Finally tapped the Big Ass… little Jackie kept staring at our personalized wine glasses favors that we got the night before Courtney’s wedding at her bachelorette party.
Winery: Clos LaChance
Vintage: 2005
Wine Name/Vineyard: “Crimson Topaz Meritage”
Wine Category: US Red Blend
Grape blend: 63% Merlot 17% Cabernet, 11% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec, & 3% Petite Verdot
Region: Central Coast
State or country: CA
Price: $18
Cases produced: 5,013
KWG Score: 88 (based on 3 reviews)
Average Virtual Score: 89 (based on 1 review)
Wine Rating: Very Good (88)
Review date: February 22, 2009
Wine Review: Retried this dark ruby colored red blend from Clos La Chance at this year’s Boston Wine Expo. It was one of the better red bargains that we found. This estate bottle offering opens with a light black raspberry like bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, really smooth, and easy drinking. The flavor profile is a spicy black raspberry. The finish is dry and nicely prolonged. We found this wine to be very versatile and food friendly. We would pair it with a shepherd’s pie or slow cooked beef brisket.
Winemaker Notes: Aromas of red plum and cherry fruit with dried tobacco, cedar and a touch of smoke. Flavors of black plum and currant and dried sage with a hint of earth and some tannins on the finish. This Meritage was created in the St. Emillion style.
Organic status: not organic
It’s December, the one month of the year that Champagne houses make about half of their yearly sales—at least in the U.S, with all the parties, Christmas, and of course, New Year’s Eve. Even in our current economic climate, lots of Champagne will be sold.
And yet I’ve always been a bit dismayed that the two largest Champagne houses, Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot, claim the lion’s share of Champagne sales in the U.S. Not that there’s anything wrong with Moët or Veuve Clicquot, but it’s almost as if wine buyers are not aware of other Champagnes, or perhaps they don’t know how good other Champagnes can be. Perhaps, when it comes to Champagne, Americans simply don’t trust what they don’t know. This is a bit odd, since consumers will certainly try different red or white wines. But when it comes to bubbly, they’re extra cautious.
In the hope that you may be willing to strike out in search of excellence beyond the big brands this year, here are profiles of 12 excellent, smaller Champagne houses which I believe do not receive the recognition they deserve in the U.S.— and all are nationally available. In no particular order, they are Henriot, Deutz, Charles Heidsieck, Ayala, Alfred Gratien, Philipponnat, Bruno Pailliard, Jacquesson, Delamotte, Gosset, Louis Roederer, and Pol Roger.
The small, excellent house of Henriot specializes in dry, elegant, light to-medium-bodied Champagnes. Henriot has a long history in France; it was founded by one of the many famous widows of the Champagne region, Apolline Henriot, in 1808. Henriot has always had a successful following in Europe, but until recently, it has practically been unknown in the U.S, mainly because Henriot had chosen not to compete in the difficult American market. Just five years ago, Joseph Henriot, a very successful businessman who owns several top wineries in Burgundy, handed over the reins of Champagne Henriot to his son, Stanislas Henriot, who has made it a priority to sell the family Champagne in the U.S., fortunately for us! I am a fan of all of Henriot’s stylish Champagnes, but my particular favorites of its current offerings in the U.S. are the Blanc Souverain (non vintage Blanc de Blancs); the 1996 Brut Millésimé (one of the few houses which still has the magnificent 1996 vintage available); and Henriot’s exquisite prestige cuvée, the 1995 Cuvée des Enchanteleurs (with the 1996 Cuvée des Enchanteleurs about to be released!).
Deutz is another small house (owned by Louis Roederer) that is just not well-known in the U.S., but ought to be. Well-respected in France, Deutz has been unable to make an impact here, which is a mystery to me. Its Classic NV Brut is always reliable: medium-bodied, fairly dry, with a creamy texture, and a nice zip of lemon on the finish. Deutz’s Vintage Blanc de Blancs is even better, always superb, one of the best Blanc de Blancs being made, in my opinion. It’s complexly flavored and lively, with delicious lemony notes (The current vintage of Deutz Blanc de Blancs is the excellent 2002). Deutz’s two prestige cuvées, Cuvée William Deutz and the exquisite Cuvée William Deutz Rosé, are superb—two of the greatest Champagnes around today. They are powerful and complex, and both age extremely well. Very little of the William Deutz Rosé is made, but it’s definitely worth the search to find it.
