Italiano
Champagnes de Vignerons in Bologna
A recent event in Bologna offered an opportunity to get to know some Champagnes from small producers that are still not imported into Italy.
Again this year, Italy hosted a tasting organized by the Syndicat Général des Vignerons, the professional association created to support Champagne winegrowers and their vineyards, above all in regard to agronomic activities and coordinating the production chain with the Union Maisons de Champagne (UMC). Ever since winegrowers have begun to bottle and market their own Champagne brand, the syndicat has expanded its institutional role and in regard to communication and promotion. This to enhance the value of Champagne directly marketed by small producers, which in 2001 led to the creation of the “Champagne de Vigneron” collective brand.
May 6 saw the second edition of the promotion of these wines in Italy with a tasting of cuvées from 13 small producers from all over Champagne. Here we look at six wines that were selected for the tasting dedicated to the press. We are convinced that the level of quality will allow small producers to think big and produce Champagnes that are territorial and authentic, all at an accessible price, at least if acquired directly in France given that they still looking for an importer in Italy.
During the Bologna tasting, an interesting choice was made to pair the wines with Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma. This brought out many nuances in regard to fattiness, structure and aromatic complexity and created a harmony of senses between Italy and France, at least at the table.
Couvreur-Prak Accomplissement
87/100 - In France about € 30
Isabelle Couvreur represents the third generation of her family of Champagne winegrowers and while her husband, Sombath Prak, is of Cambodian origin, he studied winemaking in Avize. They both helped her father with his 4.29 hectares of vineyards, subdivided into 15 parcels in the 1er Cru village of Rilly La Montage, in Montage de Reims. In 2010, the father allowed them to bottle their first cuvée, Accomplissement.
Made from the 2011 harvest using only Chardonnay grapes from two parcels and in stainless steel with a dosage of 8.8g/l. The wine has a pleasing streak of crispy yellow fruit, between plum and peach, green apple and juicy citrus and distinguished by a bracing and pleasing chalkiness
Croix D’Irval Extra Brut Premier Cru
88/100 - € 25
Jean Servagnant is the eighth generation in a family of négociant who decided to acquire 3.5 hectares of 1er cru vineyards in Coulommes-la-Montagne and the name of the domain is inspired by the family crest dating back to the 1228 Crusades.
This Extra Brut is based on the 2014 harvest and is a blend of 70% Pinot Meunier, 15% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir that is 45% reserve wines. It is made in stainless steel where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and after degorgement it received a dosage of 2g/l. There are floral notes rich in chamomile and elder, and those of golden delicious apple and a vein of medicinal herbs with a clear, balanced ad pleasing mouthfeel.
Gondé-Rousseaux Blanc de Noirs
88/100 - In Francia circa € 30
Florain Gondé knows what he wants to do and is gradually taking charge of his parents’ estate, paying their same attention in cultivating almost four hectares of vineyards in the village of Taissy in Montage de Reims. The estate has employed sustainable farming methods, using no pesticides or herbicides, since 2009 and in 2013 was certified level 3 HVE (Haute Valeur Environmentale).
A vintage 2011 blend from old vines, 80% Pinot Meunier and 20% Pinot Noir, with each parcel fermented separately in stainless steel without malolactic fermentation, a limited use of sulfites and a dosage of 12g/l. The dosage is not evident to the palate thanks to the innate freshness and precision of this Champagne, which brings together roundness and fruit in a lovely dynamic.
Paul Augustin Grand Chardonnay
89/100 - In Francia circa € 30
Paul-Louise Ammeux is the first half of the name, along with that of his brother Augustin, of a totally new project his family embarked upon in 2005. The family has a century and a half Champagne history linked to the Auguste Huiban brand, involving five generations and 15 hectares of land in Vallée de a Marne. The new brand was created to enhance the value of the Chardonnay from new vineyards acquired in 1998 in Fontaine sur Ay, not far from Tauxieres and Mareuil, where the soil is chalky and deep.
Vintage 2013 sat for nine years on the lees after being made in stainless steel with 10% maturing in wood. The dosage was 6g/l. Both rich and defined with vitality and fullness and notes of fresh hazelnuts and ripe citrus. The finish is saline with an aftertaste of brioche.
Joël Falmet Plénitude des Senses
89/100 - In Francia circa € 30
The Falmet family has seven hectares of vineyards in the village of Rouvres les Vignes in Côte des Bar divided into 10 parcels. They are cultivated according to sustainable methods and are Terra Vitis certified. Since 1998, Jöel has been in charge of Champagne producted from the vineyards he inherited from his father, who had resumed winegrowing after his own father had abandoned the vineyards due to problems related to the two world wars.
Plenitude des Senses is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay based on the 2008 harvest with reserve wines representing 20%. The wine is fermented only in stainless steel and received a dosage of 4g/l. It is a sunny and wrapping Champagne with notes of plum and ripe pineapple, a little tangerine and white pepper. The mouthfeel is flowing yet pronounced with a harmonious finish that has a vibrant freshness and a nice persistence.
Domaine Collet Empreinte de Terroir Brut
90/100 - € 35
The family enterprise is in Côte de Sezanne and is run today by siblings Thomas, Vincent and Florent. Up until 1973, their father made his wine in a cooperative but their five hectares of vineyards with their chalky soil and east-southeast exposure, cultivated mostly with Chardonnay, soon became a Récoltant Manipulant project. The precision in the winery is surprising, with 16 stainless steel vats to allow each parcel to be fermented separately, 52 fût de chêne and 6 foudre. Wood is used to
enhance the most expressive micro-parcels and also plays a role in the blending with 46% of the wine having matured in wood (25% in small barrels and 21% in
large wines.
Empreinte is a cuvée based on the 2015 harvest but with 47% from the 2014 one and is a blend of 67% Chardonnay and 33% Pinot Noir. It was given a dosage of 7g/l because malolactic fermentation was only carried out in part (on 80% of the total). This is a surprising and engaging Champagne with a personality that is distinct and elegant at the same time with a refined freshness and a complex aroma of floral scents and tropical fruit, a defined and harmonious structure and a finish that brings together the purity of citron, almonds and a return of white flowers.
