TN: Grower Champagnes at Todd's

[Cris_Whetstone]

GROWER CHAMPAGNES AT TODD’S - Chateauneuf de Todd (6/13/2009)
The theme was Grower Champagnes. This turned out to be a tremendous tasting as well as a fun night. Everyone brought great food that was uber rich making it hard to eat the amounts I really wanted to. The wines were across the spectrum in styles and types which made for a very interesting evening on the wine geek side of it. Too hard to pick a favorite for me as I marked about half the lineup as very good. Those would be the Egly-Ouriet, Selosse, 00 Vilmart, 98 Coutier, 02 Lassalle, 02 Billiot, Vilmart Rubis and Camille-Save rose. Thanks to everyone for bringing such great wine and food. It’s clear that you don’t have to grab familiar expensive bottles to get excellent Champagne. Many of the wines on the night trumped big house popular bottles quite easily.

The fun didn’t end with the Champagne as the Rock Band was fired up as was Frenchies wine closet and liquor cabinet. Most of the time there was little resembling music coming from the game area but when our hosts stepped up we were reminded that some music skills did exist at the party. Thanks to Todd and Heidi for hosting.

• N.V. Egly-Ouriet Champagne Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Les Crayéres à Ambonnay - France, Champagne, Ambonnay, Champagne
  Lots of red berry notes really showing its Pinot origins. Rich and bold of the bigger style. Very good.
• N.V. Jacques Selosse Champagne Brut Initiale - France, Champagne
  Brightly fruited nose yet light in aroma. Concentrated fruit but an elegant feel. Notes of citrus and slight oxidation. A terrific wine that I would love to savor over a couple hours.
• N.V. Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Terre de Vertus 1er Cru Non Dose - France, Champagne, Côte des Blancs, Champagne
  This was reminiscent of a sparkling Chenin Blanc to me. Clearly a wine of low dosage wit a very hard feel on the palate in comparison to the other wines. Very austere and seeming to lack the fruit concentration to make t more than acid and bubbles to me. I’ve had other very low dose wines that I liked better than this.
• 2000 Vilmart Champagne Coeur de Cuvée - France, Champagne
  Bit funky initially on the nose and palate. Rich styled with plenty of citrus and red berries of Pinot showing. Judging from my last go around with this one I probably needed to set it aside and let it air out longer. Lot’s going on.
• 1999 Gaston Chiquet Champagne Spécial Club 1er Cru - France, Champagne
  Fairly tight over all this really leans towards the leaner citrus tart style of Champagnes. Plenty of spicy citrus notes and almost mineral like expression. Probably a couple more years in the cellar and some seafood would be best for this one.
• 1996 A. R. Lenoble Champagne Gentilhomme Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru - France, Champagne
  Bit stinky and tight over all. Tart citrus zest flavors with biting tartness on the end. A bit harsh and lean.
• 1998 Gaston Chiquet Champagne Brut - France, Champagne
  This was interestingly complex. Aromas cheese and seafood. Thick and chalky with very tart lemon juice like qualities. Some of us thought it was Blanc de Blanc like which reading the label confirmed for us.
• 2002 Agrapart & Fils Champagne Mineral Blanc de Blancs Extra-Brut - France, Champagne, Avize, Champagne
  Nose of fresh cool bread. Palate of dry toast and lemons. I think this needed more air.
• 1998 René-Henri Coutier Champagne Clos D’Ambonnay - France, Champagne, Ambonnay, Champagne
  Toast and biscuits on the nose. Clearly in the more oxidized style with nice complexity showing some notes of nuts and citrus. This is a couple steps up from the NV bottle though very similar in style.
• 2002 J. Lassalle Champagne Cuvée Angeline - France, Champagne
  Tons of concentration here that is a bit wrapped up. Lots of young apple falvored fruit and slight oxidation notes. This has tremendous potential and was a bit of a head turner for me. It’s best days are ahead of it.
• 2002 H. Billiot Champagne Brut - France, Champagne, Ambonnay, Champagne
  Oxidized note on the nose reminiscent of other big styled Champagnes. Big and rich with a dry finish, this was marked by spiced apples with nice notes of cinnamon. Love this stuff.
• N.V. Pierre Moncuit Champagne Cuvée Pierre Moncuit-Delos Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru - France, Champagne, Le Mesnil Sur Oger, Champagne
  Nose of French bread. Chalky soft Chardonnay like flavors with some tartness on the finish. Not complex but well made lower end wine. Good value.
• N.V. Vilmart Champagne Rosé Rubis - France, Champagne
  Earthy nose with notes of soil and lots of big cherries. Reminiscent of a Burgundy with earthy mushroom flavors. Nice citrus finish. A big wine in search of more air. Very good and unique.
• N.V. Camille Saves Champagne Brut Grand Cru Rosé - France, Champagne
  Mineral nose. Balanced and tart with plenty of red berries. The fruit is expressive but the wine is not big like many rosés can be. My favorite rosé.
• N.V. H. Billiot Champagne Brut Rosé Grand Cru - France, Champagne, Ambonnay, Champagne
  Nose of ginger and cherries. Well balanced yet big palate.

Posted from CellarTracker

[Tony_V_e_l_e_b_i_l]

Nice work…and a huge thanks for the notes. Love Champagne.

