Travel + Leisure / December 2015

Deep in the valleys of the French frontier, SIDDHARTH DASGUPTA begins to suspect that the soul of the country might well lie far away from its celebrated cities. FROM FAR LEFT: A special-edition bottle in an old cellar in Burgundy; a vineyard in Burgundy; the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Rheims in Champagne-Ardenne; Troyes, where cobblestone streets and timber-framed homes make for an evocative combination. SHUTTERSTOCK(4)

CONFIDENTIAL

12_FEAT_Champagne-IInd.inddCHAMPA 90-91 GNE 01/12/15 1:11 pm Deep in the valleys of the French frontier, SIDDHARTH DASGUPTA begins to suspect that the soul of the country might well lie far away from its celebrated cities. FROM FAR LEFT: A special-edition bottle in an old cellar in Burgundy; a vineyard in Burgundy; the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Rheims in Champagne-Ardenne; Troyes, where cobblestone streets and timber-framed homes make for an evocative combination. SHUTTERSTOCK(4)

CONFIDENTIAL

12_FEAT_Champagne-IInd.inddCHAMPA 90-91 GNE 01/12/15 1:11 pm ONE OF THE PERTINENT JOYS OF TRAVEL IS ITS INHERENT

myriad postcards in your head. I duly spend my day consumed by the beauty of travel without agenda. MELODICISM Crisp with the freshness of early winter, Troyes’ sleepy vibe coexists quite happily with the presence of The hush of surprise that comes with every unexpected nearly nine thousand students spread across its three corner, that roar of delight over a perfectly rendered universities. As a result, a few boisterous alleys and a tiny meal, the deep sigh of bliss at that fi rst intoxicating but enthusiastic bunch of bars that stays up well into the whiff of fi ne vintage, the fl ow of sensations as they night make their presence felt amidst the centuries of mark themselves out in your box of memories… they’re history and intrigue on view. The Ruelle de Chat is a case all co-conspirators in one giant rock opera of in point. This impossibly tiny alley that is characterised wanderlust. Seated in the plush living room of the by wooden beams connecting roofs of homes so that cats Drappier family estate, warmed by the crackling may leap across (!) is littered with cool dives, hideaways, fi replace and a steady diet of rosé-heavy cuvées, I fi nd and ancient mansions. On a slightly more devoted note, that very melodicism to be at its sparkling best. from amongst Troyes’ wealth of nine Romanesque and Gothic churches and a cathedral, the Church of Sainte- A DOSE OF MEDIEVAL MAGIC Madeleine consumes me with its forlorn grandeur and But I digress, and as with most good stories, this one an aesthetic bordering on the epic. The stained glass probably deserves to be rendered from the very that Troyes is famed for the world over is on full beginning. I’m in France to savour its sparkling white display here, depicting fables and biblical epics in wines—or champagnes—and their many vivid, near graphic novel fl uidity. The night is relished accompanying pleasures, as played out across the at L’Essentiel, a restaurant brimming with simple destinations of Aube, Marne and Ardennes in the elegance. At their specially-curated three-course Champagne-Ardenne region. This is a cluster of meal, the deliciously-cooked fi sh and the lovingly prosperous champagne-producing provinces without marinated meat dance perfectly with a roving CLOCKWISE: Colourful half- parallel in the world. I’d arrived in France the previous selection of crystal-clear champagnes both vivacious timbered houses day and headed immediately for Troyes. Upon reaching in fl avour and rare in texture. in Troyes; Pierre- the town, I’d known instinctively that Troyes (in typical Earlier this morning, I had walked nearly all of Troyes Auguste Renoir’s French eccentricity, pronounced ‘Twa’) and I would get in a bid to bottle some more of its essence. From home in the along famously. A curious mélange of medieval and charming B&Bs hidden away behind nondescript doors, picturesque vilage of Essoyes; gothic, with impressionism infl uencing much of its a large town square fl anked by a vibrant restaurant tourists in architecture and visual aesthetic, Troyes is one of those culture, and an even more bristling array of high fashion Aix-en-Provence; dreamy little towns that captures you instantly with its labels to gardens caressed by memories of yesterday, the canapes with collage of cobblestone streets, its mysterious alleyways, local delicacy Andouillette (not for the faint-hearted), black sturgeon caviar, smoked those charming little bars and cafés, an abundance of multi-coloured rows of timber-framed houses nestled salmon, and dill. churches and cathedrals, and an immersive aura that together, and a multitude of hidden passageways, this is compels you to uncover. In short, the French a town that exudes a sense of romance. Just the perfect

countryside you’ve always dreamed of and seen in entrée for a foray into champagne land. DREAMSTIME; SHUTTERSTOCK (2)

