What I'm Excited About This Week: Direct Import Champagne Darlings
I've always felt that Champagne is one of the more transformative wines that we have. What better a way to turn a dinner into a celebration than by popping a bottle of Champagne? How best do we celebrate major milestones and holidays? With a bottle of Champagne. Maybe it's the ritual of opening the bottle, slowly unfastening the cage, keeping a thumb over the top (or even more properly, a serviette) and then easing the cork out. Sometimes you prefer to just go for it and, after pointing it away from everyone you love, just using your thumbs to give it that cheerful **POP** and then a little cheer when you don't even lose a drop.
Champagne Buyer Gary Westby took us through a few different Champagne houses at our staff tasting, some of our most important grower producers. We began with Baron Fuente, whose Champagnes typically have a longer time on the lees than other producers. Because their Quinconce wines rest on the lees for seven years, they achieve such a beautifully deep and toasty character, comparable with anything the big Houses have to throw at them. The Gilbert Jacquesson wines in this lineup were all made from Meunier, helping me reinforce my absolute love for this grape in my Champagnes. Petiau is a relatively new direct import for us, but I am consistently impressed by their wines, the Grand Reserve is a crazy delicious bottle at its price point, and the Petiau "Cuvée Prestige" will forever be my Mother's Day Brunch bottle after Gary's recommendation last year. Fallet-Dart produces exceptionally aged and deeply structured Champagnes, and their Clos du Mont is one of the longest lees-aged Champagnes I've ever tried.
Baron-Fuenté "Quinconce" Brut Nature Champagne (formerly Esprit) $39.99 Once upon a time, before climate change became a reality for the people of Champagne, Brut Nature could be an almost punishing designation. These high-acid wines with zero dosage would sing on the palate, bringing line after line of racy and ripping acidity that could be austere to the point of masochism—you know, in that fun wine way. Now, they're often higher in acid but with the warmer vintages bringing riper grapes, they wines not nearly as punishing. This is a great example, because the nose has a lot of promise with notes of sourdough accompanying a Cosmic Crisp apple and some lemon zest. The palate is bright and mouthwatering but not punishing; instead this is just on the edge. There's still a roundness there that pulls back that final punch and instead gives you a little pat on the shoulder. This is deliciously intense in the best of ways. Always one of my favorites year after year.
Baron-Fuenté "Quinconce" Brut Champagne (formerly Esprit) $39.99 An even blend of one-third Chardonnay, one-third Meunier, and one-third Pinot Noir, this is also aged on the lees for seven years before bottling. The nose has a nice brioche note to it, along with some really pretty but classic fruit—fresh and baked apples with lemon, a little floral touch of quince in the back. The palate is really crisp and clean, the brioche still light with lemon-doused fruit and a really, really pretty finish that lingers for a long moment before a softly saline and mineral finish. Time and time again, the Baron Fuente wines overdeliver while undercharging, but, hey, we'll take that recipe any day.
Gilbert Jacquesson "Cuvée Tradition" Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne $29.99 I've found that Champagnes made with Meunier is so incredibly food friendly—there's a little bit of savoriness in the mid-palate that just makes it match a little bit better than other Champagnes for me. This is no exception. There's a lovely leesy toast on this, kind of like a toasted baguette, accompanying soft floral red notes, like raspberry flowers and strawberry buds, accompanied by a little honeysuckle. The palate is strikingly delicious, crisp green apple doused with lemon and a little bit of chalk, umami notes and then moving into a soft and pretty floral finish, with apple blossoms and orange flowers playing about. This is absolutely fantastic and extremely well priced. This shouldn't last, so make sure to get what you can now.
Gilbert Jacquesson "Cuvée Eugénie" Brut Rosé Champagne $34.99 This-all Meunier rosé Champagne is absolutely fantastic. The nose is full of soft red fruity flowers, but then in the very back there's this soft hint of baked rhubarb and wet stones. The palate is super friendly, with a medium amount of weight. It's not super heavily fruity nor is it austere, comfortably riding the fence at a crazy good price. This is definitely something to be had with food, but I could see you going a little wacky and off-field with this, maybe with a savory salmon pie or some kind of fancy stuffed chicken breast. The world is your oyster, and you could also have it with oysters if you felt so inclined, I feel like the fruit in it would help it pair better with most classic oyster mignonettes.
Fallet-Dart "Clos du Mont" Brut Champagne (2006) $69.99 There's Champagne that's aged a while on the lees and then there's the Fallet-Dart Clos Du Mont. This is all 2006 vintage, and was aged on the lees for over 15 years. The result is something complex, deep, and a little nutty on the finish. The nose is wide and round, with a back note of sourdough and then loads of lovely classic fruits buried underneath, golden apples and lemon with a little wisp of jasmine in the very back. The palate is similar, very citrus forward while there's some baked apples in the background along with all toasty lees and a little touch of honey on the finish. This is an incredibly structured and deep Champagne that I want to have with a roast chicken or a meatier fish with.
I wish I could include every single Champagne we tasted just so you could get a better glimpse at just how special this tasting was, even though it includes a lot of Champagnes that we get year after in our direct import program. No matter how many times I taste them, it's always special for me to taste them again each year as new releases come out. There's always subtle variations from what I remember, and tasting them in a group always helps pick out more nuances.
This upcoming Saturday on July 19th, you'll have the option to taste a really delicious selection of our direct imports as well as a couple really special vintage bottles that we think you need to try. Please make sure to take the time to join us, because the range and quality offered is absolutely astounding for just $30 per person. You can find tickets and details at this link.
- Aaron Hughes, K&L Redwood City