.
Nose : fresh, pleasant. Notes of pears and greengage.
Palate : pure, very different from the nose, peaches and a hint of lemon. Beautiful finish.
Match with food : aperitif, tartar of monk fish and marinated salmon.
Comments : It’s all finesse and elegance.

WHEN AND WHERE ?
The castle of Pierry, an 18^th century country seat, has been the beautiful setting of SommelierS International’s latest tasting (in november 2014), dedicated to Winegrowers’ Champagnes. About 200 cuvées crafted by Champagne winegrowers were tasted in the Kings Gallery of the castle in the presence of Serge Dubs and Philippe Faure-Brac, both best Sommelier of the World, as well as Michèle Chantôme, président of the sommeliers of Morocco.
#Champagner – the Devil’s #wine...

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

Wine from Champagne becomes popular at the French and the English court during the XVII. Century. At this time the wines are without any bubbles and sometimes red.

Rather light and poorly structured, their storage in oak barrels doesn’t always work out as desired. A major dilemma for the wine growers. Fortunately, the British diplomat Sir Kenelm Digby invents the wine glass bottle in 1632. A great relief for the winemakers, who trust cork sealed glass bottles for wine storage rather than unreliable oak barrels from now on. Furthermore, early bottling of the wines has the advantage that freshness and flavours are well preserved. But there are also disadvantages. The wines tend to finish fermentation of residual sugars in the spring. This liberates carbon-dioxide in the bottles and the still wines mute to sparkling. At least as long as the cork resists to the rising pressure the bottles will not explode. Due to this “suicidal tendencies” the wines acquire the title of “the Devil’s wine” amongst producers. But the English love those new wines! That much, they bring it over to England in barrels, just to re-ferment it in bottles. They even add in sugar to get more “bubbles”. Thus, we might admit, that English wine-lovers lay the foundation for a second fermentation, still used in modern “Méthode Champenoise” (with a little more expertise than 400 years ago of course).

It was the famous monk from Hautvilliers Dom Pérignon (1638 - 1715) himself, who began to organise the manufacturing process of sparkling wines, bringing home some ideas he got on a pilgrimage to Limoux in southern France, where the still famous “Blanquette de Limoux” was already made for quite some time. For instance, he generalizes the use of “assemblage” in Champagne (assemblage = blending different grapes, origins or even vintages. In France, the latter is only allowed for Champagne!). He also orders pressure-resistant bottles made of thicker glass and fixes the cork during secondary fermentation with a string of hemp. Despite all this, it takes another two centuries, before Louis Pasteur reveals the mystery fermentation and to improve the process of making Champagne…

Nowadays, Champagne mainly uses three varieties to make its wines: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. The wines are blends for a large part: Different varieties, different terroirs, several vintages. Of course varietal champagne also exists (the famous “blanc de blancs” for example, only made from Chardonnay), as well as vintage Champagne, made from grapes exclusively picked in a specific year (about 10% of total production).

Geographically, we distinguish 4 terroirs, which may all produce Champagne:

The “Montagne de Reims” with its chalky subsoil and Pinot Noir planted as the main grape variety.
The “Vallée de la Marne”, whose soils of limestone, clay and marl (“marnes” in French) are planted mainly with Pinot meunier.
The “Côtes des Blancs” south of Epernay, whose chalky soils point out the excellence of Chardonnay grapes.
The “Côte des Bar”, situated in the more southern department “Aube”, with its marly soils and Pinot noir vines.
A good glass of... Cuvée Prestige from Paul Lebrun

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

Ah, “bubbles”! That feels good! But of course, this wine has much more to offer. Elegance in the first place: pears in syrup, vanilla cream with hazelnuts, dried flowers and fresh blossoms. A very fine bouquet, marked by time and maturity. A true lady!
Pleasant, fine bubbles on the palate, medium-bodied with surprisingly tangy acidity. This is typical of Chardonnay. Or more precisely, typical of Chardonnay from Cramant, because the vines from which this Champagne is made grow on the white chalky soils of the Côte de Blancs.

For Nathalie Vignier wines from Cramant are always characterized by a strong minerality that gives some tension on the palate. “Pure Cramant Champagne requires patience. It must be polished by time, it needs to ripen.”

After partial fermentation and ripening in oak barrels, followed by four years of bottle aging on fine lees in the cool cellars of the winery, the wine has reached its full maturity. Instant pleasure guaranteed!

