Debate a Bubble - Champagne News and Reviews

Champagne Brands - The Real Way To Discover Amazing Small Brands - Part 2

In my last blog post we looked at RM champagnes and saw that, despite what some people will tell you, just relying on finding these two letters on a champagne label is not going to make it much easier to discover new champagne brands that will suit your taste -there are simply too many RM champagnes out there and you’ll still be faced with a bewildering choice.

Fortunately there is another way of finding your way through this maze and when you do you’ll discover a whole new world of terrific champagnes that you’ve never tried before. Here's why...

The thing about RM champagne makers is that they are small and so most of their vines are in, or near to, the village where they are based.

The name of the village is always shown on the label.  Some makers display the village loud and clear like Georges Vesselle in the village of Bouzy, but you'll always find the village somewhere, usually right next to the RM code.

When you know the name of the village you can get a reasonable clue as to the style of the champagne because different villages produce different types of champagne.

O.K. I admit that this is not a foolproof method that is guaranteed to identify the perfect champagne for you every time, but it certainly narrows the choice down a lot and it’s something that you just can’t do with the big brands because they source their grapes from all over the entire Champagne region and so their champagnes have a much looser connection with any one location - none at all really.

So all you have to do is get to know the names of some villages in Champagne.

You don’t have to memorize all the villages; that would be asking a bit much seeing that there are over 300 villages here, but a good start is to remember some of the more prominent ones.

After that, it’s like everything else: the more time you spend studying the subject the better you’ll get and if you decide to put in a little study time you’ll soon be an expert on RM champagnes

Here’s a list to help you on your way...

If you like the crisp, dry style of Blanc de Blancs champagnes made only from Chardonnay grapes, then look out for these village names in the Côte des Blancs area

Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Oger, Oiry, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Vertus

If it’s bigger, bolder, more full flavoured champagne that you prefer then look for champagnes that have a high proportion of Pinot Noir in them. Here are some of the villages famed for their Pinot Noir vineyards:

Ambonnay, Aÿ, Bouzy, Mailly, Verzy and Verzenay. Also Ludes, Chigny-Les-Roses and Rilly-La-Montagne.

Finally, if you enjoy fresh, fruity champagnes for drinking at any time of day then you can venture down the Marne River valley to find villages that specialise in Pinot Meunier. Look out for

Charly-sur-Marne, Chatillon-sur-Marne, Crouttes-sur-Marne, Damery, Festigny, Fossoy, Oeuilly, Reuil and Vincelles.

So which ones will you try first and how many can you remember?

Champagne Brands - The Real Way To Discover Amazing Small Brands - Part 1

Over the past year or two there's been a real surge in interest in the small, independent champagne makers.

That’s terrific.

There’s so much more to champagne than the handful of international brands that you find all over the world and if you can tear yourself away from these giant brands there are are some amazing champagnes to discover...

If you only know where to look.

 

And that’s the thing. Those big brands are everywhere and they're so reassuring aren’t they?

You feel that if you know the name, the champagne must be good.

It’s all too easy to just grab the old familiar label and go with it again and again:

The Moëts, the Taittingers,the Veuves etc. etc.

Sure, you’d just love to try those small champagne everyone’s talking about, but where do you look and what do you look for?

Well if this describes you then you’re in luck because in the next two blog posts I going to be giving you a few tips and pointers that will help you make a start on your journey of discovery and once you’ve started I’m sure you won’t look back.

But first I have some bad news:

Lots of writers on champagne are making out that it’s easy to find those amazing small brands. You can’t go wrong, or so they would have you believe.

What is this ‘magic bullet’ solution?

Well, each champagne maker has a registration code that must be shown on the label. It’s a string of numbers preceeded by two letters.

If those two letters are RM that means that the maker uses only grapes from his own vineyards to make his champagne and that means small, boutique-style production.

According to some writers on the subject that’s all you need to know. Just look for the letters RM., they say, and that will guide you unerringly to great quality and just the taste you are looking for.

Simple then, isn’t it? Get your reading glassses out, find the RM code and buy, buy, buy.

Hold on a minute.....

What these guys don’t tell you is that there are almost 5,000 champagne makers out there and that almost all of them are classified as RM, so that doesn’t exactly narrow the field much does it?

For another thing, several of the great little champagne makers aren’t classified as RM

Take a look at this picture for example.

A super Blanc de Blancs champagne from a smallish house called Legras & Haas.

Ever heard of it?

Probably not.

Is it a small producer?

Yes.

Is it an RM ?