Charles Heidsieck, smaller in size than its more well-known sibling, Piper-Heidsieck (both are owned by Rémy-Cointreau of Rémy Martin Cognac fame), is what I call the “insiders Champagne.” Everyone that I know in the wine business who knows anything about Champagne is a big fan of Charles Heidsieck, for good reason. Charles Heidsieck’s Brut Réserve is my “go-to” non-vintage brut: it’s powerful, rich, nutty, biscuity, and well-priced! One of its secrets is that about 40 percent of older reserve wines from up to eight different vintages goes into the Brut Réserve blend. Forty percent is an extraordinarily high percentage of older wines (most houses use 10 to 20 percent); only Krug, which is three times the price of Heidsieck’s Brut Réserve, uses that much older reserve wines in its NV Grand Cuvée. Also, Charles Heidsieck’s Vintage Brut is consistently fine, always powerful and lively. And its currently available prestige cuvée, the 1995 Blanc des Millénaires (a blanc de blancs), is an awesome wine that gets better with time.
If you haven’t heard of Champagne Ayala, I’m not surprised. This small house was not on the U.S. market for a while. It was recently purchased by the very respected Champagne Bollinger, and is now back in the U.S., with its own unique, stylish Champagnes—really the opposite of the powerful, biscuity Bollinger. Ayala’s specialty is very dry, light-bodied Champagnes. In fact, they are champions of “Brut Nature” Champagnes—bubblies made with absolutely no dosage (residual sugar) in the blend; they’re also known as Brut Zero Champagnes. The Ayala Champagnes that are not made as Brut Natures use an extremely small dosage, making Ayala Champagnes some of the driest available. Ayala’s current Blanc de Blancs, the 2000, is a personal favorite. I thought so highly of Ayala’s Cuvée Rosé Nature— possibly the only Brut Zero Rosé Champagne in the U.S.—that I made it my “Wine of the Year” a couple of years ago for Wine Review Online. Ayala has two prestige cuvees as well, Cuvée Perle d’Ayala (with very low dosage), and L’Perle d’Ayala Nature.
Alfred Gratien is a small, traditional Champagne House that is really flying under the radar in the U.S. One reason is its tiny size. One of the smallest Champagne houses, Alfred Gratien produces only about 12,500 cases (150,000 bottles) of Champagne annually. There are a few Grower-Champagnes that are bigger than that! Alfred Gratien’s cellar master, Nicolas Jaeger, is the fourth generation of Jaegers making Gratien Champagne. The style is full-bodied, dry, and biscuity; all base wines are aged in old oak barrels, and the Champagnes are hand-riddled, very similar, in fact, to the great Champagne Krug. I have consumed 30-year-old Alfred Gratien Champagnes, from the mid-1970s, and all were in superb shape. I happily recommend Alfred Gratien’s non-vintage Brut Classique, and its two excellent prestige cuvées, Cuvée Paradis and Cuvée Paradis Rosé.
Philipponnat is another small Champagne house (about 40,000 cases annually) that is practically unknown in the U.S. But I can assure you that Champagne connoisseurs know it, because Philipponnat produces one of the greatest of all prestige cuvees, the single-vineyard Clos des Goisses. Possibly the best move that founder Pierre Philipponnat ever made in his wine life was to purchase this prized vineyard on the banks of the Marne River in 1935. The grapes from this vineyard, 70 percent Pinot Noir and 30 percent Chardonnay, face due south, soaking in all the necessary sunshine. Because they are fully ripe in vintage years, the winemaker never needs to add a dosage to Clos des Goisses! Full-bodied, dry, and complexly flavored, Clos des Goisses needs time to develop, and is usually fully mature 15 to 20 years from the vintage date. The exquisite 1996 Clos des Goisses, arguably the best Champagne of an extraordinary vintage, needs many more years to reach its peak of flavor development. Meanwhile, enjoy Philipponnat’s well-priced NV Royal Réserve Brut, or better yet, its blanc de blancs, the 1999 Grand Blanc Brut.
Philipponnat is now owned by the BCC Champagne group, whose CEO is the brilliant Bruno Pailliard. Monsieur Pailliard has his own house, Champagne Bruno Pailliard, always one of my favorites. Its style is fantastic: light-bodied, fresh, delicate, very dry, and elegant. It’s a Champagne you never get tired of drinking, and your best choice for an apéritif Champagne. Pailliard makes all of his Champagnes in stainless steel; he doesn’t believe in using oak. A small house, Pailliard produces about 45,000 cases a year. Although I enjoy all of Pailliard’s Champagnes, my favorite is his Blanc de Blancs Réserve Privée. It is just so delicate, ethereal, dry, and crisp!