92 TRAVEL + LEISURE / DECEMBER 2015

12_FEAT_Champagne-IInd.indd 92-93 01/12/15 1:12 pm ONE OF THE PERTINENT JOYS OF TRAVEL IS ITS INHERENT myriad postcards in your head. I duly spend my day consumed by the beauty of travel without agenda. MELODICISM Crisp with the freshness of early winter, Troyes’ sleepy vibe coexists quite happily with the presence of The hush of surprise that comes with every unexpected nearly nine thousand students spread across its three corner, that roar of delight over a perfectly rendered universities. As a result, a few boisterous alleys and a tiny meal, the deep sigh of bliss at that fi rst intoxicating but enthusiastic bunch of bars that stays up well into the whiff of fi ne vintage, the fl ow of sensations as they night make their presence felt amidst the centuries of mark themselves out in your box of memories… they’re history and intrigue on view. The Ruelle de Chat is a case all co-conspirators in one giant rock opera of in point. This impossibly tiny alley that is characterised wanderlust. Seated in the plush living room of the by wooden beams connecting roofs of homes so that cats Drappier family estate, warmed by the crackling may leap across (!) is littered with cool dives, hideaways, fi replace and a steady diet of rosé-heavy cuvées, I fi nd and ancient mansions. On a slightly more devoted note, that very melodicism to be at its sparkling best. from amongst Troyes’ wealth of nine Romanesque and Gothic churches and a cathedral, the Church of Sainte- A DOSE OF MEDIEVAL MAGIC Madeleine consumes me with its forlorn grandeur and But I digress, and as with most good stories, this one an aesthetic bordering on the epic. The stained glass probably deserves to be rendered from the very that Troyes is famed for the world over is on full beginning. I’m in France to savour its sparkling white display here, depicting fables and biblical epics in wines—or champagnes—and their many vivid, near graphic novel fl uidity. The night is relished accompanying pleasures, as played out across the at L’Essentiel, a restaurant brimming with simple destinations of Aube, Marne and Ardennes in the elegance. At their specially-curated three-course Champagne-Ardenne region. This is a cluster of meal, the deliciously-cooked fi sh and the lovingly prosperous champagne-producing provinces without marinated meat dance perfectly with a roving CLOCKWISE: Colourful half- parallel in the world. I’d arrived in France the previous selection of crystal-clear champagnes both vivacious timbered houses day and headed immediately for Troyes. Upon reaching in fl avour and rare in texture. in Troyes; Pierre- the town, I’d known instinctively that Troyes (in typical Earlier this morning, I had walked nearly all of Troyes Auguste Renoir’s French eccentricity, pronounced ‘Twa’) and I would get in a bid to bottle some more of its essence. From home in the along famously. A curious mélange of medieval and charming B&Bs hidden away behind nondescript doors, picturesque vilage of Essoyes; gothic, with impressionism infl uencing much of its a large town square fl anked by a vibrant restaurant tourists in architecture and visual aesthetic, Troyes is one of those culture, and an even more bristling array of high fashion Aix-en-Provence; dreamy little towns that captures you instantly with its labels to gardens caressed by memories of yesterday, the canapes with collage of cobblestone streets, its mysterious alleyways, local delicacy Andouillette (not for the faint-hearted), black sturgeon caviar, smoked those charming little bars and cafés, an abundance of multi-coloured rows of timber-framed houses nestled salmon, and dill. churches and cathedrals, and an immersive aura that together, and a multitude of hidden passageways, this is compels you to uncover. In short, the French a town that exudes a sense of romance. Just the perfect

countryside you’ve always dreamed of and seen in entrée for a foray into champagne land. DREAMSTIME; SHUTTERSTOCK (2)

