Category: champagne region

Wine Review: Drappier Carte d’Or Brut NV (37.5cl)

Champagne Drappier is one of my favourite Aube producers in many ways. I’m happy to say that I have personally met Andre, Michel, and Charline on numerous occasions, along with my son, daughter and daughter-in-law. This wonderful family all left warm and memorable impressions.

This dynamic independent house is currently run by the charmingly and hospitable 7th and 8th generations: father Michel, daughter Charline and sons Hugo and Antoine.

Drappier is based in Urville in the Côte des Bar comes has a wide range of rich lush full-flavoured cuvees and also make still wines.
Fact: Champagne Drappier was Charles de Gaulle’s favourite Champagne and Madame de Gaulle was a great friend of the Drappier family.

The house of Drappier is unusual in many ways: they are neither a Grands Marques house, nor a grower; they own 60 hectares, so they are technically both a domaine and negociant house. Drappier is also one of the most experimental in Aube. They often use no dosage, they are pioneering ‘sans soufre’ no sulphur fizz (sulphur sensitivity runs in the family) and focus on organic viticulture.

The cuvée Carte d’Or expresses the identity of the house directed by the family since 1808.

Tasting Notes:
The Drappier Carte d’Or expresses all the aromas of Pinot Noir; this constitutes at least 80% of the blend, along with Chardonnay 15 %, and Pinot Meunier 5 %.

This champagne has a great aromatic richness of melon, apple and red fruits. The palate is intense, with notes of apple, peaches and quince wrapped in a red-fruit veil. It’s full-bodied and long with a lovely texture, and complex mouthfeel.

91 Points

#champagne #champagnelover #winelover #cheers #toast #winetasting #champagnelover #winelovers #ChampagneMoment #SavoirFaire #champagnelovers #drappier #nodryjanuaryhere #cuvee #cartedor #madeinfrance

Wine Review: Perrier-Jouët Cuvée Belle Époque Brut Champagne 2013

“You do not need to wait for a celebration to pop Champagne” – Liz Palmer

Perrier-Jouët released the 2013 vintage of its prestige cuvée, Belle Epoque mid 2021.

Blend
Made from a blend of 50% grand cru Chardonnay, 45% grand cru Pinot Noir and 5% Meunier, the 2013 vintage embodies the delicate floral style that has come to define the house.

2013 Weather
2013 was a cool year, with late flowering in July pushing back the start of the harvest to September 30. It was a particularly good year for Chardonnay.

Severine Frerson, Perrier-Jouët’s first female cellar master describes the Champagne as “pale gold in colour, with subtle glints of apple green”, and notes of “ripe pear, grapefruit zest, ginger, tangerine and a hint of green pepper”.

“Lime blossom expresses the character, personality and texture of the 2013 vintage”, she said, adding that the fizz has a “delicate salinity” to it.

Serving and Pairing
Perrier-Jouët recommends serving the Champagne at 12°C and enjoying it as an apéritif or paired with the likes of Dover sole and grilled turbot.

Bottle Design
Features its distinctive “anemone” flower motif, the Belle Epoque bottle design was created in 1902 by Emile Gallé, a prominent player in the Art Nouveau movement.

Founded in 1811 in Epernay, Perrier-Jouët is known for its elegant, floral Champagnes that celebrate the delicacy of Chardonnay. The house owns 65 hectares of vineyards, including 55ha of grand cru sites. Its prestige cuvée, Belle Epoque, launched in 1969 at Maxim’s in Paris with the 1964 vintage. The debut vintage of Belle Epoque was practically a blanc de blancs, composed of 90% Chardonnay.

Tasting Notes
Pale gold, clear and luminous with aromas of ripe, juicy pear, hints of citrus and green pepper; a subtle salinity; generous, lively attack with a lush, creamy texture; beautiful floral notes of blossoms, complemented with pear, mandarin, and some grapefruit zest through to a long, expansive finish.

94 points

#champagne #champagnelover #winelover #cheers #toast #instawine #winetasting #champagnelover #instachampagne #winelovers #BelleEpoqueSociety #CellierBelleEpoque #PerrierJouet #Champagne #ChampagneMoment #Winemaking #SavoirFaire #ChampagneLovers #PerrierJouetBelleEpoque #EnchantYourWorld

Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte and CRVC merge to form “Terroirs et Vignerons de Champagne”

This week documents were signed for the merger of Nicolas Feuillatte and Coopérative Régionale des Vins de Champagne (CRVC) with closing on December 31.

