Category: Champagne

Champagne 2012 will be an ‘exceptional’ vintage

Champagne producers Dom Perignon, Philipponnat and Champagne Barons de Rothschild have confirmed they will make a 2012 vintage.

Despite what vignerons called one of the worst growing seasons they had seen for decades, with April frosts, hailstorms, and one of the wettest summers on record, they are optimistic for 2012 vintage quality.
‘The quality and the intensity are definitely there to make an outstanding vintage,’ Dom Perignon chef de cave Richard Geoffroy told Decanter.

Winegrowers said the warm weather in August was a saving grace. As harvest grew closer it became apparent that the small amounts of grapes on the vines were of excellent quality. In September as grapes were picked and pressed, often at close to 11% alcohol, the growers were amazed at the concentration of flavour, natural sugar and acidity, then a talk of a potential vintage started to spread.

‘The base wines show a lovely richness as well as the acidity needed to make outstanding and long-lived Champagnes,’ Jean-Phillipe Moulin, director of wine making at Champagne Barons de Rothschild and Paul Goerg. ‘We will definitely bottle a vintage for both brands.’

Charles Philipponnat at Champagne Philipponat agreed. ‘2012 is an exceptional vintage and especially promising for Pinot Noir,’ he said, and was echoed by at least three other producers, including Champagne Boizel and Champagne Tarlant.

Benoit Tarlant said the quality of all three grape varieties was ‘excellent – something which is extremely rare’.
He added that he would make less non-vintage this year. ‘It would be a pity not to make a decent amount of vintage wine, even if it means we have a little less of of our non-vintage cuvee.’

The harvest average in 2012 was just under 9,000 kg/hectare – significantly lower than the maximum allowance of 11,000kg/hectare.

Source: Decanter

BOLLINGER ROSÉ: BACK TO 1846

Bollinger’s Rosé has been repackaged in the new 1846-inspired bottle that was first launched last year.
The label and foil have been given a different shade of pink and the box has been given a metallic sheen for “greater shelf stand-out”.

A QR code has also been added on the back label that will give consumers greater access to information on the Champagne, how it is made and what to pair it with, as well as increase its traceability.

The bottle shape was inspired by a collection of old bottles unearthed in Bollinger’s cellar dating back from 1846. A revolution indeed, with four formats, from half-bottle to jeroboam, displaying this fabulous innovation. There is undoubtedly a strong heritage element, but above all this new bottle format helps to optimize the quality of Bollinger’s cuvées. Close to the perfect balance of a “small magnum”, with a more slender neck and a wider base, the 1846 bottle “slows down the exchange of oxygen slightly, and thereby offers superior wine quality,” according to Cellar Master Mathieu Kauffmann. The Special Cuvée bottles are the first to adopt the elegant curves of the 1846 bottle, and this very special format will then be gradually applied to the entire range: one by one Bollinger Rosé, La Grande Année and La Grande Année Rosé, Bollinger R.D. and, lastly, Vieilles Vignes Françaises will each take on the new format.

Alongside the aesthetic, modern science has allowed Bollinger to design a bottle that acts as a “small magnum”, with the slimmer neck meaning the wine ages at a slower rate thanks to a decrease in the oxygen exchange through the cork.

Krug Champagne Takes Marketing To New Heights: Krug Institute of Happiness

Krug has gone a few steps this December with an innovative new marketing campaign. The Champagne producer has announced the launch of the Krug Institute of Happiness, which will be running for one week during the month of December. The ‘Institute’ has found its home in a previously undiscovered London location and its guests will be honored with a ‘pleasure seeking menu’ paired with and inspired by Krug Champagne. The menu has been created by one of London’s top Michelin star chefs, Nuno Mendes.

The aim behind the lavish campaign is to encourage consumers to think of happiness, celebration and luxury when they think of Krug Champagne. The experience not only includes a fabulous dinner, but also whisks guests through a lit up London, making the whole affair seems like something out of a Richard Curtis film (think Love Actually and Notting Hill).

Krug says, “The Institute of Happiness sets the stage for creating happiness and discovering the craftsmanship and passion behind Krug Champagne. Beginning the experience, guests are whisked through the city in a private transfer to the previously undiscovered location of 85 Swains Lane.

“Arriving at the Institute of Happiness, guests enter a once in a lifetime opportunity to immerse themselves in all things pleasurable. Krug’s Institute of Happiness seeks to touch every guest with an emotive memory through a once in a lifetime dining experience, set to create happiness in each guest.

“Every element of the Institute of Happiness is a bespoke experience, from guests place settings to the music heard throughout the evening. The completely unique and bespoke adventure into the world of Krug is facilitated by touching the senses of sight, sound, scent and of course taste, as every element of the experience is designed to create happiness in all guests. The four-course menu is designed by the Michelin-star chef, who has built each course around a different endorphin-releasing ingredient, as the final flourish to all the dream-like elements.”

Yes, a wonderful experience, but there is more to the marketing campaign masterfully created by Krug than creating a fabulous evening for its handful of guests. It has captured everything that is wonderful about Christmas in London. The cold nights, warm houses, celebrating with friends, lavish meals and luxury, not to mention sipping Krug.

The event has been running this week, so there may be only a small handful of exclusive tickets left… a perfect impromptu experience in one of the world’s most fabulous capital cities www.kruginstituteofhappiness.com.

Champagne Launch: Champagne Tendil and Lombardi

Tendil & Lombardi recently announce that their Champagnes will be hitting the shelves in the U.S. for the 2012 holiday season!

Background: Tendil & Lombardi Champagne is the project of Laurent Tendil and Stephane Lombardi, childhood friends from Lyon, France. Champagne lovers from early on, Tendil et Lombardi both left top management positions in multi-national companies when they made the leap towards what had been a dream for years, creating their own Champagne. After reaching an agreement in 2007 with a producer allowing them to use parcels and equipment in the Aube region.

Lombardi explains “We both decided to chase down our dream, despite the economic climate and personal financial risks. We’ve had some very rough nights where I would call Tendil saying this project is hopeless, and he’d tell me that we’d be fine — some other nights he would call and I would be the one to reassure him.”

The road is still very long for these two entrepreneurs, nevertheless Tendil & Lombardi Champagnes are already sold in eight countries, and all six cuvees have been rated 90+ by Wine Spectator, not to mention the positive response from Wine Enthusiast, Stephen Tanzer and others.

Tendil & Lombardi’s six cuvees are mainly mono-varietal, either Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. Lombardi explains, “This choice allows us to produce Champagnes that respect the specificity and authenticity of these two noble Champagne grapes.” A highlight of the range is their “Rose de Saignee.”

Whereas most modern rose Champagnes are made by adding red wine, Tendil & Lombardi’s rose gets its enchanting pink color from the traditional method of leaving the juice in contact with the skins of the Pinot Noir. The only blended cuvee in the range is the Cuvee Hymenee.

Tendil explains, “Hymenee is the ancient Greek word for perfect marriage, and we think that this cuvee is the perfect marriage between Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.” He might be correct, as this delightful blend of 50 percent Chardonnay and 50 percent Pinot Noir has recently been rated 92 Points by Wine Spectator.

Tendil & Lombardi Rosé de Saignée Millésime 2007
91 Wine Spectator
Notes: Well-cut and aromatic, offering flavors of black cherry puree, toasted raisin bread and pomegranate, with a sweet, smoky base note and hints of tea rose and violet, all set on the lively bead. Offers a bright, creamy finish. Drink now through 2025.