92 TRAVEL + LEISURE / DECEMBER 2015

12_FEAT_Champagne-IInd.indd 92-93 01/12/15 1:12 pm 12_FEAT_Champagne-IInd.indd 94-95 94 after I have bid my charming hosts Au Revoir. are like drops of manna and their fragrance lingers long delicate rosés, confi have savoured before. Drappier’s array of cuvées— stable. This is champagne of the sort you’re unlikely to accompanied by diff duck—each course impossibly delicious, each celebrating in rhyme—salmon, potatoes, beef, and Madame Drappier has cooked up a French feast worth Michel reveals. Back upstairs in the living room, champagnes for atleast two generations to come,” champagne is well in the offi des Riceys, I’m fairly convinced that a love aff appreciating the subtle, fragrant textures of the Rosé experience to follow the previous one. Slowly champagnes, this is one more unforgettable kept sated by another impeccable selection of by Monsieur Pascal’s rustic French ruminations and a few select travellers for company, kept enthralled with the glow of a solitary candle and the warmth of Gathered around an oak barrel in a tiny cellar room in the midst of bottles caked with layers of yesterday. winery is a treasure-trove of secrets. I fi introduce me to more of the stuff gates of his fairy tale-like 18th Century manor to fabled ‘Rosé des Riceys’ appellation—is waiting at the and at the vanguard of restoring the prestige of the Pascal Morel—heir to fi haven’t had enough champagne for the day, Monsieur brings us to the town of Les Riceys. Since I clearly A drive through rolling fi KISS FROM A ROSÉ these crystal fl epic legacy of spirit. “I have enough sugar solutions in vintages dating back to the 1940s. The Drappier’s is an million is treated with as much care and precision as champagne empire—one where every new batch of Century and look right into the heart of a massive this is an open window for me to peer into the 12th owes its origins to the Cistercian Monks of Clairvaux— noble vintage,” Michel tells me. are aged in oat vats for close to twenty years, they’re of being imbued with rare bouquets. “Because my spirits champagnes that glisten with gold and copper whilst usage of sulfur is kept to a minimum, resulting in through their endless processing plant where the champagne empire in turn is evident as he guides me family. The passion he holds for his family and their courtesy Monsieur Michel Drappier, the head of the minute workings of the estate and its operations exported. I’m getting an exclusive insider’s look at the bottles of champagne a year, many of which are This large family estate regularly produces a million Drappier Champagne House in the village of Urville. brings me to where I’d started my story, at the experience as many rare addresses as possible. Which hosts Márine and Célia are also seeing to it that I get to Together with taking wonderfully good care of me, my GETTING TO THE HEART OF CHAMPAGNE We’re now down in his remarkable cellar which

TRAVEL asks here to lightly ﬂ + LEISURE / DECEMBER 2015 dent bruts and sparkling blancs— erent labels from their private ve generations of wine stories elds and vast green canvasses ng. . His 17th Century avour our nd myself air with the backdrop of the family vineyards. Deux Chevaux Vintage, framed against Riviera. View of the bay with yachts in the French wide awake to every moment. Because now we’re in Renoir country, and my heart is the village of Essoyes, an unhurried drive away. away at me. This restlessness only abates once we reach Rosé des Riceys, a strange restlessness continues to tug scented with the remnants of Champagne, Coteaux and up often to bridges and carefree rivers, and its vistas nonetheless, its charming cobblestone lanes that open just passed but abundant with green prosperity vineyards—bereft of grapes since harvest season has discovering Les Riceys through its vast collection of favourite haunt for those in the know. While Madame Josselin’s warmth, deserves its place as a turquoise and stone visage that comes accentuated with more than an audible gasp away. Le Marius, crisp in its ﬁ attic-room and then breakfast in the tiny parlour come heart of Champagne’s picturesque vineyards. My environs of the Hotel Le Marius, nestled cosily in the The next morning found me waking up in the rare IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF A MASTER lled with views to the towering cathedral lying no BELOW : Adeline Martin’s Citroen

