Selection

When we opened The Sampler in 2006 it was with a very simple intention, to offer a wide range of excellent quality wines that people could buy after tasting, rather than having to buy on brand or price point. We hope that this stops people buying wines they don’t like, and enables them to experiment with wines of different styles that they have never tried before. The question was what to do about Champagne – we sell a decent amount of champagne, but can’t put them on tasting because the bubbles interfere with the dispensing equipment.

To date we have stocked a wide range of mostly big-brand , similar to those you can find in many other wine shops. At least this way customers have been reasonably familiar with the options available. There are a number of problems with this though:

1. big brand (often Grande Marques) champagnes are often very expensive because they spend a very significant proportion of their budgets on marketing

2. big brand champagnes are often not very good quality because they buy grapes from farmers at a price per tonne or similar measure and thus do not generally encourage increases in quality

3. big brand champagnes tend to lack personality as they are made in large quantities and need to stay as consistent in style as possible

4. big brand champagnes are really boring to sell. The packaging might be great and the box may be nice and sparkly, but the stuff inside is often a little unexciting

What we would like to do therefore is to find champagnes that are reasonably priced, high quality, full of character and exciting to sell. Happily, this is not impossible.

Over the last few years, small vineyard owners in champagne have begun to invest in their own cellars in the hope of making premium champagne that they don’t sell to the ubiquitous Moet/Veuve Cliqout or supermarket own label. Oddly, in the UK this has gone largely unseen. Its possible to get quite a good range of grower champagnes in the US and of course in france itself, but very few are distributed in the UK.

It was with delight therefore that Sebastien and I decided that we would have to spend a week in Champagne in September trying to find some interesting sparklers. It’s a hard life this wine business thing. Photo 1: Our first stop in Bouzy in the Montage de Reims

Firstly, a little bit of background on Champagne: Its made by fermenting grapes in the same way as a white wine, and then performing a second fermentation by adding additional sugar and yeast and sealing the bottle to prevent the CO2 from escaping. This makes the champagne fizzy. There are three main areas in Champagne that specialize in different grapes:

Montagne de Reims: Northerly part that has loads of . This makes a full- bodied champagne that becomes buscuity with age

Vallee de la Marne: Central section with a majority of Pinot Meunier. This is a soft, aromatic grape that gives a floral note to the finished bubbly. Tends to be quite easy going and gentle.

Cote de Blanc – Sourtherly part specialising in . Tends to be bright and minerally developing into toast or brioche with age.

Back to the trip: we (or more accurately, Sebastien) researched where to go, who to visit etc and then used his gallic charm to persuade the growers that they should spend the time to meet us. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the best growers were the ones who were less keen to meet as they had less stock to sell. These were the ones that we tried hardest with. With all bar a couple, we managed to get meetings with a range of growers, quality co-ops and small houses. Suffice to say that if we didn’t buy their champagne, from here-on-in we won’t mention the house (names have been changed and actor’s voices used to protect the innocent)

The Journey

Very early start. Raining. Miserable.

Made more miserable by Sebastien singing along to dreadful europop nonsense.

Control over cd player regained. Greasy breakfast eaten alongside truckers in the dirtiest ferry ever floated. Feeling much better. Our transport for the week. Point me to the nearest fording opportunity

Arrived in Ay about lunchtime. Had the strangest ever lunch in a restaurant that appeared to be someone’s front room, with steak that was made from shredded car tyres. The dog fight in the kitchen was the highlight (I’m not joking)

Drove out of Ay and on to the wonderfully named village of Bouzy where we met Herbert Beaufort, our first grower.

Herbert Beaufort: RM (Recoltant-manipulant – grower in english)

The House:

Started growing grapes in the 1500’s. Early production focused on making still Bouzy Rouge. In our opinion this sounds great, but tastes terrible. In 1929 Marcellin and Herbert began making champagne. The house style is dominated by Pinot Noir and makes powerful, full bodied champagnes with great complexity.

The Terroir:

Bouzy is situated in the heart of the Montagne de Reims, the area in champagne that focuses on pinot noir. The top vineyards are rated at 100% in the echelle des crus and are thus entitled to be labeled Grand Cru. Surrounding vineyards are rated above 90% and thus are entitled to be labeled Premier Cru.

