Champagnes in three styles: Bouchard, Doquet, and Tarlant!
8/12/13 -
The single greatest benefit of having an ample Champagne section is being able to offer something for everyone, even within the realm of small growers making wine from their own grapes. We’ve recently received shipments from three favorites in three distinct styles. Between these growers there is, literally, something new on the shelf for every Champagne lover.
Cédric Bouchard makes wines in the Côtes des Bars in southern Champagne, a region that traditionally assisted the more prestigious Grand and 1er Cru Villages further north in the Montagne de Reims with juice for blending. Over the past decade or two, the Aube has produced a small handful of renegade vignerons, and Cédric Bouchard epitomizes this movement. Making only single vineyard, single terroir, single vintage wine, Bouchard seeks pure terroir expression – in short: no blending. Interestingly Bouchard prefers his own wines when they are no longer bubbly; his aim is to make great still wine. While it’s true that they are delicious as still wines, we quite like them with their fizz! In fact, Bouchard’s Champagnes are bottled under fewer atmospheres of pressure than standard Champagnes, giving them a mellow, creaminess of texture that plays very nicely with their naturally occurring limestone-y minerality and high acidity. The quantities are always tiny, and the prices high, but we find that these wines are on par with many of our favorite 1er and Grand Cru Burgundies (and made with a comparable philosophy in mind).
Pascal Doquet is an excellent grower in the Côte des Blancs whose wines routinely receive high accolades.Try as we might, it remains very hard to keep these classic Blanc de Blancs from Vertus and Mesnil in stock. Our most recent shipment includes the creamy and lush 2004 Vertus as well as its foil: chiseled and savory 1995 Mesnil-sur-Oger from the first vintage that Pascal Doquet made a 100% Mesnil bottling. These wines are treats for lovers of chalky Champagne with age.
We’re long term fans of Tarlant’s wines. This is an old Champagne estate in the Marne Valley that has been in existence since the 17th century. While many of our favorite Champagne growers are the first or second generation to make wine from their own grapes, Benoït, the current winemaker at Tarlant, is the 4th generation to produce estate bottled wine at Tarlant. The “house style” shows a clear preference for Extra Brut wines, and Tarlant systematically avoids malolactic fermentation, while using a fair amount of wood in the cellar. The result is broad, vinous, rigorously dry Champagnes that speak of the many parcels Tarlant farms along the Marne Valley (40 in total). Today we’re pleased to offer Tarlant’s Brut Zero and Brut Zero Rosé, as well as the fabulous Cuvée Louis made of late ‘90s vintages.
We encourage you to try as many of these Champagnes as your wallet and wine storage will allow! Santé! -msb