NO . Look at the bottom of the label and you’ll see it’s classified as an NM, meaning that they buy grapes from other people as well as using their own grapes.

So if you followed the advocates of ‘RM only’ you’d miss out entirely.

Just looking for the letters RM is a start, but it doesn’t get you all that far and it may take you down the wrong path altogether.

Fortunately, wherever there’s bad news, there’s good news too and help is at hand.

For a start, here’s where you can discover more about what the various champagne producer codes mean

Second, there are some clues you can find on the label of the RM producers that will help you decide about which ones you're likely to enjoy and which ones may not be to your taste.

I’ll be writing about these in my next post, so do come back soon and to make sure you don't miss these useful tips that no one seems to have picked up on, just click now on the orange 'Subscribe' button that you'll find in the right hand border of this blog page.

Stay Bubbly.

Jiles

First stop Krug

What do you do when you have an invitation to visit Krug? You drop whatever it is you're doing and you say 'Yes please'.

I hadn't been back in Champagne 48 hours when I got exactly that opportunity, so unpacking boxes and putting up pictures had to wait whilst I went off to Rue Coquebert in Reims last Friday morning.

Despite it's huge reputation Krug is not a very large champagne house. Annual production is only around  half a million bottles, which is small compared to the many millions produced by the largest houses.

There's no imposing mansion in Rue Coquebert, just a modest, although very elegant, building tucked away down a quiet side street - you could easily drive right past without knowing it.

It was 10.30 by the time we arrived and it was encouraging to see that a bottle of Krug Grand Cuvée was all ready cooling in an ice bucket on the table in the reception room. I suspect there is one there permanently.

Since your tatste buds are at their most receptive in the late morning it was the perfect time to open the bottle and our hostess, Julie-Amandine, was not slow to do the honours.

There are a number of things that set Krug apart from most other champagne houses

Grand Cuvée is Krug's main brand and unlike most other cuvées de prestige, Grand Cuvée is not a vintage champagne. In other words it contains reserve wines from previous years, just like any other non-vintage champagne (or multi-vintage as Krug prefer to say).

It's precisely these reserve wines that contribute to Krug's distinctive character and depth. The reserve wines are kept for many years, 15 years or more in many cases, and always represent a minimum of 40% of each year's blend. That's unusually high and the result can be tasted in the amazingly long finish and powerful flavours.

Another secret to the Krug style is the fact that all the first fermentation of the grape juice (or must) is done in oak barrels as opposed to stainless steel vats.

Not that Krug is looking to add any over-powerful woody, vanilla-like flavours to their champagne.

The new barrels are conditioned for several years by being used to store wines from the second (lesser quality) pressing of the grapes and these wines are then sold off to third parties.

By doing this most of the excess tannin and woody characteristics are eliminated from the barrels before they are used in earnest to ferment juice destined to be part of a Krug champagne.

A third factor in the unique Krug style is the use of  Pinot Meunier. Whilst most of the famous prestige cuvées are blends of the two so-called 'noble grapes' Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with no Pinot Meunier, Krug takes an diferent view and Pinot Meunier always figures prominently in their blends.

The result is quite unique.

I may be shot down in flames by avid fans of Krug, or Krugists as they are called, but I have to say that Krug is something of an acquired taste.

The first thing that struck me is the amazing balance between on the one hand the powerful aromas, rich flavours and extra long finish that rolls around your mouth long after you've swallowed and on the other hand, the striking freshness, almost austerity, that you feel when  you take a mouthful.

It's a combination that's difficult to describe and no doubt volumes have been, and will be, written on the subject. All I can say is that Krug leaves an impression that you've certainly drunk something remarkable, but it's not a champagne that's leaves you with a warm glow, eager for another generous glassful.

Perhaps it will grow on me and I certainly hope I have the chance to put the idea to the test again in the near future.

Red Champagne

No matter what subject you're interested in there's always something new to learn and champagne is no different.

I've always thought that champagne came in two colours: white champagne and rosé champagne and in fact I've always said that red champagne doesn't exist.

Well it looks as though I'll have to eat my words because I've just found out about what is apparently a real red champagne, not just a dark rosé, but a genuine red champagne.

This is one of two rarities produced by Elodie and Fabrice Poullion who are nothing if not innovative.

Instead of trying to compete with far bigger brands by doing what the bigger brands do, they've decided to do something very different.