[CFu]

i had indian food and water, it was tasty. THx for the note on the 02 Billiot. Also a giant fan of the selosse in all its shapes and forms. drool

[ToddFrench]

I’ll post more later, but I need to point out we also took down a few more bottles from everybody raiding my cellar when the Champs were gone:

2000 Prunotto Barolo Bussia (slightly corked, ugh)
2003 Pio Cesare Barolo (totally corked - wtf!)
2005 Lucia Pinot Noir Gary’s
2006 Lucia Pinot Noir Gary’s
2005 La Chablisienne Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume
2007 Dehlinger Pinot Noir Rose
2006 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir San Mateo County

ALSO, half a bottle of strawberry-infused vodka, and 3/4 of a bottle of Chopin vodka!!

[Otto_Dobre]

Dang Todd, a lot of hate from the Italians, big bummer! When you find your way down here, I’ll open an 02 Dhondt, one of the best grower Champs I’ve tasted.

Otto

[ToddFrench]

@Otto Dobre

Dang Todd, a lot of hate from the Italians, big bummer! When you find your way down here, I’ll open an 02 Dhondt, one of the best grower Champs I’ve tasted.

Otto

DEAL!

no hate, they were corked. The Prunotto was at least somewhat drinkable, but the Pio Cesare was full of fail…

[todd_waldmann]

Great wines guys. I think the Egly Blanc de Noirs is an incredible wine, especially a few years post-disgorgement.

The Billiot Rosé is one of my go-to NV rosés along w/ Lallement & Marc Hebrart. I love the ginger/clove/cardamon component that it’s got.

[Michel_Abood]

Nice list, though there were a few missing options like Cedric Bouchard and Ulysses Colin. That Selosse is rocking stuff, and the Camille Saves is an amazing Rose. Still, sounds like fun, color me jealous!

[ToddFrench]

@Michel Abood

Nice list, though there were a few missing options like Cedric Bouchard and Ulysses Colin. That Selosse is rocking stuff, and the Camille Saves is an amazing Rose. Still, sounds like fun, color me jealous!

Dude, next time, just send it out to us! Done deal.

[Cris_Whetstone]

@Michel Abood

Nice list, though there were a few missing options like Cedric Bouchard and Ulysses Colin. That Selosse is rocking stuff, and the Camille Saves is an amazing Rose. Still, sounds like fun, color me jealous!

There was a lot missing(Pierre Peters is notable) though we did pretty good for our group. There was some new finds also which was great. I’m definitely laying down a bottle or two of the Lassalle.

[Cris_Whetstone]

@Todd F r e n c h

2006 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir San Mateo County

Crap…I think I missed that one.

Two corked Barolo’s was horrid. [suicide.gif]

[ToddFrench]

@Cris Whetstone

@Todd F r e n c h

2006 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir San Mateo County

Crap…I think I missed that one.

Two corked Barolo’s was horrid. [suicide.gif]

Two CONSECUTIVE corked Barolos, mind you.

I’m trying to ‘uncork’ the Pio Cesare right now - it’s almost passable…

[Michel_Abood]

@Todd F r e n c h

@Michel Abood

Nice list, though there were a few missing options like Cedric Bouchard and Ulysses Colin. That Selosse is rocking stuff, and the Camille Saves is an amazing Rose. Still, sounds like fun, color me jealous!

Dude, next time, just send it out to us! Done deal.

Careful, I might attach myself to those bottles if I send them out…

[Lyle_Fass]

@todd waldmann

Great wines guys. I think the Egly Blanc de Noirs is an incredible wine, especially a few years post-disgorgement.

Viva la difference! I think this wine is a poor value and is very broad on the palate for my taste. It’s $90 these days right?

[Bill_Tex_Landreth]

Seem to be missing a Krug.

[ToddFrench]

@Bill Tex Landreth

Seem to be missing a Krug.

Krug is not a Grower Champagne, therefore Paul Lin would not allow it, even if Sam originally offered to sneak one in the back door.

I agree with Lyle on the Egly is not a tremendous value - it didn’t stand out at all among wines half the price.

[Tom_Hudson]

No Diebolt-Vallois? (I know that they now are using the NM code on their label, as they are buying up to 5% fruit from their next door neighbor, but this is still Grower Champagne in my book).

[AlexHay]

Love that avatar, and glad to see it showed so well!

Mine that is… not yours, Whetstone.

[Cris_Whetstone]

@Todd F r e n c h

@Bill Tex Landreth

Seem to be missing a Krug.

Krug is not a Grower Champagne, therefore Paul Lin would not allow it, even if Sam originally offered to sneak one in the back door.

Contrary to popular gossip, there was to be no Krug. Sam was only following up my joke with another.

@Todd F r e n c h

I agree with Lyle on the Egly is not a tremendous value - it didn’t stand out at all among wines half the price.

I thought it was great but value-wise it didn’t stand up to me. The NV Billiot in Alex’s avatar is nearly half the price at equal quality.

[Samantha.Sheehan]

What a great thread to post my first Berserkers post in! Todd and Cris, thank you so much for setting this up. You guys are such a blast to hangout with, I am bummed I had to leave early. I think everyone needs to come visit Napa

Thanks for the notes Cris. The Egly-Ouriet Les Crayeres has to be one of my favorite NVs. It is so well structured with a great linear finish and lots of red fruit on the midpalate and back side. That Agrapath had such fantastic minerality, I really dug that too. As for Selosse, I love nothing more than aged champagne, but I think 8-10 month fermentation in oak is taking it a bit too far. There is no finish, everything is concentrated on the palate. Same with the Coutier.