Lots of people say to me that they’d like to discover some of the excellent champagnes made by some of the smaller producers, but they don’t know where to start, so I thought I’d make a few suggestions. Here are two champagnes that you may not have tried but which are certainly worth getting to know First Georges Vesselle Brut, Grand Cru
The first thing to glean from the label is that this is a Grand Cru champagne, meaning that only the best quality grapes were used in the blend. Next you can’t help spotting that this champagne comes from the village of Bouzy – great name and very apt and No, it’s not a joke; there really is a village called Bouzy.
Turning to the back label, you have the usual marketing stuff about how good the champagne is ( nothing original I am afraid and pretty much the same as you find on any other champagne label ) but there is one really helpful piece of information that you don’t always get and that is the proportion of grapes used ( what the French call the "assemblage " ).
In this case it’s 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay which gives a champagne that leans towards the powerful and fruity, rather than the light and delicate.
In the U.K you can find it at Nicolas shops and it’s currently ( May 2009 ) on special sale at only £19.99 – a good price in my book
For anyone outside the U.K. who wants to find out where to buy Georges Vesselle, let me know and I’ll try to find out if there’s and importer is in your country
My e-mail is jiles.halling@virgin.net
Next is Franck Bonville Sélection Grand Cru
This is another Grand Cru champagne but this is from the other side of the region, in the village of Avize, and it’s a Blanc de Blancs ( 100 % Chardonnay ) Franck Bonville is a real specialist. Their vineyards are ALL planted with Chardonnay and they make only Blanc de Blancs champagne ( with the exception of their rosé which has a small percentage of red wine added ). If you like the Blanc de Blancs style, there is little to beat Franck Bonville
Some people feel that Blanc de Blancs can be a little too acidic for their palate, but a well made Blanc de Blancs – and this is certainly one - has a great balance between the fresh zing that gets your tatse buds going and a smooth creamy texture that is soft and easy in the mouth. That’s the sign of first-class grapes and an expert champagne maker.
In the USA there are a number of stockists and you’ll pay around $30. In the U.K expect to pay about £22.99 – again there are several stockists
If you’re enjoying either of these great champagnes with food, don’t forget that different champagnes match with different foods. I’ll be covering that in detail in future posts, but for now remember to avoid really strong flavours such as garlic, onion, curry, chilli etc
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