I plan to visit them in February or early March to find out more, but from what I've heard so far they don't use any added sugar at all in producing their champagnes. They rely entirely on the sugars naturally present in the grapes themselves: fructose and glucose

Fructose and Glucose belong to the family of sugars known as Hexoses (pronouned XOs)and because there are only these 2 types of sugar in this new champagne they've come up with a novel new name for the champagne as well

It's called 

2 X oz

Hope you get it - actually the play on words works better in French

http://www.2xoz.fr/

2 X oz is made from Pinot Noir only so technically speaking it's a Blanc de Noirs. So far, nothing radical about that, but there will be three different versions of this champagne:

Production is tiny - only 2847 bottles and it's get's more intriguing still...

A part of the production will be sold as a non-vintage champagne after 24 months ageing and a second part will be aged one further year and sold as a vintage 2004 after 36 months ageing.

Just 300 bottles have been made as the amazing "red" champagne.

Needless to say, none of this precious stuff has left France yet.

To say that I'm eager to taste these champagnes would be an understatement, and if possible, I'll liberate a few bottles

More on this fascinating champagne soon

Meanwhile, Stay Bubbly,

Grower Champagnes

What are Grower Champagnes and why you should try them.

There’s something stirring in champagne. Perhaps not a full blown revolution just yet, but an irresistable trend nevertheless: the rise and rise of what are called Grower Champagnes.

If you haven’t come across them yet and have never tasted them, then give yourself a treat and try them out. Here’s what they're all about and what you need to look out for....

The change is happening everywhere if you take the time to look around you –

• Micro breweries producing local beers that are more than a match, flavour-wise at least, for the giants of the industry;

• Farmers’ markets where you can discover some fabulous produce and meet the fascinating ‘real’ people who produce or grow it, instead of struggling round the same old supermarkets shelves every week for mass-produced produce.

Well, the same thing’s happening in champagne and that’s where grower champagne comes in....

It’s the return of the small man, or woman, because more and more people are looking for something that gives them not just good value, but a sense of being.... what’s the best word? Perhaps ‘honest’ or ‘ authentic’.

The champagne industry is structured in a really weird way and a quick look at some revealing facts and figures will show you what I mean.

At the top of the ‘glamour ratings’ there are a couple of hundred maisons or champagne houses and amongst these there are a few fabulously famous brands which are sometimes referred to as Les Grandes Maisons – you know the names already: Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Krug, Roederer etc etc...

The houses are officially classified as NM or Négociants-Manipulants ( literally dealers and handlers ).

What these two little words mean is that the maisons rely for the majority of their grape supplies on the deals they strike to buy grapes from other grape growers.

In fact the maisons only own about 12% of the vineyards in Champagne, but amazingly sales of their brands represent over 70% of all the champagne that is sold – actually when you’re talking about sales outside France then the percentage is even higher.

So who owns the other vineyards?

Well, there are about 20,000 people who own a few hectares, or acres, each and grow grapes. These are called Récoltants ( Harvesters). 3/4 of these don’t make any champagne at all; they just harvest their grapes and sell them to other people to make champagne.

In most cases it’s the maisons they sell to, but there are around 5,000 of those Récoltants who keep their grapes to make their own champagne. They are then classified as RM or Récoltants-Manipulants and it’s the champagnes made by these small operators that have become known as ‘ Grower Champagnes’

The first and most obvious difference between the large maisons ( NM ) and the grower champagnes ( RM ) is the scale of the operations.

The big houses count their production in tens of millions of bottles – the largest of all, Moët & Chandon, produces over 30 million bottles per year if you count in all the different types of champagne they make. At the other end of the scale, some of the smallest producers may make only around 50,000 bottles.

I don’t want to say anything bad about the big brands, or about the many dedicated and professional people who work for them, I worked right alongside them for 10 years, but no matter how skilful they are, they are nevertheless employees and it’s difficult to see how they can really have the same point of view as the small growers.

For the small producers making champagne is not a job, it’s a way of life and it’s very common for the entire family to be involved and for the vineyards and know-how to be passed from one generation to another.

It’s exactly this type of passion and link to the soil that more and more consumers are looking for these days.

Another major difference between the best of the RM champagnes and the champagnes from the large NM is the price.

To maintain the buzz and glamour around a successful champagne brand takes a lot of investment and it’s obvious that this is reflected in the price the consumer – that’s you and me – pays in the shops.

The small growers don’t have huge marketing machines and don’t have the same costs to bear, so inevitably their champagnes are less expensive.

That’s not to say that all grower champagnes are dirt cheap, they’re not. In fact, if you're looking for a really good champagne for the price of a Cava or Prosecco then I think you're going to be looking for a long time.