HERBIVORE SUPPORT : Fried, fresh porcini mushrooms on a parsnip puree with Garam Masala, or a good piece of Brie de Meaux on fig bread.
CARNIVORE SUPPORT : bass fillet with cinnamon, sauerkraut with fish and “beurre blanc”, poultry with vanilla cream sauce ...
Salmon with a crust of smoked salmon and Horseradish on Chardonnay Cream Sauce

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

Download recipe here

Ingredients for salmon (serves 4)
4 salmon filets (wild salmon or organic salmon)
40 g butter (at room temperature)
Lemon juice
Cayenne Pepper
1 tablespoon of grated horseradish
30 g smoked salmon
100 g fresh grated white bread without crust
Salt, pepper, olive oil

For the sauce
120 ml fish stock (or bouillon cube)
50 ml Chardonnay
20 ml Vermouth
150 ml thick cream
Salt, pepper, lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 200° C (top heat). Stir the butter with a mixer until its soft and creamy, then add all the other ingredients (except the salmon filets) and continue mixing.

Place the salmon filets on baking paper on a baking tray and cover each one of them with the farce of smoked salmon and horseradish and put them in the oven. The fish will be cooked in about 7 minutes only! The farce on top of the salmon should be slightly brow. If it’s not, put briefly under the grill.

Just before you place the fish in the oven, put the fish stock along with the white wine and the vermouth into a saucepan and boil down over high heat. Add the cream and let it boil again, until the sauce looks nice and creamy.

Serve the salmon and the sauce with briefly in butter sauteed spinach, basmati rice and a lively Champagne Extra Brut “blanc de blancs” (100% Chardonnay).
#Champagne Le Clos L’Abbé tasted by SommelierS International

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

The castle of Pierry, an 18^th-century country seat, has been the beautiful setting of SommelierS International’s latest tasting, dedicated to Winegrowers’ Champagnes. About 200 cuvées crafted by Champagne winegrowers were tasted in the Kings Gallery of the castle, in the presence of Serge Dubs and Philippe Faure-Brac, both best Sommelier of the World, and Michèle Chantôme, président of the sommeliers of Morocco.

Champagne Le Clos l’Abbé Blanc de Blancs Brut Harvest 2007

Visual aspect : Very pale yellow, silvery tinges. Fine bubbles.
Nose : fine, with herbs and spices, bergamot, slightly citric.
Palate : Pure, with more vegetable notes, citric (lemon, yellow grapefruit). Good presence of bubbles. The finish is superb.
Match with food : combava scallops Carpaccio.
Comments : A very beautiful Champagne.
A GOOD GLASS OF... BLANDISHING BUBBLES - #CHAMPAGNE PAUL LEBRUN DEMI-SEC

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

I admit that I almost got trapped on this champagne. Someone served it out of my attention, while being entirely committed to the discussion with my neighbour at table. So I tasted it blind. After a few sips, the wine challenged me. Having well-recognized the style of PAUL LEBRUN, I was nevertheless unable to determine which of their wines was in my glass. First I took it for GRAND RESERVE, but the wine seemed thicker, softer, despite the many crispy bubbles exploding on my palate. But its perfume was more on red fruits and peppermint, while the GRAND RESERVE will rather go for yellow fruits and flowers, emphasizing its lightness and finesse.

To cut short my suspense, I went to get the bottle in the fridge and checked the label: it was the semi-dry wine of the house, dosed at not less than 37 g / L. If it were a still wine, it would rank among the sweet wines with this amount of residual sugar. In the wines from champagne, however (and in sparkling wines in general), sweetness is challenged by the naturally high acidity of the grapes and the crispy freshness of the bubbles. Therefore sparkling wines appear lighter and more fluid than still wines with the same amount of residual sugar. The semi-dry wine is positioned close to the CARTE D’OR, the “house wine” of Champagne PAUL LEBRUN. Both are made from the unique CHARDONNAY, grown on the Cote des Blancs and the Sézannais further south.

HERBIVORE SUPPORT : Try it as an aperitif, with some GREEN TOMATOE CHUTNEY on toasts. Throw in some FOIE GRAS and you will have a perfect CARNIVORE SUPPORT . You may as well go for a bit of old, dry PARMESAN cheese, he loves residual sugars as much as bubbles...