Champagne

Henriot Blanc Souverain NV Champagne $47

A 100% Chardonnay cuvée from the best vineyards in the Côte des Blancs - Mesnil sur Oger, Vertus, Chouilly and Trépail. This is a gem in the Henriot range and highlights the soft, yet still lively character that Chardonnay, a variety dear to the hearts of the Henriot family, brings to Champagne.

Tasting Notes: Pale gold hue with light green highlights. The nose is powerful with complex floral aromas and a touch of white fruit. The palate is crisp with good fruit character, a sharp liveliness and a noticeable lemony finish.

Method of Production: The Chardonnay was hand-picked, pressed, cold-settled then carefully racked to remove any impurities from the juice before the onset of a cool and long fermentation (over a month in duration). The constituent wines were blended together then bottled with a mixture of wine, sugar and yeast, before being transferred to cool cellars for at least three years' maturation before disgorgement.

Gardet Cuvée Saint Flavy NV Champagne $45

Fine and prolific bubbles, or “mousse,” characterize this beautiful yellow-gold sparkler. The nose is a mixture of flowers and fruit, with well-developed maturity. The palate is ripe and fruity with a good length and a fine finish.

Soutiran 'Perle Noir' Blanc de Noir NV Champagne $67 (organic)

In 1927, France's INAO (Institut National des Appellations d'Origine) classified the top crus of Champagne. Of the 324 villages in the region, only 17 were granted grand cru status. Ambonnay, snug in the lee of the Montagne de Reims, was classed grand cru because of the quality of its Pinot Noir. Its 750 acres of vines grow on the rolling south-southeast facing foothills, giving them excellent exposure in what is France's most northern appellation. "No where else in Champagne can Pinot Noir attain the same perfection as on the exceptional hills of Ambonnay," writes Michel Bettane.

In 1970, Ambonnay's young Alain Soutiran took the daring step of making and bottling his own Champagne. No longer satisfied with selling the family grapes to the huge cooperative, he set up shop, and began fashioning some of Ambonnay's finest full-bodied Champagnes. Today, Alain farms 21 acres of vines averaging 33 years of age and he works without pesticides or chemical fertilizers. In addition, he buys grand cru fruit from 32 acres owned by family members in Ambonnay, whose vineyards he oversees. Production averages of each Champagne label to 750 cases annually, and it is best drunk young. His vintage wine is full, rich and nutty, while holding terrific focus. In addition to his rosé, Alain's purest expression of Ambonnay Pinot Noir is the Perle Noire (black pearl) blanc de noirs. This takes Ambonnay's inherent richness to a rare level of refinement, combining power with fabulous finesse.

Franciose Bedel 'Dis, Vin Secret' NV Champagne $69 (biodynamic)

Françoise Bedel is a "Grande Dame" of the biodynamic movement in Champagne. Here little estate is located in Crouttes-sur Marne, in the extreme western reaches of Champagne. The single most particular thing about this Bedel is that they bottle their vintage wine with out a vintage designation! Françoise rarely calls a vintage. She prefers instead to impress customers with her non-vintage wines, almost all of which actually come from a single year's fruit. No cultured yeast is used and Francoise insists that the wild yeasts present in the vineyard add to the character. She is one of the few growers represented in the United States who grow their own fruit and make their own wine.

In the 1990's she began the conversion to organic and then biodynamic agriculture realizing she was destroying her vineyards with synthetic products. She prepares her own treatments and remains one of the leaders of this movement in Champagne.

'Dis, Vin Secret' is a blend of 96% Pinot Meunier and 4% Chardonnay from younger vines. Fermented in tank and aged partially in barrel. Always zero dosage and a wonderful expression of Meunier minerality. 2001 fruit. Earthiness dominates this wine when first poured; it needs hours of air to yield a beautiful white truffle scent. It grows to be creamy and lush, like a meringue of lemon dusted with hazelnuts.