SHUTTERSTOCK

PHOTO CREDIT Cojevi—and its fl the headquarters of the champagne collective—La cuvées and a leisurely stroll through the village of Aÿ, After a few sunshine-dappled sips of Renoir-inspired A HEADY BONSOIR TO REIMS make for interesting pitstops. This is the signifi Grand Continental and a quick drink, because I’m off have time to check into the old-world charms of the endless parade of pavement cafés and bars. But I only town is out celebrating and eating their way through an buildings, homes, and hotels. It’s as though the entire boulevards come graced with stunning art deco because everywhere I look, wide avenues and sheltered of Reims. For a minute I think I’ve landed in Colaba some of their heady Brut Art Deco, I’m now in the city four exquisitely designed parlours. After sampling gem artisanship, and, but naturally, gastronomy across the sparkling stuff a beautifully conceived champagne museum that pairs presence felt in unexpected ways. The Maison Cojevi is birthplace of champagne, and history makes its children, and a fl stunning female portraits, a few scattered portraits of studio at the bottom of the garden, where a few of his lifetimes ago, as I imbue the signifi sights he once laid eyes on and duly put to paint many hard to see why. As I walk in his footsteps, as I see the summers in this picture-perfect little village. It’s not eff and soulmate Gabrielle have been recreated to beautiful the mansion fl rooms lie still, hauntingly so. The garden surrounding never been opened up to the public, but soon will. The though I’ve stepped into a chapter of history that has nothing short of surreal. As I walk into his home, it’s as spent the last years of his life in, the cumulative eff profundity of one Pierre-Auguste Renoir. ect, is another fi The impressionist master spent over thirty ourishes with abundance. His private eeting glimpse of his beloved muse agship brand—Champagne Collet— with haute couture, the roaring ’20s, tting tribute to the near spiritual cance of this place he cant ect is to 33- 3/2529-1538 Discover champagnemorelpereetfi Savour Champagne Morel; hotel-le-marius.com Stay LES RICEYS House; champagne-drappier.com Savour Drappier Champagne URVILLE 33-8/9222-4609 Discover Tourism Troyes; lessentiel-restaurant.com Savour L’Essentiel; poste.com de la Poste; hotel-de-la- Stay TROYES perhaps that’s best saved for another story. few nights fi tell you that after this journey, I do drop in to Paris for a undivided attention. Having said that, it falls on me to if not more so than its cousins and deserves your Riviera, or the poetry of Provence, is just as charming overlooked for the romance of Paris, the glitz of the to realise that France’s Champagne region, often warmth of some truly wonderful people. And I’ve come Burgundy and Bordeaux. I’ve come to know the complement life much as wine does in the regions of occasions alone, but an everyday drink meant to champagne isn’t a drink reserved for celebrations or French, especially for those from this region, every fl and my love aff about forty fl gather my thoughts about the voyage. I’ve quaff relax in the estate’s tasting-room, I take a minute to journey, appropriately enough, with champagne. As we cellar. I’ve chosen to bid adieu to this particular vineyards, a home rich with history, and a remarkable in the village of Cumières, inclusive of two fl is the heiress to the Champagne Philippe Martin estate the next morning, am I able to process all of it. Adeline Deux Chevaux Vintage through her family vineyards by Adeline Martin in her bumblebee-inspired Citroën quite unforgettable. And only now, as I’m being driven region’s most acclaimed, note-perfect champagnes. been paired with a 7-course selection of some of the 5-course meal of caviar, salmon, meat, and duck has have outdone even themselves this time, because a archbishops of Reims, and now a museum. My hosts enormous palace residence of the bishops and then the others to a Gala Evening at the Palais du Tau—the memories, my hosts have invited me and a few select fi a party of my own. To celebrate the end of this journey THE DETAILS lled with stories, aromas, and already-entrenched It’s all very heady, it’s all very luxurious, it’s all Hotel Best Western Le Marius; ute. I’ve come to understand that for the Les Riceys Tourism; lled with another kind of magic. But utes of champagne in the past few days, TRAVEL air with the spirit has only grown with ls.fr + LEISURE / DECEMBER 2015 martin.com Martin; champagne-philippe- Discover CUMIÈRES tau.monuments-nationaux.fr Discover restaurant-lapostrophe.com Savour L’Apostrophe; grandhotelcontinental.com Stay REIMS champagne-collet.com Savour Champagne Collet; AŸ renoir-essoyes.com Discover Du Côté des Renoir; ESSOYES Grand Hotel Continental; Palais du Tau; palais- Champagne Philippe

