Robert takes two journeys in his book: (i) one through the history of the Champagne region and (ii) a physical journey through the region to "... visit many of the finest of these 'grower producers' -- the artisans who are producing Champagne's most exciting and authentic wines." I have covered each of these "finest" growers individually on this blog and will use this post to compare and contrast them across a number of relevant characteristics.
The figure, and immediately following table, show the population and geographic distribution of the growers identified as the "finest" by Walters.
Table 1: Regions and communes of the Great Growers
Producer
|
Sub-region
|
Growing Zone
|
Home Commune
|
Other Communes
|
Agrapart et Fils
|
Côte
des Blancs
|
Côte
des Blancs
|
Avize
|
Ogier, Cramant,
Oiry
|
Anselme Selosse
|
do.
|
do.
|
Avize
|
Cramant, Le
Mesnil, Aÿ, Ambonnay, Mareuil-sur- Aÿ
|
Larmandier-Bernier
|
do.
|
do.
|
Vertus
|
Cramant, Chouilly,
Oger, Avize,
|
Ulysse Collin
|
do.
|
Val du Petit Morin, Côte de Sezanne
|
Congy
|
|
Jacques Lassaigne
|
do.
|
Montgueux
|
Montgueux
|
|
La Closerie (Jérôme Prévost)
|
Montaigne de Reims
|
Petite Montaigne
|
Gueux
|
|
Chartogne-Taillet
|
do.
|
Massif de St. Thierry
|
Merfy
|
Chenay, St. Thierry
|
Egly-Ouriet
|
do.
|
Grand Montaigne, Petite Montaigne
|
Ambonnay
|
Bouzy, Verzenay,
Vrigny
|
Vouette et Sorbée (Bernard Gautherot)
|
Côte
des Bar
|
Buxières-sur-Arce
|
Ville-sur-Arce
|
|
Roses de Jeanne (Cédric Bouchard)
|
do.
|
Celles-sur-Ource
|
Some points of note on the above data:
- Vineyard sizes range between 1.5 and 12 hectares
- Almost half of the producers have been influenced in one way or the other by Jacques Selosse
- A majority of the producers had served a stint away from the estate before returning and taking up the reigns
- Four of the 10 producers have access to Grand and/or Premier Cru vineyards.
(i) Jérôme Prévost came by way of his 2.2-ha vineyard -- Les Béguines -- as a result of his mother inheriting the property. According to Tyson Stelzer (Champagne Grower-producers: the beginning of the end, Decanter, 7/7/2018), while the 13,000-bottle annual production is well-regarded, and sells for respectable prices, "such a small production is insufficient to sustain his livelihood. In order to grow production by purchasing fruit, Prévost recently relinquished his récoltant-manipulant credentials to be reincarnated as a négociant-manipulant."
(ii) Jacques Laissagne's estate holding is a single 3.5-ha block in the Le Cotet vineyard. In an effort to tap into all of the terroir opportunities on Montgueux, Emmanuel supplements the estate fruit with grapes purchased from a few small growers. In order to ensure that the purchased product approaches the level of quality of his grapes, Emmanuel's requirements are as follows:
- The source vineyard must be located in Montgueux
- The source vineyard must have a south or southeast exposure
- The source vineyard must rest on chalky soils
- The vineyard must be managed by a good grower who works effectively in the vineyard
- The fruit must issue from old vines (45 - 60 years old).
The table below captures selected critical perspectives of the Great-Grower wines. The shared
Table 2: The wines of the "Finest" producers
Producer
|
Wine
|
Agrapart et
Fils
|
… pillowy textures from ripe Chardonnay …
married to a racy, saline, mineral freshness … mouth-filling and relatively
full-bodied wines, yet they are never heavy; rather, they are always refreshing,
energetic and racy. They are without doubt some of the very finest wines
being produced today in Champagne
|
Jacques
Selosse
|
"outstanding for their arresting tang
and vinosity combined with what I can only call a gorgeous finesse of mousse
..." (Tom Hall, scalawine.com)
|
Larmandier-Bernier
|
“… wines of great purity, monuments of
restraint that are one more nod to the monastic" Peter Liem (Champagne)
|
Ulysse
Collin
|
“… ripe, richly expressive single-vineyard wines
|
Jacques
Lassaigne
|
Les Vignes de Montgueux – a racy, salty, iodine noted wine, at once
deliciously refreshing yet having good depth and some exotic notes.
Le Cotet – a racy, mineral, citrusy, complex wine (Walters)
|
La Closerie
(Jerome Prévost)
|
“Saline, savory undertones and sleek, tense build. Its energy
and vibrancy is unlike any other Meunier in Champagne and his wine always
needs several years after its release to reveal its depth and complexity of
flavor” (Peter Liem)
|
Chartogne-Taillet
|
"… each distinct, complex and terroir-driven and yet they
share a minerality and vinosity that can be attributed to Alexandre's hard
work in the vineyard" (closcru.com)
|
Egly-Ouriet
|
Power, purity, intensity of fruit
|
Vouette et
Sorbée (Bernard Gautherot)
|
“… uncompromisingly original, possessing
deep, vinous aromas and assertive personalities. These are wines before they
are Champagnes, and their intensity of character makes them more suitable for
contemplative drinking or to accompanying food than to casual sipping” (Peter
Liem)
|
Roses de
Jeanne (Cédric Bouchard)
|
“… some of the most spectacular wines being
made anywhere in the world …” (Antonio galloni
|
objective of these producers is to craft wines reflective of the grape sources -- terroir wines -- and they accomplish that goal by harvesting ripe fruit and vinifying and aging them with the minimum of intervention. Ripe grapes result from a combination of the right soils, right exposition, and best farming practices.
I will elaborate on the viticultural and vinicultural experiences of these Great Growers in a subsequent post. If, in the meantime, you would like to read the individual posts on each of these estates, please click on any one of the links below.
Agrapart et fils
Jacques Selosse
Larmandier-Bernier
Ulysse Collin
Jacques Lassaigne
La Closerie (Jérôme Prévost)
Chartogne-Taillet
Egly-Ouriet
Vouette et Sorbee (Bernard Gautherot)
Roses de Jeanne (Cédric Bouchard)
©Wine -- Mise en abyme
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