What's important though is that the price should be reasonable and should reflect the quality. That’s where the leaders amongst the smaller producers really score, so if you’re looking for value for money then the grower champagnes offer a far better deal.

You can spot grower champagnes by the letters RM that you can find in small letters somewhere on the front label of the champagne bottle, so do keep your eyes open and see if you can find a few in your local wine store.

The next thing will be to discover the names of the better grower champagnes and believe me there are plenty, so many in fact that it will need a second article to deal with them all, so watch this space or better still take a look at our champagne club which is coming soon.

Stay Bubbly

The Oldest Champagne in The World?

I was in Champagne a couple of weeks ago and organised a tasting  with Thierry Laherte and his son Aurélien.

The Lahertes practice bio-dynamic viticulture and they are about half way into an 11 years process that will see all their vineyards certified as bio-dynamic, but already the results are outstanding. To say their champagnes are superb would be an understatement - they are quite simply some of the best I've ever tasted. The non-vintage we started with was a revelation in terms of the power of the aromas and depth of flavour, but this was only the first of 8 champagnes we tasted that night.

The one I really wanted to tell you about is Le Clos...

Is it the oldest champagne in the world? Well in one sense NO, but in another YES

Many of you know that there are 3 grape varieties used in Champagne : Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and most people believe that these are the only three varieties that can be used, but that's not quite right. You see there were originally several more grape varieties approved in Champagne, it's just that the others have fallen out of favour and  haven't been used to make champagne for decades, even centuries.

Back in 2003 Thierry  decided to see if he could replant some of these old varieties and make a champagne the way it used to taste 250 or more years ago .

The result is a stunning champagne called Le Clos the first bottles of which were released earlier this year- that in itself is an interesting insight into the time scales involved in making champagne: 3 years to produce a decent crop of grapes, then several more years to make the champagne and let it age before you can sell a single bottle. It's not a job for the impatient and those chasing a quick return.

Le Clos is named after a small plot of vineyard , a parcelle, near the village of Chavot where the Laherte family lives. The plot is planted with

14% Pinot Noir

18% Chardonnay

18% Pinot Meunier and

17% Pinot Blanc

15% Petit Meslier

10% Fromenteau

8% Arbanne

I brought home a single precious bottle which I'll be opening and sharing with friends very soon, so after a second tasting, I'll be able to tell you more about this exceptional champagne  and more about these old grapes varieties and lots more too.

I just love discovering people like the Laherte family and their superb champagnes - they don't have the glitz and glamour of the big international brands it's true, but they have something else : a quiet passion and a determination to produce champagnes that are the absolute best they they can achieve- it's real privilege to get to know them and their champagnes.

If this sort of thing gives you a buzz too then let me tell you that Laherte will be just one of the champagnes featured in the new Champagne Club that I will be launching in early 2010. If you'd like to discover this and more superb champagnes from small growers, then register your interest by going here.

http://bit.ly/champagneclub

There's no commitment involved in just registering, but places will be limited so, if this is for you, go there now.

That's it for now, so have a wonderful Christmas holiday and

Stay Bubbly

Jiles

'

An Apology, A Revelation And Political Correctness As Well

Hello again,

Here's a tale of political correctness and also one that shows you that there's always something new to learn.

I've just discovered a champagne style that I never knew existed and one that sounds fabulously tempting to boot.

"What is this revelation?" you might ask...

Well, at first sight it's fairly ordinary - another  Blanc de Blancs champagne, but this one is more than a little different  - just what I love to find in fact.

For one thing it's a champagne specially produced to serve with.... foie gras

Now, before you jump down my throat, I know that foie gras is not politically correct for some people, but those who like foie gras would tell you that it is delicious.

If you're one of those people who do enjoy foie gras then don't worry, I won't tell anyone and no one's watching you on the internet ( well, that's debateable, but now is not the time to get into that discussion).

The other thing about this very unusual champagne is that it's a  blanc de blancs champagne that is sweet  -  a sec champagne to be precise!

I lived in Champagne for 10 years and have come across all sorts of different champagnes.  For me the very essence  of Blanc de Blancs was to be dry, crisp and fresh - in fact just the opposite of sweet.

In fact, in my last Bubbly Bulletin I told  my subscribers that sweet Blanc de Blancs didn't exist. Well..... I was wrong and I apologise. ( by the way, to subscribe to my Bubbly Bulletins just go to www.madaboutbubbly.com)

Anyway, I've kept you waiting long enough. I'd better tell you what this champagne is.

