It wasn’t a tough decision to make time after work on a
Thursday to attend the 6th Annual Holiday Champagne Tasting at
Renegade Wines in Santa Barbara .
This was a treasure trove of hors d'oeuvres and Champagne , including smaller production and
grower-producer bottlings. The selection consisted of non-vintage cuvees,
showcasing the house styles of the featured producers.
Between bites and with mostly one hand, I managed to scratchout a few notes while enjoying the wine. Overall it was a tight group from a
quality standpoint; but with a nice range of styles. In the end I was able to
pick out a few favorites.
The house of Alfred Gratien has been producing Champagne since 1864.
They employ traditional production techniques in the primary fermentation such
as fermenting in barrel, while inhibiting secondary malolactic fermentation. These
methods build a base wine of great depth and character, while retaining focus
and purity of fruit. All of the fruit comes from the Vallée de la Marne, Côte
des Blancs and Montagne de Reims terroirs. Each of Alfred Gratien’s Champagnes is aged in
bottle for at least three years. The Alfred Gratien NV Cuvée Classique Brut is
a blend that features Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. It’s full of yeast and
chalk on the bouquet, but the fruit beams through on the palate with much
focused apple and lime. It’s bright with good depth and nice mouthwatering
length on the finish. This is very enjoyable and highly recommended. $45-$50.
Champagne Le Mesnil is a coop-owned production coming from the
chalk soils of grand-cru vineyards in the famous Le Mesnil-sur-Oger village in
the Côte des Blancs. The Champagne Le Mesnil NV Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru is fine
in appearance and full of aromas of yeast & chalk and caramel-candied
apple. It’s a big wine that is rich and sharp to the palate with bright fruit
and mineral-driven spice. It’s got lots of body and structure throughout and has
a solid finish. This is also very nice and highly recommended. $45-$50.
Lastly, a couple of rosés from two of Champagne ’s oldest houses were great
highlights of the tasting.
The house of Ruinart, established by the monk Dom Ruinart in
1729, was the first established Champagne
house. Its wines showcase Chardonnay coming from Côtes des Blancs and Montagne
de Reims. The non-vintage wines are aged up to three years in bottle. The
Ruinart NV Brut Rosé is made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, mostly classified
Premier Cru, and is fermented in stainless steel before undergoing full malolactic
fermentation. This rosé was clean and pure, with a floral nose and aromas of
rose petal, strawberry and slate. It brought rocky notes to the palate, along
with spice and strawberry. It’s rich and lush through the finish and focused
throughout. Excellent overall. $60-$65.
Gosset is the oldest wine house in Champagne , established in 1584 in Aÿ. Its
wines are made up almost entirely of grapes coming from Premier Cru and Grand Cru
vineyards, and are known for their structure and longevity. They avoid
malolactic fermentation in their winemaking, and age their wines in bottle between
3 and 5 years. The Gosset NV Grand Rosé Brut is made up of Chardonnay and Pinot
Noir, blending three vintages and including 10% reserve wines. It’s tightly
wound with soft wheat aromas and big structure on the palate with flavors of
wheat, red berry and spice. Richly polished in feel and with a full finish,
this is beautifully complex, and good for cellaring. $70-$75.
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