Champagne reviews Archives

Champagne Bruno Paillard to showcase its Multi Vintage Première Cuvée Rosé at LIWF

Champagne Bruno Paillard, a Family owned and operated champagne house was founded in 198l. From its inception demonstrated what champagne has best to offer; creating a secret assemblage of diverse crus, grape varieties, and a variety of vintages.

Since 1983, Bruno Paillard was the first Champagne producer to inform the wine consumer of disgorgement dates on it’s labels.

The Bruno Paillard style is the marriage of elegance and complexity, which translates into a light and smooth effervescence, a remarkable purity, a true freshness and a silky texture.

Multi Vintage Première Cuvée Rosé

Identity

White wine from Pinot Noir: after a quick pressing, and a fast separation of the skins, the juice is very pale and is vinified.

Red wine from Pinot Noir: is obtained by a prolonged maceration of the juice on the skins.

A touch of Chardonnay brings the necessary vivacity to balance the fruits of Pinot Noir.

The Blend

First pressing of mainly Pinot Noir with some Chardonnay, the amount of which remains a secret.

Reserve wines

a blend of 25 vintages, going back to 1985.

Ageing

three years sur lie, then a further five months after disgorgement.

Dosage

Extra brut, very low dosage, less than 6g/L.

Bruno Paillard’s Tasting Notes

The pink copper colour with a hint of raspberry when young, evolves to salmon while ageing. Fine bubbles.

The initial aromas of red currant and red fruits evolve to morello cherry, wild strawberry and violet. A touch of lemon denotes the discrete presence of Chardonnay. With age, aromas tend towards dark fruits like cherry, fig and blackberry.

The palate reveals red fruit captured at their full freshness. The finish is bright and long.

Each bottle carries a label with the month and year of disgorgement.

Pairings

The Multi Vintage Première Cuvée Rosé is a great match with charcuterie, sushi, poultry or red fruit salad, dark chocolate.

‪www.champagnebrunopaillard.com‪

www.londonwinefair.com

[Walker and Wodehouse Stand]

May 3rd – 5th 2016 Kensington Olympia, London

Spring Has Sprung…..Pol Roger Releases Its 2008 Vintage Rosé Champagne

Pol Roger prefers to release its rosé champagnes only in vintage years.

Maturation:

Produced in limited quantities the Rosé Vintage 2008 has been aged for 6.5 years in cellars before being disgorged and released onto the market.

Grape Varieties:

The Brut Rose Vintage is produced from a blend of 50% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay drawn from some 20 Premier and Grand Crus on the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs.

In order to obtain its delicate colour and subtle nose 15% Pinot Noir, from selected vineyards in Bouzy, Ambonnay and Cumieres, is vinified “en rouge” and added to the blend prior to the second fermentation.

Dosage – 10.5g/l

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes:

An intense pink peppercorn colour with a fine stream of persistent bubbles. The nose has aromas of red fruits and summer berries. On the palate the first impression is freshness with notes of fragrant wild strawberry, this develops into creamy ripeness with a hint of vanilla.

Allow the wine to blossom in your glass, and you can witness a further layer of citrus aromas with notes of grapefruit.
This Rosé Champagne has a great personality.

Food Pairings:

Brut Rosé 2008 an ideal choice to accompany fish such as grilled salmon and sushi. It also marries with fruit tarts and other fruit desserts – try pairing with a forced Rhubarb fool, the sharpness of the fruit complementing the elegant structure of the wine.

The Official Champagne Grand Tasting Returns to Chicago

The Champagne region’s annual official tasting in the United States was held at the The Ivy Room, Chicago on February 29, 2016. US Trade and media attendees had the opportunity to taste more than 100 champagnes from 35 growers and houses.

The event celebrates Champagne: the sparkling wine produced in the French region of the same name. Only after strict appellation regulations are followed – from harvesting specific plots by hand to minimum time in the caves – can a wine be labeled Champagne. Organized by the Comité Champagne, which represents all the grape growers and houses of Champagne, the tasting gives media, trade and the wine industry a special opportunity to taste and increase their knowledge of a wide variety of wines from the region available on the U.S. market.

“The region is committed to quality, and we are proud to be able to pour over 100 wines from Champagne at this event, providing media and trade a special window into the wines produced by the growers and houses of Champagne.” said Sam Heitner, director of the Champagne Bureau, USA, the official representative of the Comité Champagne in the United States.

Growers and Houses in attendance were:

1. A. Bergère (NM)
2. Alfred Gratien (NM)
3. Ayala (NM)
4. Beaumont des Crayères (CM)
5. Besserat de Bellefon (NM)
6. Billecart-Salmon (NM)
7. Bollinger (NM)
8. Bruno Paillard (NM)
9. Charles de Cazanove (NM)
10. Charles Heidsieck (NM)
11. Charles Mignon (NM)
12. Collet (CM)
13. De Venoge (NM)
14. Delamotte (NM)
15. Devaux (CM)
16. Drappier (NM)
17. Duval-Leroy (NM)
18. Gosset (NM)
19. Henri Giraud (NM)
20. Henriot (NM)
21. J. de Telmont (NM)
22. Joseph Perrier (NM)
23. Laurent-Perrier (NM)
24. Louis de Sacy (NM)
25. Louis Roederer (NM)
26. Mandois (NM)
27. Michel Gonet (RM)
28. Nicolas Feuillatte (CM)
29. Pannier (CM)
30. Paul Goerg (NM)
31. Pierre Legras (NM)
32. Piper-Heidsieck (NM)
33. Ployez-Jacquemart (NM)
34. Pol Roger (NM)
35. Pommery (NM)