The Tasting

Things didn’t start all that well when we tried an NV that had already been imported to the UK by a well known up-market supermarket chain. It wasn’t that we were annoyed that they had got there first, it was just that we didn’t like the champagne! Happily the next rung up was miles better and cost so little more than the first that we couldn’t understand what the supermarket were thinking. However, the first one that we agreed to take is actually made by the even smaller house of Luis Cesar Beaufort a relative of Henri, the current owner of Herbert Beaufort: Sebastien with Henri Beaufort in the cellar.

Louis Cesar Beaufort Brut Cuvee Hannalice Premier Cru £18.99

Non vintage 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay. Premier Cru. Dry

Full bodied and rich yet very clean with a firm fizz and good length.

Herbert Beaufort Brut Grand Cru Rosé £24.99

Non vintage 100% Pinot Noir. Grand Cru. Off dry

Made by the saignee method where the first fermentation is almost allowed to make a red wine. The second fermentation then converts this to champagne. This is very unusual – most rosé champagne is a blend of red and white wine. This saignee approach leads to a much fuller, richer palate.

Strawberry and raspberry flavours with great structure. Dry and full bodied. Would be a brilliant food match with salmon or a fruit salad.

Herbert Beaufort Cuvee La Favorite 2002 £46.99

Vintage 2002 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir. Grand Cru. Dry

As the name might suggest, this is Henri’s favourite cuvee, a complex, mouthfilling wine with a lovely mousse and a finish that goes on and on. Quite full bodied again. To our mind this is what the Montagne de Reims area is all about – red fruit flavours and a rich, biscuity palate. 2002 is the best vintage in Champagne since 1996 and may even surpass that with time.

At this point we stopped to admire Beaufort’s Cuvee des Camping, a bottling that sadly no longer exists: Cuvee de Camping. Now that is luxury.

Our last bottle from Beaufort is in magnum only and comes in its own rather tasteful big red box.

Herbert Beaufort Vintage 2000 Muse Uranie £94.99 Magnums only

Vintage 2000, 50% pinot noir, 50% chardonnay, Grand Cru, Dry

A biscuity, full and rich champagne. Lovely complexity and lots of autolysis. Fine textured mousse. In magnum format this is a real dinner party wine.

That felt like enough work for the day so we checked in to the hotel, and went for food and a piss-up in Epernay.

Bright and early the next day (well early at least), so we drove west towards Villedommange at the junction between the Montagne de Reims and the Vallee de la Marne. There we were going to meet Clos de La Chapelle, an interesting quality- focused family co-operative

Clos de la Chapelle: CM (Co-operative manipulant) Co-op in English

The House:

Founded in 1948 by a group of 5 Villedommange winemakers who shared the same passion for producing great champagnes.

Today a third third generation of winemakers manage Clos de La Chapelle with fruit from 22 growers, all descendents of the 5 founding families. Production is about 250,000 bottles in total. The team is really young and passionate and the marketing is youthful and modern.

The Terroir:

Villedommange is technically part of the Montagne de Reims wine growing area. It is right on the border with the Vallee de la Marne that specializes in Pinot Meunier rather than Pinot Noir. Therefore the Clos’ wines tend to be blends of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Situated on the western slopes of Villedommange the co-op’s vineyards are rated at Premier cru level. Clos de la Chapelle Instinct Brut £17.99

60% Pinot Meunier, 25% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay. Premier Cru. Slightly off-dry

Instinct is a 1er cru Champagne with Pinot Meunier dominance which gives a fresh aromatic nose of white fruit and spices.

Round and subtle on the palate, Instinct can be enjoyed as an aperitif. Unbelievably good quality for the price. Compare this to any Grande Marque up to £35 and you can see why the big boys are beginning to worry about these small companies. Amazingly, this is not the cheapest wine that Clos de la Chapelle produce.