Jacquesson is another small, traditional House, producing only about 25,000 cases annually. Jacquesson shares many characteristics with Krug (except its house style): both houses are small, making traditional Champagnes mainly by hand, and both houses ferment their wines in old oak casks. Both houses stress aging capacity in their Champagnes, and both make very dry Champagnes, with as little dosage as possible. But whereas Krug makes powerful, full-bodied Champagnes, Jacquesson produces light-bodied, elegant, complex bubblies with a strong emphasis on Chardonnay in its blends. Jacquesson numbers its non-vintage bruts each year—the currently available one is Brut Cuvée 733. It also makes a very affordable blanc de blancs prestige cuvée called Grand Cuvée Avize Extra Brut; the current vintage is the 2000.
Delamotte Champagne and its sister House, the super small Salon (which only makes Vintage blanc de blancs prestige cuvées, and only in top years) are both owned by the huge Laurent-Perrier House, but Laurent-Perrier allows them to operate completely independently. Both Delamotte and Salon are located in the village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, in the heart of the esteemed Côte des Blancs. Needless to say, Delamotte produces exquisite Blanc de Blancs, both Vintage and non-vintage. But Delamotte is also making one of my very favorite dry Rosés, with undeniable aromas and flavors of fresh strawberries.
Gosset has long been one of my favorite Champagne houses. A very old firm, Gosset produces full-bodied, dry, complexly-flavored Champagnes that combine the power of the Pinot Noir from its home village, Aÿ, with the elegance and finesse of Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. With the exception of its basic non-vintage Brut Excellence, all of Gosset’s Champagnes are made from grapes of Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards. One of my very favorite Champagnes, almost a “house” Champagne for me, is Gosset’s NV Grande Réserve Brut, made from half Grand Cru and half Premier Cru grapes. This powerful, rich, biscuity Champagne is really on the level of many prestige cuvées, but at a distinctly lower price. On the other hand, Gosset’s three prestige cuvées, all made with 100 percent Grand Cru grapes, Célébris Extra Brut, Célébris Extra Brut Rosé, and its newest, Célébris Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs, are more delicately flavored, stressing finesse rather than power. The 1998 Célébris Extra Brut, 55 percent Chardonnay and 45 percent Pinot Noir, is an excellent apéritif Champagne. The 2003 Célébris Extra Brut Rosé follows the same formula, with added still Pinot Noir wine for color. Ironically, the Célébris Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs, made as a non-vintage Champagne and a blend of the 1995, 1996,1998, and 1999 vintages, is the fullest-bodied of the three.
I hesitated to include Champagne Louis Roederer in my list of little-known but excellent Champagne Houses, because Roederer produces one of the world’s best-known Champagnes, the incomparable Cristal. But like Moët’s Dom Pérignon, Cristal has a life of its own, and I suspect that most people who buy Cristal don’t even know it’s made by Champagne Louis Roederer. (Also, Champagne Roederer owns one of California’s most acclaimed sparkling bruts, Roederer Estate.) The fact remains that Champagne Louis Roederer’s other Champagnes, besides Cristal, are not really well-known. Roederer is an extremely well-run, medium-sized house whose own vineyards supply over 70 percent of the grapes it uses, giving it an independence that other houses envy. Louis Roederer’s Champagnes (with the exception of Cristal) are full-bodied and rich, plus they are long agers. Conversely, Cristal is subtle, refined, and complex; it not only ages extremely well, but in fact it also demands at least 15 to 20 years before it really develops its full potential. If you’re looking for a full-bodied, richly flavored NV Champagne, Louis Roederer Brut Premier is for you. Likewise, its Vintage Brut, Vintage Blanc de Blancs, and Vintage Rosé are all powerfully made Champagnes.
Pol Roger is a Champagne house that I have an emotional attachment to, because some of the greatest old Vintage Champagnes that I’ve been fortunate enough to drink (1900, 1914, 1921, and 1928) have been Pol Roger Champagnes. Also, Christian Pol-Roger, who recently retired, is one of the finest gentlemen that I’ve ever met in the wine business. Pol Roger remains what it has always been: a fairly small, family-owned house. Its extremely cold wine cellars undoubtedly contribute to the great longevity of its wines. All of its Champagnes are fine, but my favorites are its Vintage Blanc de Blancs (look for the 1999) and Pol Roger’s dry, powerful prestige cuvee, the Pinot Noir-dominated Sir Winston Churchill, named after the winery’s most famous customer. The current vintage of SWC is the excellent 1998; the 1996 Sir Winston Churchill is sublime, but will be difficult to find at this point. Also, look for Pol Roger’s newest Champagne, its “Pure” Zero Dosage.
