Stimulated by an article in the Underground Wine Letter written by John Tilson and published on June 29, 2014, 14 of us gathered to taste through 11 Champagnes that John included in his feature about Under the Radar Champagne.
The bottles were graciously secured by one of our Champagne passionate members and hosted by another in his stellar home overlooking the ocean, nearby valleys and mountains all while the sun was setting and a grand evening was unfolding both outside and inside. We feasted on extra fine gourmet snacks, cheeses, meats, legumes, veggies and more.
Our generous host supplied a starter bubbly that was such a treat. It served to get us off on the right track and satisfy the salivating response that started for me earlier in the day just thinking of the evening event:
2002 FRANCK BONVILLE BRUT MILLESIME BLANC de BLANC- 1.5L; there was an initial mild oxidative character that fortunately was overwhelmed by fine nuances of ginger infused stone fruit delivered in a creamy texture with richness and complexity all the way to the back end; this magnum was drained.
1st Flight of 3:
NV FRANCK BONVILLE BLANC de BLANC GRAND CRU- wonderful bubbly from the nose on; it delighted in all ways to make this one of the stars of the evening; its balance was most impressive; the fruit profile consisted of fresh citrus with an emphasis on lemon lime; it had a light to medium body, bright acidity and reeked of elegance and class; it was my #1 in the flight and as good as any of the 11; at $35, this is a tremendous QPR.
NV FRANCK BONVILLE “PRESTIGE” BRUT BLANC de BLANC- this was real tangy and spritzy, not nearly as balanced as the first one, had some nice mild citrus notes that moved into more peach and pear fruit, in a light to medium body; certainly enjoyable, crisp and refreshing; made from a base of 2009 vintage.
NV ARISTON ASPASIE BLANC de BLANC BRUT- atypical to the first 2, this was a much bigger and bolder statement than the first 2; it had a toasty spicy nose, almost a honeyed citrus fruit profile with spice and cinnamon accents and was in great balance; if one were to use masculine/ feminine descriptors, this would fall more on the male side of things
2ND FLIGHT OF 3:
NV LAUNOIS “CUVEE RESERVE” BRUT BLANC de BLANC GRAND CRU- this really shined; medium toward full on body of creamy rich pleasure; the spicy citrus fruit had a distinct, but not to a fault sweetness which I immediately wondered what the dosage % was; I thought of this as being a Dom Perignon Lite with some of the character mindful of DP; made mostly from the 2008 vintage with 10% from the 2007 reserve wine.
NV LAUNOIS “VEUVE CLEMENCE” BRUT BLANC de BLANC GRAND CRU- I`m immediately fond of this one too; the fruit flavors are more in the stone fruit type especially of nectarine and peach and there more showing up with lemon, orange and lime coming in; this had great acidity which I would think would support long term cellaring.
NV ARISTON ASPASIE “CARTE BLANCHE” BRUT- the price attached to the handout showed $27.99 and that immediately qualified it for the QPR of the month after the first nose; there`s a plethora of fruit consisting of apple and pear with Meyer lemon notes standing out; the mouthfeel is so pleasing with its mild creamy texture carrying this medium bodied bubbly a long ways through the palate; for me, the hallmark was the balance; this has integrity and hits all of the right senses gracefully; good bubbly; made with 40% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 30% Pinot Meunier.
We now take a break and our host pulls out another winner to enjoy along with the food:
NV FRANCK BONVILLE les BELLES VOYES BLANC de BLANC GRAND CRU- simply marvelous; this took everything we`d already had to another level; elegance and lots of finesse here with layers of depth and complexity; an amazing array of fruit and spice prevails amidst a fresh bread dough aromatic that lingers throughout; this went on and on and was nothing short of great.
3rd flight of 2 [another bottle was planned, but came up missing]:
NV MICHEL LORIOT “PALMYRE” BRUT NATURE- with zero dosage and made of 80% estate Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay; it seemed mildly yeasty, was very dry and was somewhat closed or at least tight and not very giving; it`s hard for me to say what this might have been on another day.
NV FRANCK BONVILLE EXTRA BRUT BLANC de BLANC- made entirely from the 2008 vintage; it seemed somewhat pale and certainly was a light weight on this night; I got some apple and peach notes and decent acidity, but not much more.
4th flight of 3, all roses:
NV FRANCK BONVILLE BRUT ROSE GRAND CRU- made from a base wine from 2011 and 50% reserve wines from 08,09 and 10; this had a bright red color almost denoting the saignee method although Im not sure if that was used here; the nose was fully loaded with red cherries which continued on delightfully; nice balance and very pleasing throughout.
NV MICHEL LORIOT “THEODORINE” BRUT ROSE- 45% Pinot Meunier, 40% Chardonnay and 15% from the producer`s special Pinot Noir and a base from 2009 with reserve wines added; very inviting aromatics led to an even more satisfying red raspberry/ strawberry fruit profile which was embellished with a touch of spice and cinnamon; this was a balanced and very good rose.
NV ARISTION ASPASIE BRUT ROSE- 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Pinot Meunier; salmon colored, the fruit was more in the strawberry range aided with a bit of cinnamon and white pepper; of the 3 roses, I liked this one just a little more than the others although all were good.
There was supposed to be another Champagne, NV Launois “Quartz” Brut Blanc de Blanc, but it got lost in storage only to be discovered the next day.
I`ve been a strong advocate of doing more Champagne only tastings/ dinners and it was heartening to hear many voice similar thoughts after this event. It most likely was helped by our incredible ambience and contributing Champagnes from our generous host. I know we were all very gracious.
Cheers,
Blake