Clos de la Chapelle Ecrin Brut half bottles £11.99

50% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier, 20% Chardonnay. Premier Cru, Dry

Ecrin reveals aromas of dried fruits, hazelnuts which highlights the presence of Chardonnay and Pinot noir. Fresh and round on the palate with a surprising honey finish. Fuller bodied and more structured than Instinct. Again great on its own as an aperitif, but also good with white fish or shell fish.

Clos de la Chapelle Prestige Brut £34.99

Non vintage. 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier. Premier Cru, Dry

Prestige is characterized by Chardonnay’s freshness and finesse, Pinot noir’s strength and Pinot Meunier’s body. Seen as the house’s elegant, feminine luxury blend. Prestige is elegant and soft and lovely aromas of citrus, green apple and blackberries.

Clos de la Chapelle Privilege Brut £39.99

40% Pinot Meunier, 35% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay. Premier Cru, Dry

Privilege is the jewel of Clos de la Chapelle in terms of blending - it is rich and aromatic. It develops toasty, biscuity aromas on the nose and a lingering finish of blackfruits on the palate. A more masculine alternative to the Prestige.

We then pottered around a little and went to visit Hautvilliers where Dom Perignon lived. We were really looking for the abbey and statue, but found this road sign to the Rheingau much more entertaining:

In the home town of Dom Perignon, what else would you expect to find? Next up were a large number of visits in the Cote de Blancs, the most famous area in champagne specializing in the chardonnay grape. We found the quality here both the highest and the lowest of all the areas. Hopefully we only imported the high quality stuff.

Lancelot Royer, Cramant: RM (Recoltant manipulant) Grower in English

The House:

Wines are made by completely by hand by Michel Chauvet. This involves disgorging every bottle to order and recorking it manually. The winery is quite modern being gravity fed and the press is an extremely gentle pneumatic bladder style. The house is unusual because it ages its reserve wines in large barrels of great age. This allows a tiny amount of controlled oxidation that adds character and finesse.

The Terroir:

Situated in Cramant, the house owns 5 hectares (not very much!) of Grand Cru vineyard in Cramant, Avize, Oger and Chouilly long with a little premier Cru land at Bizzeuil. Only chardonnay is used, so each wine is a Blanc de Blancs

Can’t remember which village this was taken in.

Lancelot Royer Reserve RR Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs. Halves £15.99 bottles £26.99

Non vintage 100% Chardonnay, Premier Cru, Dry

This is made with about 80% Grand Cru fruit and the rest Premier Cru. It is released whilst still quite young in order to show off its fruit and finesse.

A light, crisp, clean champagne in the style you would expect from the Cote de Blancs. Lancelot Royer Cuvee des Chevaliers Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs. Magnums only £64.99

Non vintage 100% Chardonnay, Grand Cru, Dry

Aged for a couple more years than the Reserve RR, this has more minerality and structure, and greater length.

Lancelot Royer Millesime 2000 Grand Blanc de Blancs. £41.99

Vintage 2000. 100% Chardonnay, Grand Cru, Dry

Considerably more full bodied than either previous wine with a beautiful brioche and butter nose. A superbly complex and balanced BdB with a fabulous finish.

Lastly we went to Avize, arguably the greatest area in all of champagne

Avize’s big bottle outclasses Cramant’s. There liquid is real although I doubt its grand cru quality. Note Sebastien in a suit.

Waris-Larmandier: RM (Recoltant Manipulant) Grower in English

The House:

The Champagne House Waris-Larmandier was established in 1989 by the couple Vincent and Marie-Hélène Waris. Since 2000, Marie-Hélène has run the business single-handedly. The bottles are beautifully packaged and make wonderful gifts.

The Terroir:

Situated in Avize, with some Premier Cru holdings in neighbouring vineyards.

Waris-Larmandier Cuvee Sensation Blanc de Blanc Premier Cru £21.99

Non vintage (blend of 2003 and 2004), >90% Chardonnay with a little pinot blanc, one of the rarer champagne varieties. Dry Cuvee Sensation has notes of green apples and fresh citrus. On the palate it shows hints of hazelnuts and dried apricot. It is a well balanced champagne that can be enjoyed on its own or with light food.