The above 12 Champagne Houses have in common their excellence, size (all small to medium-sized), and lack of recognition on the U.S. market. And yet two very large Champagne houses, Laurent-Perrier and Pommery, also have a quiet presence in this country. They both make some excellent, lighter-bodied Champagnes. Laurent-Perrier was one of the first houses to produce a Champagne without dosage—its Ultra Brut—before Brut Zeros became a current fashion. Its prestige cuvee, Grand Siècle, an elegant, long-lived Champagne, is always made from a blend of three good vintages.
Pommery is also producing some fine Champagnes, including a super non-vintage Brut called Apanage. Its just-released 1999 Vintage Brut is excellent, fresh and lively. Pommery’s finest Champagne is its delicately-flavored Cuvée Louise. The current 1998 Louise is about to be replaced by the very fine 1999. Finest of all is the superb 1996 Cuvée Louise, a Champagne to seek out.
We are excited to offer a rare 3-Liter Bottle of 1982 Chateau Lafite. This unique bottle is in pristine condition and is being stored in a temperature controlled cellar. It is the lowest price on the internet for a bottle of this kind.
If you are sending wine gifts this holiday season, then consider sending us your recipient list so we can do the work for you. Not only is this service free, but Aabalat staff loves working with clients every year to find and ship the best possible wines. We work with every budget and ship to nearly all states and countries.
Winery: Castello di Vicchiomaggio
Vintage: 2005
Wine Name/Vineyard: “Agostino Petri Chianti Classico Riserva”
Wine Category: Italian (Tuscany) Red
Grape blend: 90% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, & 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Chianti Classico
State or country: Italy
Price: $34
Cases produced: 4,000
KWG Score: 88 (based on 2 reviews)
Wine Rating: Very Good+ (92)
Review date: March 27, 2009
Wine Review: This Italian beauty was a new discovery for me at this year’s Boston Wine Expo. It’s a ruby colored wine that opens with a black cherry and oak like bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, smooth, and elegant with rich black currant like flavors. There are also notes of oak present as well. The finish is quite dry and it sails on for quite some time. Enjoy this impressive wine with beef bourguignon.
Winemaker Notes: Not Available
Organic status: not organic
Ingredients
Directions
Winery: Still River Winery
Vintage: 2008
Wine Name/Vineyard: “Apfel Eis”
Wine Category: Dessert & Ice Wine
Grape blend: 100% Apples
Bottle size: 375 ml
Region: Massachusetts
State or country: MA
Price: $25
Cases produced: 400
KWG Score: 87 (based on 1 review)
Ken’s Wine Rating: Very Good (87)
Review date: January 27, 2009
Wine Review: Up to this point in my tasting career, I don’t recall ever having an Apple Ice Wine. That said, this offering from Still River in Harvard, MA made a very nice first impression on our group. This richly colored golden yellow wine opens with an intense cider like bouquet. On the palate, this wine was full bodied, rich, and thick with concentrated and very sweet green apple cider like flavors. We thought the acidity levels were a little on the high side, but we also agreed that New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc fans would not mind. The finish was very refreshing and mouthwatering. The group though the price for this wine was appropriate and that they would pick up a bottle at some point down the road. Enjoy – Ken
Winemaker Notes: The Quebecoise call it Ice Cider. Sweet, golden, and full-bodied in the glass, Apfel Eis is made from a blend of local varietal apples – over 80 apples in each bottle. Inspired by techniques used to make ice wine, Apfel Eis is pressed without preservatives, and slowly fermented at very cold temperatures. Unlike most wines and ciders made from apples, Apfel Eis has absolutely no sugar added – before or after fermentation. The result is a unique taste sensation with a gentle bite, complex flavor and clean finish. Apfel Eis preserves the aromatic fragrance of freshly picked apples. A sip or two, and you may find yourself in an apple orchard on a crisp fall day. Enjoy Apfel Eis as an aperitif, with soft cheese, or as the ideal ending to a fine meal. Best served chilled.
Organic status: not organic
Not sure which local wine to serve this Christmas? Here are our suggestions.
This month we have selected a red and a white wine as our choice for “Wine Of The Month.” These are the wines that will be on the table for our Christmas dinner. Both wines are VQA Lake Erie North Shore wines.
Muscedere’s Pinot Noir 2007 will pair well with the honey glazed ham. This light to medium bodied red wine has improved in taste over the last 6 months that it has been in the bottle and is ready to open on Christmas day. This is a smooth red with some nice oak notes.
