Fine Champagne and Other Sparkling Wines

Theatre of Wine
8 Nov 2012

1. Domaine Huet Vouvray 2007 Petillant, Loire
Petillant implies lower pressure than Champagne. This has a cooked apple character somewhat redolant of apple pie. Good, crisp acidity. Soft and prickly bubbles, low pressure. Long. Cooked apple flavour lasts until the end. This is very good and can apparently age well. £22.70

2. Gaston Chiquet Selection Brut, NV, Dizy
Custard, bread. Very intense fruity palate. Fine mousse. Very buttery. Something savoury on the nose and finish. Extremely drinkable. Good length. This is 60% PN from a grower producer. Good stuff. £26.00

3. Ridgeview Bloomsbury 2010, East Sussex
This seems popular with many people but I'm not a huge fan. It's been a while since I had either this or the Nyetimber (neither are close to good value any more), but my memory of the Nyetimber is much better than this. It's very restrained - nothing bad about it, but nothing that particularly stands out. Very fine mousse. The initial attack fades quickly and a sour note remains on the finish. OK, but definitely trading with a novelty-value English premium. (Having said that, it opens up nicely in the glass and works very well with the cheese). £22.50

4. Edoardo Miroglio Brut 2007, Bulgaria
Good. Very much a New World character: intense initial hit of fruit, ripe and easy character. This is good now, but felt out of balance after going back to it after the following wine. $15.80

5. Guillaume La Flute Enchantee, France
Spectacular value. Very ripe (almost cooked) fruit character. This has serious power. This was paired with a Comte cheese - stood up to it perfectly. This opened up more in the glass and even coped with being tasted again after the Mesnil (number 8). Cracking stuff for the price, but not as subtle as the proper stuff which came later in the tasting. £12!

6. Recaredo Brut Nature 2007, Alt Penedes
Almost tea-like. Bitter oils. Almonds. Plenty of length and intense flavour. Good, lots of acid and worked well with the charcuterie. Expensive for an entry level cava, and not worth the price, but very pleasant nonetheless. £24.20

7. Castel Noarna, Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut, Trentino
The winery is located in a 15th century castle - sounds like one to visit if I'm ever in the area.
A meaty nose overlaying acidic fruit (lime & pineapple). The pineapple is particularly noticeable on the palate, much more clearly than on the nose. Very sour finish (almost grapefruit). Slight funk. Crisp acidity. Good, but unusual. £22.00

8. Pierre Peters, Grand Cru Cuvee Speciale, Les Chetillons, 2002, Mesnil
Crackers & butter on the nose. MALO intensity. This has real flavour intensity and umami on the palate. A fine mousse. Structure - lots of acidity. However, the buttery notes offset the intense acid making it less austere. This has great length and serious power. Somewhat like marmite - not just because both have umami, but also because it seems to polarise people - I liked it! £63.00

9. Champagne Vilmart Cuvee NV
Rose, 90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay
Strawberry and raspberry aroma profile. Very fine mousse. Elegant rather than powerful. A meaty aroma once it opens up. The flavour intensity dips, making you think it's going to be a little short, but then comes back and lasts for quite a while. Complex, good and unusual. Slightly let down by bitterness on the finish. £49.00

10. Jacques Selosse, Rose Grand Cru, Brut, Avize
This is made with lees stirring - real care and attention paid to the quality of the base wine. Noticeable wood. Red fruit. Lots of subtle flavours on the nose. Full bodied, mineralic. Like a sparkling "wine" rather than a typical "sparkling wine". Excellent. £110.50

11. Jacques Selosse, Initial, Grand Cru, Brut, Avize
This is a blanc de blanc where the base wine is aged using a solera system! A somewhat nutty nose. Exploding mousse - almost feels as though it turns to foam in the mouth. Soft mouthfeel, but great power and flavour intensity. Lemon, orange, vanilla, oak. Crisp acidity. High acid, but plenty of fruit so it's not immediately noticeable. Very, very good stuff. £93.00

Random notes:
- Petit Meslier, Arbanne, Pinot Blanc are 3 other, basically irrelevant grape varieties also allowed in Champagne.
- Some sparkling wine is produced by the "ancestral method". This is a new one on me. Apparently made like a bottle-conditioned beer. The yeast goes dormant during the fermentation process but restarts once it's bottled.
- Second fermentation for Champagne usually done under a crown cap. This is because if it were closed by a cork in this period it would double the chances of being contaminated by cork taint.