The combined entity will be known as “Terroirs et Vignerons de Champagne”, and is projecting 2022 turnover of €287 million ($322m) on volume of 20 million bottles (1.7 million cases)—including 14.3 million bottles of its own brands—and brings together approximately 6,000 wine growers and 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) spread over the entire appellation, representing nearly 9% of the Champagne vineyard area.

Terroirs et Vignerons de Champagne’s brand stable includes Feuillatte’s namesake label, the Abelé 1757 brand Feuillatte acquired in 2019, and CRVC’s Castelnau brand, each of which will constitute a “profit center” with direct responsibility for commercial revenues, economic performance, and development, according to the company. Feuillatte president Veronique Blin and CEO Christophe Juarez will hold the same titles at Terroirs et Vignerons de Champagne.

“The creation of this new group is a reflection of the continued consolidation of more and more players in Champagne as well as the need for a restructuring of the cooperative model. It is a response to the downward spiral in vineyard sales observed since the last crisis in Champagne in 2008 where the appellation saw the loss of 40 million bottles on the French market,” Blin said in a statement. Juarez added that the newly enlarged group will strive “to meet the various segments of the market by preserving brand equity, focusing on the international market and not giving in to the pressure of commercial promotions.”

#champagne #champagnelovers #wine #winelovers #winenews #instawine #winebusiness #ChampagneCastelnau #ChampagneNicolasFeuillatte #champagneregion #vineyard #CRVC#merger #acquisition #france #madeinfrance

2021 Champagne Shipments are back to pre-Covid Levels

Champagne shipments for 2021 are expected to reach 305 million bottles, a total that takes the market not only back up to pre-Covid levels, but beyond them, reports Reuters last week.

The forecast comes on the back of surging post-pandemic Champagne demand in markets such as the US, UK, and Australia.

If last week’s projection comes to be true this will take Champagne close to its 2017 levels, and this means 2021 could represent a four-year high for the region – see figures below.

Champagne shipments (bottles) 1999- 2021 with totals:

2021: estimated 305m

2020: 245.0m

2019: 297.5m

2018: 301.9m

2017: 307.3m

2016: 306.1m

2015: 313m

2014: 307m

2013: 305m

2012: 309m

2011: 323m

2010: 319m

2009: 293m

2008: 322.5

2007: 338.7

2006: 321.8

2005: 307.7m

2004: 301.4

2003: 293.5

2002: 287.7

2001: 262.7m

2000: 253.2m

1999: 327.0m

 

#champagne #champagnelovers #champagnecelebration #wine #winelovers #champagnelover #champagnelife #vin #winetasting #cheers #instawine #winetime #france #sommelier #instagood #winestagram #bubbles #madeinfrance #winebusiness #winemarketing #champagne2021

Mumm 2021 Harvest – Part lll – “Only the Best”

Mumm 2021 Harvest – Part lll – “Only the Best”

The region’s harvest officially started September 6th this year.  The Comité Champagne announced that as much as 60% of the yield was lost due to poor weather conditions where the grapes succumbed to botrytis and mildew.

The grapes are picked around 100 days after the vines have flowered and when they are the ripest. As required by The Comité Champagne, picking is exclusively by hand, vineyard parcel by vineyard parcel, bunch by bunch. Maison Mumm employs around 1,000 grape pickers for this three-week period.

Prior to picking, MaisonMumm sends a Collard machine down the rows.  This will do some partial trimming to make it easier for the grape pickers. Once the grapes are picked, they are placed in yellow bins. Laurent Frenet [Chef de Cave of Maison Mumm] strategy is not to keep the grapes too long before pressing – once the bins are full, they are rushed off to the press houses. Mumm has seven traditional presses ‘Coquard presses’, near its vineyards.

The grapes are sorted at the vineyard level and as per Georges Hermann de Mumm’s maxim “Only the best” bunches are picked.

#harvest21 #vineyards #vineyardslifecycle #vinecycles #champagne #winemakers #champagnelovers #france #champagne #mumm#mummchampagne #maisonmumm #verzenay #ghmumm#winelover #winetourism #wineexperience #vigneron#VineyardVisit #Reims #ChampagneRegion #vinelife #madeinfrance