New Arrivals from Champagne Andre Beaufort, 1997 - 2021!
3/5/24 -
We are very proud to feature a new selection of the extraordinary organic Champagnes of André Beaufort! Last fall's shipment sold-out almost immediately, so we're very happy to have a small additional allocation of vintage wines dating back to 1997, as well as the current non-vintage releases from Ambonnay (Grand Cru) and Polisy. This is a unique opportunity to obtain ten to twenty-five year-old vintage Champages, recently disgorged - we thank the Beaufort family for sharing some of their last remaining stocks with us for this offer!
New in this shipment are the 1997 and 1998 Polisy Brut! The December 2021 disgorgement of the 1998 showed beautifully and we can't wait to try this new release. The 1997, says Réol Beaufort, shows a similar aromatic profile to the 1996, with firm acidity. Three wines from 2014 have arrived, including the 2014 Polisy Demi-Sec - we loved the 1996 and 2002 Demi-Sec, the 2014 should be beautiful! Also from 2014 (and from 2010) is the first appearance of the single-vineyard Polisy Brut "Derriere l'Eglise!" We will be tasting these wines with Réol Beaufort, both at the store and with dinner at Chambers, during Réol's late April visit to NY! Stay tuned for details. (A small additional quantity of the vintage wines will be availabale following Réol's visit)
The Champagnes of André Beaufort are primarily available at natural wine shops in France, Italy and Japan - we are happy to bring these exceptional Champagnes to New York. They all show the intense "vinosity" and complexity found in the Beaufort wines - products of superb farming, living soils, extended sur-lie aging and the commitment of the Beaufort family to create true Champagnes of terroir. The Beauforts converted to organic agriculture in 1971 and also avoid the use of copper sulfate in the vineyard, preferring to use essential oils and homeopathic preparations of their own creation. Vinifications at Beaufort are generally 8 - 10 months long and both fermentations take place with native yeasts - these are some of the very few Champagnes to not use exogenous yeasts in the prise de mousse. The malo-lactic transformation is not blocked and the wines are not re-acidified. SO2 is used sparingly (approximately 30mg/L) or not at all depending on the vintage.
The Beauforts produce Champagnes both in Ambonnay (Grand Cru) and in Polisy, with normally a blend of about 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay. These are broad, full-bodied wines that benefit from extended sur-lie aging. "We keep our wines sur-lie as long as possible before release, so one can taste a Champagne of ten years of age with mature aromas, having conserved some traits of youth - thus, disgorgement is always recent." (Lot number and disgorgement date are always included on the back-label)
2018 "L'Or de Vix" Extra Brut and Rosé
Elodie and Réol Beaufort are now producing two beautiful sparkling wines from vines on kimmeridgian and oxfordian limestone soils in Burgundy, about 1/2 mile from the Champagne/Aube border near Riceys. Both wines are 100% Pinot Noir. Zero SO2 is added and the fermentation and prise de mousse are with wild yeasts, aging is in old barriques. "The vines are in a very preserved area, almost completely surrounded by forest, so few treatments are needed. The deer remain nice, they prune the vines but leave the grapes" says Réol