Waris-Larmandier Cuvee Collection Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru £30.99

Non vintage (although actually all 2002), 100% Chardonnay, Grand Cru, Dry

The Collection is a step up with steely brightness and the graphite notes that Avize is well known for. Strong mousse and firm, clean finish.

And finally, we popped into Varnier Fanniere. This one is unusual because we loved the champagnes so much we imported every single wine that we tasted.

Varnier-Fanniere RM (Recoltant Manipulant) Grower in English

Denis Varnier. The photograph here is quite well shot, so you won’t be surprised to hear that we didn’t take it.

The House:

The Fanniere family started growing grapes in 1860. At this time, wine growers were selling all there grapes to the Champagne négociant houses because they did not (and still do not) have enough vineyards of their own to produce the quantity of wine they needed to sell all around the world. It was only in 1950 that Jean Fanniere decided to produce his own Champagne. Denis Varnier took over in 1989 (at a very tender age), and has been making individual wines since then.

The champagnes here are pretty unusual, with some malolactic fermentation allowed to soften the acidity and provide body. The house still uses the ancient coquard champagne press, a back-breaking task.

The Terroir:

Situated entirely in Avize Grand Cru, adjacent to the better known (and much more expensive) Jacques Selosse vines. Avize, I think.

Varnier Fannier Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs. All 3 wines £25.99

These 3 wines differ only in their level of sweetness, with a “normal” brut, relatively sweet Demi Sec, and totally dry Brut Zero. Great finesse and complexity for NV champagne. Real savoury notes and long finish. Delicate and yet strongly flavoured.

Brut – perfect for an aperitif or with a starter. Slightly off-dry.

Demi Sec – relatively sweet, so wonderful with a dessert or by itself at the end of a meal

Brut Zero – totally dry so great with Sushi or white fish. Alternatively can be a really refreshing aperitif.

Varnier Fanniere Rosé Grand Cru £36.99

90% Chardonnay from Avize, 10% Pinot Noir from Ay. Off dry

A much more traditional rosé than the Beaufort. Light in style with a crisp and refreshing structure. Strawberries and cream. Yum.

Varnier Fanniere Cuvee St Denis Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs £47.99

Non Vintage 100% Chardonnay Grand Cru, Dry

This was our single favourite champagne of the trip. Made from 65 year old vines in a small part of the Avize vineyard, it is a blend of the 2002 and 2003 vintages. This is a wine of great character and breed. Yeasty, freshly baked bread mingles with lovely green and red apple fruit. A real treat.

Varnier Fanniere Grand Vintage 2002 Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs £72.99

Vintage 2002, 100% Chardonnay, Grand Cru, Dry

We didn’t get the chance to try this when we visited because Denis made a very small amount and nearly all of it has been snapped up by the US market. We managed to secure a single 12 bottle case. We haven’t tried it yet, so it might be rubbish, but somehow we don’t think it will be! Limited to 2 per customer maximum.

After all that, we were knackered and Sebastien felt that he needed to discuss something:

After 2 months of the most boring bureaucracy imaginable, we have finally managed to get hold of these wines, and all are for sale today. We also stock the following champagnes made by growers or other small houses that are imported by distributors:

• Jacques Selosse – the best known of all growers. Weird and wonderful with low fizz and some oak ageing.

• Pierre Moncuit – grand cru blanc de blanc from Le Mesnil sur Oger. Light, crisp and refreshing

• Raymond Boulard – characterful wines made in an unusual solera style system. Complex and characterful

• Devaux – mid sized house from the Aube, the new area of champagne in the south. The top cuvee’s are really well made with lovely toasty character

• Roger Brun – very small negociant based in Ay making clean, crisp Rosé

We are also going to keep the champagnes from the bigger houses that we feel deserve their places. At the minute, those that are definitely staying are Jacquesson, Bollinger, Dom Perignon, Krug, Cristal, Medot, and Gosset. We would like to keep Pol Roger but cant find a source of it at a reasonable price at the current time.

We are delisting Moet Imperial and a number of others for various reasons. We would also like to lose Veuve Clicquot, but are unsure if that would annoy some people. If you have bothered to read this far and have a view, please let us know what you reckon.