For those following this blog, you may have noticed a large gap since my last post. The reason for this is that it is difficult to make appointments at wineries no matter where between Christmas and the third week of January. Even winemakers, marketers and owners of wineries need a break sometime. Thus I took the opportunity to spend time with friends in Brazil over Christmas and New Years, and then a week in Paris before heading to my first official region in Europe and the perfect aperitif; Champagne. This was my second visit to the home of sparkling wine, having ended a three-week journey to France here in 2010. It was a great feeling arriving into Reims on the TGV train early in the morning and seeing the sun rise on a wintery day. You truly appreciate the cold climate here when visiting in winter. I picked up my rental car early as I had my first appointment at 9: 00 am.
Amazing lunch at Taittinger
Taittinger is a house that has origins back in 1734, making it one of the oldest existing houses in Champagne. There are several defining features of Taittinger that make it special. The first is the fact that it is one of the few remaining family-owned houses of its size and age, having been purchased by Pierre Taittinger in 1932 and now run by the third generation. The second special thing is their location in Reims on the hill that overlooks the town, relocating here from Mailly. This hill is also the home of such illustrious houses as Ruinart, Pommery, Veuve Cliquot and (formerly) Piper-Heidsieck. To the untrained eye this hill is no different to the rest of Reims, but you discover its treasures when you head underground into the chalk creyeres which houses millions of bottles of champagne. These halls date back to the Roman era, when the chalk was mined to be used for construction. The natural caves that remain are ideal for storing bottles as they are cool, dark and have perfect humidity. This kind of cave can’t really be found anywhere else in Champagne, and the white walls are quite a sight to behold.
I was lucky enough to be invited to join a group of visiting buyers from Belgium for a special program at Taittinger. The first part of the program was a visit into their historic cellars where the group was introduced to the champagne process and the specifics of Taittinger. Whilst the tour was in French and I therefore didn’t catch everything, I could gather most of the key information having visited Champagne already, and having worked for Domaine Chandon Australia for four years so familiar with the methode. The second part of the program took place in the historic hall of the Comtes de Champagne, which their prestige cuvée is named after, and was a tasting of several base wines from the 2011 vintage with the Chef de Cave, Loic Dupont. I got chills when I tasted several of the villages, which included Mesnil-sur-Oger and Chouilly, two grand cru Cotes de Blanc chardonnay wines. Click here to read my notes on the base wines.
Following the tasting we adjourned to the other side of Epernay, and enjoyed a fabulous lunch at the famous Château de la Marquetterie. The Chateau, located in the village of Pierry, was built in 1734 in a Louis XV style, and was part of the 1932 purchase. The lunch consisted of four courses matched with four champagnes from the Taittinger range, with the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2000 to start with. The found was of course exceptional, but I felt the only match of the meal was the Ballotine de Saumon Fume with the Taittinger Prelude, a NV wine made from exclusively grand cru vineyards. The lunch was hosted by a number of Taittinger people, most notably by Clovis Taittinger, the fourth-generation family member who is currently the Export Director.
For the afternoon I headed into the lower Montagne de Reims to Mareuil-sur-Ay, where I visited Champagne Philipponat. The family that originally owned the house dates back over 500 years, and two of their wines are named after the original 1522 establishment of the first estate. The key component of Philipponat is the famous Clos de Goisses vineyard, which sits to the east of the village, and was purchased 25 years after the house was founded in the village in 1935. The vineyard, which is made up of predominantly pinot noir, is the basis for the single-vineyard prestige cuvée of the house. Extremely rare in nature due to its limited quantity and release only in the best vintages, it is one of the best in the region. The vineyard itself is remarkably steep for the region, and the vines are very small, producing very low yields. You can also see the chalk in the soil, such an important part of the region. My Italian host Nicoleta took me through the cellars and winery, and then onto a tasting across the range. The Clos de Goisses was a very different grand marc than I was used to. Due in part to the pinot noir dominance and the aspect of the single vineyard being South facing, meant the base wines were generally higher in alcohol after the primary fermentation. The final product after secondary fermentation and lees ageing is a fuller and much more textural champagne than the majority, having about 13% alcohol compared to 12-12.5%. Click here to read my notes.
Click here to see more photos from Day One in Champagne.
The Intrepid Wino 