It's Champagne Vazart-Coquart & Fils Cuvée Foie Gras http://www.champagnevazartcoquart.com/fr/accueil/

This is one of the fabulous small producers that are so much fun to discover. I had already come across Vazart-Coquart (see picture below) a few years ago, and I knew them as an excellent producer of, and specialist in, Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs champagnes. I had heard of Cuvée Foie Gras but had never followed up on it.

The other day I was doing some research on behalf of company in the USA that specialises in some of the more luxurious gastronomic delights : Caviar, Truffles and Foie Gras ( www.enjoyfoiegras.com) and so I picked up the telephone, called Vazart-Coquart and even though they are in the middle of the harvest and ultra-busy, I actually got to speak with the owner and wine maker M. Jean-Pierrre Vazart. Imagine calling one of the big champagne houses and being put through to the wine maker himself!)

I learned that not only is Cuvée Foie Gras a sec champagne ( 30 grams of sugar per litre ) but it's aged an amazing 10 years on the lees - that's three, or more, times as long as most non-vintage champagnes, including Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger and all the other famous names -   and more than all but a handful of prestige cuvée champagnes like Dom Pérignon, Cristal or Krug.

One can only imagine how luscious and rich Cuvée Foie Gras must be - in fact the perfect match to foie gras.

On the down side, but not entirely unexpectedly, only 1,000 bottles of this rare champagne are produced each year and supply is very limited indeed, so you won't be able to go to your local liquor store and buy a bottle.

Still, I'm determined to get a bottle on my next visit to Champagne - just a few weeks away now  - and I'll have more to tell you then.

If you'd like to learn more about any aspect of the topics mentioned in this post, do visit

www.madaboutbubbly.com

In the meantime, I'd love to hear your comments about this or any other of my blog posts.

Until then,

Stay Bubbly,

Jiles Halling

The Champagne Equivalent Of Screw-Tops?

Champagne is a traditional place and a traditional wine. Not for the champenois the new-fangled ideas about screw-top closures, wine in a box, wine in a can for goodness sake. No thank you; we'll stick to the tried and tested cork. Champagne just wouldn't be champagne without the cork.

But wait..... what's this? Is the establishment about to crumble after all?

Well, this is a new type of easy-open champagne stopper called Le Maestro and made by Alcan. It was launched about a month or so ago ( you may have read about it in The Timesand elsewhere) and combines the traditional-looking foil , covering a metal cap , rather like a beer bottle cap, and a lever at the side to open the bottle. More importantly, there' s no cork.

The first champagne maker to test Le Maestro was Duval-Leroy and by all reports the initial impression was good : no effect on the quality of the champagne and - critically - the sound of the bottle opening is almost identical to that produced using a cork. So, all looked good for Le Maestro being introduced more widely until.....

The local consumer affairs authorities refused to sanction the use of Le Maestro because, according to laws passed back in 1919, a champagne bottle must be sealed with a cork in the shape of a mushroom and bearing the word 'champagne' on the part of the cork which is inside the neck of the bottle.

For its part Alcan is appealing this ruling and is pressing forward with plans to increase production significantly. So perhaps we haven't seen the last of Le Maestro??? What do you think? Let me know by e-mail to

jiles@madaboutbubbly.com

To help you make up your mind here's a short video, courtesy of Marie Servagnat, to show you how it works

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9ep6g_duvalleroy-maestro_webcam

Sangria from Champagne

When we lived in Champagne one of our neighbours, M. Deville, was a champagne-maker. Nothing unusual in this you might say, and you’d be right.

In fact it’s more unusual to find a neighbour that’s NOT a champagne-maker, however this particular one was special because he made a mean jug of sangria.

When we went round to his house, which happened quite frequently, it was a toss up whether to drink his excellent champagne or his remarkable sangria.

Comparative tasting

I've always been a bit sceptical about attaching too much importance to the scores given to wines in tastings by 'a panel of experts'.

For one thing it is never true to think that any wine not mentioned can’t be any good. The judges can only taste so many wines and usually they only taste the samples submitted to them. For every wine given a score there are a hundred which don’t even get tasted.

Second and much more important, the scores given don’t guarantee that you will like the wine in question. We all have different tastes and the only opinion that really counts is yours and you're certainly not obliged to agree with a wine guru.

Having said that, the results of these tastings make interesting reading and certainly serve as a point of reference, especially when they tend to confirm one’s own opinion – yes I have to admit that I am biased and perhaps to be honest I am being a bit smug, so do feel free to bear this in mind as you read the following.