Winery: Peachy Canyon
Vintage: 2006
Wine Name/Vineyard: “Ms. Behave”
Wine Category: Malbec
Grape blend: 100% Malbec
Region: Paso Robles
State or country: CA
Price: $32
Cases produced: 294
KWG Score: 94 (based on 1 review)
Wine Rating: Excellent (94)
Review date: February 19, 2009
Wine Review: This very dark purple colored wine was one of the top 3 wines we tried at this year’s Boston Wine Expo. It is clearly the best deal. This wine opens with a black cherry and vanilla like bouquet. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, ultra smooth, and has delicious black cherry flavors with a hint of blackberry. The finish is quite dry and sails on for quite some time. This wine is unbelievable for a US produced Malbec. It should be consumed solo by the fireplace this winter. You will have order this gem from winery via their website or visit the tasting room and beg. This is a wine you will not forget and will brag to your friends about it. Enjoy – Ken
Winemaker Notes: This beauty is deep dark purple color with aromas of different red fruit, licorice, mocha and other floral notes. The palate has sweet spice notes that are backed up with briar, sage, toasty oak and racy acidity. It’s rich and polished and should age nicely.
Organic status: not organic
“Learning how to taste wine is a bit like sex … while it’s all a bit awkward at first, the more you practice the better at it you’re likely to become.” So writes Mat
t Skinner in his new book Heard It Through the Grapevine-Things You Should Know to Enjoy Wine.
Since I periodically receive books about wine and/or food to review, over the next couple of weeks I’m going to share a few of the titles that have recently caught my attention for one reason or another. This one, penned by a tousle-headed surfer dude from Down Under, strives to present wine in an amiable, engaging, informal yet informative way, and for the most part he succeeds. The book offers a huge amount of advice about all the gadgetry associated with wine—corkscrews, decanters, glassware and so on—but the real strength of Things You Should Know lies in its good natured guidance along the sometimes bewildering world of wine. While much of the content is geared to young adults who are relatively new to the particulars of wine, Skinner offers plenty of advice we might all benefit from. In the chapter Love What You Drink he writes: “I don’t just want you to know that you like what you’re drinking. That’s not enough. I want you to know what you like about it and why.” Maybe that sounds obvious, but those of us who still feel we have a lot to learn about wine (by which I mean everyone) could profit by being nudged into a more honest examination of what we’re tasting rather than experiencing a merely visceral reaction to it.
Skinner refers to wine’s basic characteristics as “tools.” For example, he writes that acidity helps cut through oily textures in food: “It is a naturally good tool for cleaning and refreshing your palate.” Tannin, which “is great at working to get through major obstacles such as protein and fat,” is another critical tool. “In the grand scheme of things, finding a wine with the right tools is just as important as finding a wine with the right flavors and texture,” he writes.
There are perhaps no big surprises in the food and wine pairing section of his book, but Skinner’s enthusiasm can rev up the reader’s own desire to rush out and put together even traditional partners such as Fino sherry and green olives. (“Fino and Manzanilla sherry are two of the greatest food-friendly wines produced anywhere in the world,” he reminds us). Duck and Pinot Noir, according to Skinner, “share an almost spiritual relationship,” while Sauvignon Blanc and goat cheese make “an incredible marriage. Two ingredients, one crisp and angular, the other pasty and chalklike, yet together they seem to disarm one another, smoothing out the hard edges as they go.”
You may not always appreciate Matt Skinner’s super-relaxed style, and some of the material he presents—“the difference between good years and bad years comes down to Mother Nature”—can be, well, elemental, but overall there is plenty to like about this basic guide to wine appreciation. It isn’t going to replace the tried and true tomes found on any true oenophile’s bookshelf, but it certainly would make a good gift, especially for a wine newbie who might be put off by some of the more straight-laced books of wine education, for this one is both hip and helpful. “Step outside your comfort zone and open your mind to trying new things,” advises Matt Skinner. This book just might be one of them.
Wine Rating: Very Good+ (91)
Price: $60
KWG Score: 92
No. Professional Ratings: 4
# of Cases: 695
This very dark purple colored wine opens with a smoky campfire and blackberry like bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, nicely balanced, and very concentrated. The flavor profile is a savory blackberry with notes of black pepper and spicy black raspberry. There is also a hint of plum mixed in as well. The finish is dry and its very mild tannins are slightly prolonged. This suave Syrah would pair perfectly with a big and thick ribeye. Enjoy
