Patrick Arnould is a stud. When I arrived at his winery in the Grand Cru of Verzenay, he pulled up in his big tractor and jumped out like James Bond out of an Aston Martin. He had a delivery of boxes arriving and ran the fork lift like it was motocross bike. Patrick is the 3rd generation winemaker at Michel Arnould, and even though he is my age, he is showing no signs of slowing down when it comes to the real work of the winery and vineyard.
Read MoreJust as I was arriving at Champagne Franck Bonville in Avize with Clyde and Kerri Beffa, our shipment of Bonville arrived in the stores. The wait is over and we now have everything back in stock. Olivier took us straight to the vineyard, and since not everyone could fit in his car, I got to drive his Citroen Berlingo with Clyde as my co-pilot. Nothing beats a little rally driving on the tracks between the vines of the Grand Cru’s of the Cotes des Blancs!
Read MoreI have been looking forward to my meeting with Mathieu Rolland-Billecart for months, and finally had the opportunity this past weekend to go to Mareuil to taste his amazing Champagnes. I had the pleasure of being joined by both Clyde and Kerri Beffa. They are in Champagne starting a marathon trip in France that will culminate with the 2018 en primeur tastings in Bordeaux. Mathieu just took over the job of CEO at Billecart-Salmon from his cousin Francois Rolland-Billecart and it was an honor for me that he took the time to see us on a Saturday.
Read MoreOn Saturday, for the very first time, I visited the village of Croutes-sur-Marne. This village at the western edge of the Marne is home to famous growers like Francois Bedel, but somehow it took me 31 visits to Champagne to finally make it here. I came to visit Claire and Laurent, the brother and sister team at Champagne Derot-Delugny. I met them after tasting their cuvée Fondateurs, which is still the only 100% Pinot Gris Champagne that I have ever tried.
Read MoreDriving to the Western edge of Champagne, one can take in some of the best landscape and scenery in the region. Today, I went to the far end of the region, the Hamlet of Drachy, to meet Paul Fallet, the 17th generation grower at Fallet-Dart and all of his family.
Read MoreI started my day by making the drive up from Troyes and back to the Marne, and my first stop was the little town of Monthelon to visit Alexandre Le Brun. He is in the middle of a big project, expanding his winery with a new crush pad with two presses, many new tanks, and a beautiful new foudre.
Read MoreDelphine Brulez is one of the most engaging and intelligent growers in Champagne, and it was a great pleasure to visit her yesterday at Champagne Louise Brison. We tasted a number of her vin clairs from barrel together, as well as her new releases.
Read MoreThis year, I started my trip to Champagne at the region’s southern edge—the village of Les Riceys in the Aube department. It is only three miles from here to Burgundy, and the soil is the same kimmeridgian clay that is found in Chablis. My very first stop was to see Vivien Lamoureux. Here I was greeted by Vivien, along with his dog Noughat, at the entrance of his 18th century cellar. We tasted the entire range from his twelve-hectare estate and caught up with one another.
Read MoreGrower/producer Pascal Lallement’s delectable Premier Cru Champagne from Chamery in the Montagne de Reims is textured and rich with incandescent energy. And for $34.99, it is an insane value for the price.
Read MoreThis past weekend, Cinnamon and I took a little mini-break up to Tomales Bay. We stayed at Nick’s Cove and made a trip out to the Hog Island Oyster beds, and we brought along a range of wine from star direct import producer Bruno Michel to have with our meals. It was a great success, and I thought I would take a moment to tell you all about them, as some of them are exceedingly rare and won’t last long.
Read MoreThere are perks to working with the good folks at K&L Hollywood. Namely: they feed me. On Sunday, in honor of Valentine’s Day, Keith had us over for a fondue soirée fit for kings, and Clarissa brought not one but three desserts, including a cake made from aged Moët & Chandon. The others came bearing phenomenal libations. It was a decadent lovefest of the very best kind: one celebrating our long-term romance with cheese and wine.
Read MoreLast night, Cinnamon treated us to some excellent sushi from the local restaurant Kanpai. We paired our meal with the 2006 Charles Heidsieck Brut Champagne, which was just released after 13 years of aging. It was a magical combination for a weeknight treat, and I can’t recommend the wine and the pairing enough.
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