Champagne Bureau USA Lunch and Update – NoMI Kitchen, Chicago [Part 2 Media Lunch]

As I mentioned in Part l, I attended one of those lunches that rarely come around — not only was the food and Champagne selection extraordinary, in attendance was Thibaut Le Mailloux, Communications Director for Comité Champagne (the trade association that represents all the grape growers and houses of Champagne, France) and Sam Heitner, the Director of the Champagne Bureau, USA (which is the U.S. representative for the Comité Champagne). At this lunch Thibaut Le Mailloux and Sam Heitner provided US media and myself Champagne Region Updates – see Part 1 [The Update].

The media lunch was held at NoMI Kitchen, Chicago – Monday, February 29,2016

Why It’s A Hot Spot: Chic ambiance, relaxed open kitchen and stunning views of Michigan Avenue

Must-Order: Sushi

Insider Tip: Try and get a window table especially one that overlooks the Water Tower, and NoMI partnered with Green City Market and other local purveyors to source it’s menu’s ingredients

Executive Chef : Satoru Takeuchi
Here is an outline of the lunch menu, pairing specific champagnes to each course.

Through my travels and experiences, I found Champagne to be one of the most versatile wines for food, period. Here is a champagne and food pairing at it’s best!

FIRST
TUNA NICOISE

Seared tuna, quail egg, piquillo pepper
blood orange & lemon dressing
*Pierre Peters, Cuvee de Reserve Brut

SECOND
CHICKEN SUPREME
Pan-seared, buttermilk, tarragon, portobello risettis
natural chicken jus
*Perrier-Jouet, Grand Brut

THIRD
MEYER LEMON POSSET
Rosemary smoked candied pecans, braised huckleberries
vanilla sponge cake, champagne foam
*BILLECART-Salmon, Brut Rose

*Tasting Notes

Pierre Peters, Cuvee de Reserve Brut
This is beautifully balanced that’s crisp and laced with taut apple and citrus flavors; It has a rich texture, intense fruit with tight minerality.
91 points

Perrier-Jouet, Grand Brut
It shows lovely aromas of tropical fruit, citrus, spice and yeast; shows some complexity, is crisp and balanced with fine, persistent mouthfeel and lingering flavors of fresh apples and lemons.
90 Points

BILLECART-Salmon, Brut Rose
Fresh, elegant and focused with a fine bead, light salmon color, creamy texture, and lingering finish.
91 Points

Champagne Bureau USA Lunch and Update – NoMI Kitchen, Chicago Part 1 [The Update]

On February 29th, 2016 I attended one of those lunches that rarely come around — not only was the food and Champagne selection extraordinary, in attendance was Thibaut Le Mailloux, Communications Director for Comité Champagne (the trade association that represents all the grape growers and houses of Champagne, France) and Sam Heitner, the Director of the Champagne Bureau, USA (which is the U.S. representative for the Comité Champagne).

“Champagne is 90 miles northeast of Paris; this wine region is integral to our unique product. That is why we say that ‘Champagne only comes from Champagne’ and why virtually every country in the world reserves the Champagne name exclusively for these wines,” said Thibaut Le Mailloux in his opening speech. “There are now over 100 other countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Mexico, South Africa and the European Union in standing for truth-in-labeling and ensuring their consumers are confident that wines labeled Champagne come from Champagne, France.” Says Le Mailloux.

Champagne Region Updates

US and Global Exports
Sam Heitner advises the US media in attendance that “in 2015, Champagne shipped more than 312 million bottles worldwide, which was an increase of 1.7 percent compared to 2014.” Also, “in 2014 more than 19.2 million bottles were shipped to the United States, making it the second largest export market behind the United Kingdom.”

Champagne Education
The Comité Champagne leads a comprehensive education, promotion and protection campaign worldwide. As part of this effort, they recently launched several new initiatives to encourage people to learn more about Champagne wine and the region. First, the Comité developed Champagne Campus, an educational website. Second, the Comité created a virtual reality video), which takes users on a vivid 360° tour around the vineyards, villages and caves that make the region so unique.

Champagne Campus
To sum it up — here you can discover the wonderful world of champagne, including: the region, vines, winemaking process, AOC and tasting. It’s a fun website and app where you can learn and also test your champagne knowledge.

The website and app is also available on the Apple Store and Google Play
www.champagnecampus.com

360 Degrees
This is a 3D film which was explained by both Sam Heitner and Thibaut Le Mailloux – they directed us to use special goggles so we could get the full immersive experience. During this seven minute film, we saw 360 degrees of vineyards, cellars and famous Avenue de Champagne. I experimented by moving the device left and right, and up and down – this totally changed the view and perception. I have travelled to the region many times and I was happy to see that this device showed the landscape from every possible angle.

Le Mailloux explained that “nine cameras mounted by gopros on drones were used, to create this 360-degree experience.”

As well as Youtube, the film can be downloaded as an app at the Apple Store, Google Play and Android devices.

You can also view the video on The Champagne Bureau Facebook page at www.facebook.com/champagnebureau/videos

Watch for [Part 2 Media Lunch].