Secret 2010 Vintage from Lamoureux
We have been working with Vivien Lamoureux from Champagne Jean Jacques Lamoureux for seven years now, and their wines have always been not only a great representation of the terroir of their village, Les Riceys, but also a great value. Now, with the world inflating around us, and especially the prices of Champagne shooting up, these wines are a real steal… Especially Vivien’s $36.99 tête de cuvée bottling, the Jean-Jacques Lamoureux "Trilogie" Brut.
The Trilogie comes from the one big foudre pictured here, a couple demi-muid (600 liter barrels) and a very small stainless steel tank for the Meunier. It is one-third each Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier, with the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wood fermented. All of Vivien’s 30 acres are in the village of Les Riceys, in the southern part of the Aube department, just three miles from the border with Burgundy. Here the soil is Kimmeridgian clay, almost identical to Chablis, and the climate is much more continental than in the Marne department. The colder winters and hotter summers make Pinot Noir the grape of choice here—spring frost is a too much of a threat for Chardonnay in most places, and plenty of summer sun gets the late-ripening (at least, here in Champagne!) Pinot Noir nicely mature. There is almost no Meunier planted here, but Vivien has a small plot for this special wine. For me, the most interesting thing about this wine is the very, very long aging on the lees—this current release is all 2010 and older than the Dom Perignon, Cristal, and Bollinger that we currently have on offer!
After having the Trilogie by itself for the little video that I made, Cinnamon and I enjoyed it with some black truffle tapenade on crackers for our aperitif. For me, the bright, light color of this wine belied the time in oak and many years on the lees of this “secret” vintage Champagne. On the nose, it had the classic pain au levain aromas of yeast contact as well as subtle dried fruit notes. In the mouth, the tight, small bead gave the concentrated wine underneath the perfect lift and balance. Delicate white fruit flavors focused into the clean earth that reminded me of the best terre Chablisienne. The acid refreshed me. I loved the pairing with the truffle tapenade, but I must say that I also got a big kick out of the wine by itself!