ourishing ed

95 01/12/15 1:12pm 12_FEAT_Champagne-IInd.indd 94-95 94 champagne is well in the offi des Riceys, I’m fairly convinced that a love aff appreciating the subtle, fragrant textures of the Rosé experience to follow the previous one. Slowly champagnes, this is one more unforgettable kept sated by another impeccable selection of by Monsieur Pascal’s rustic French ruminations and a few select travellers for company, kept enthralled with the glow of a solitary candle and the warmth of Gathered around an oak barrel in a tiny cellar room in the midst of bottles caked with layers of yesterday. winery is a treasure-trove of secrets. I fi introduce me to more of the stuff gates of his fairy tale-like 18th Century manor to fabled ‘Rosé des Riceys’ appellation—is waiting at the and at the vanguard of restoring the prestige of the Pascal Morel—heir to fi haven’t had enough champagne for the day, Monsieur brings us to the town of Les Riceys. Since I clearly A drive through rolling fi KISS FROM A ROSÉ after I have bid my charming hosts Au Revoir. are like drops of manna and their fragrance lingers long delicate rosés, confi have savoured before. Drappier’s array of cuvées— stable. This is champagne of the sort you’re unlikely to accompanied by diff duck—each course impossibly delicious, each celebrating in rhyme—salmon, potatoes, beef, and Madame Drappier has cooked up a French feast worth Michel reveals. Back upstairs in the living room, champagnes for atleast two generations to come,” these crystal fl epic legacy of spirit. “I have enough sugar solutions in vintages dating back to the 1940s. The Drappier’s is an million is treated with as much care and precision as champagne empire—one where every new batch of Century and look right into the heart of a massive this is an open window for me to peer into the 12th owes its origins to the Cistercian Monks of Clairvaux— noble vintage,” Michel tells me. are aged in oat vats for close to twenty years, they’re of being imbued with rare bouquets. “Because my spirits champagnes that glisten with gold and copper whilst usage of sulfur is kept to a minimum, resulting in through their endless processing plant where the champagne empire in turn is evident as he guides me family. The passion he holds for his family and their courtesy Monsieur Michel Drappier, the head of the minute workings of the estate and its operations exported. I’m getting an exclusive insider’s look at the bottles of champagne a year, many of which are This large family estate regularly produces a million Drappier Champagne House in the village of Urville. brings me to where I’d started my story, at the experience as many rare addresses as possible. Which hosts Márine and Célia are also seeing to it that I get to Together with taking wonderfully good care of me, my GETTING TO THE HEART OF CHAMPAGNE We’re now down in his remarkable cellar which

SHUTTERSTOCK

PHOTO CREDIT Grand Continental and a quick drink, because I’m off have time to check into the old-world charms of the endless parade of pavement cafés and bars. But I only town is out celebrating and eating their way through an buildings, homes, and hotels. It’s as though the entire boulevards come graced with stunning art deco because everywhere I look, wide avenues and sheltered of Reims. For a minute I think I’ve landed in Colaba some of their heady Brut Art Deco, I’m now in the city four exquisitely designed parlours. After sampling gem artisanship, and, but naturally, gastronomy across the sparkling stuff a beautifully conceived champagne museum that pairs presence felt in unexpected ways. The Maison Cojevi is birthplace of champagne, and history makes its make for interesting pitstops. This is the signifi Cojevi—and its fl the headquarters of the champagne collective—La cuvées and a leisurely stroll through the village of Aÿ, After a few sunshine-dappled sips of Renoir-inspired A HEADY BONSOIR TO REIMS lifetimes ago, as I imbue the signifi sights he once laid eyes on and duly put to paint many hard to see why. As I walk in his footsteps, as I see the summers in this picture-perfect little village. It’s not profundity of one Pierre-Auguste Renoir. eff and soulmate Gabrielle have been recreated to beautiful children, and a fl stunning female portraits, a few scattered portraits of studio at the bottom of the garden, where a few of his the mansion fl rooms lie still, hauntingly so. The garden surrounding never been opened up to the public, but soon will. The though I’ve stepped into a chapter of history that has nothing short of surreal. As I walk into his home, it’s as spent the last years of his life in, the cumulative eff ect, is another fi The impressionist master spent over thirty ourishes with abundance. His private eeting glimpse of his beloved muse agship brand—Champagne Collet— with haute couture, the roaring ’20s, tting tribute to the near spiritual cance of this place he cant ect is to perhaps that’s best saved for another story. few nights fi tell you that after this journey, I do drop in to Paris for a undivided attention. Having said that, it falls on me to if not more so than its cousins and deserves your Riviera, or the poetry of Provence, is just as charming overlooked for the romance of Paris, the glitz of the to realise that France’s Champagne region, often warmth of some truly wonderful people. And I’ve come Burgundy and Bordeaux. I’ve come to know the complement life much as wine does in the regions of occasions alone, but an everyday drink meant to champagne isn’t a drink reserved for celebrations or French, especially for those from this region, every fl and my love aff about forty fl gather my thoughts about the voyage. I’ve quaff relax in the estate’s tasting-room, I take a minute to journey, appropriately enough, with champagne. As we cellar. I’ve chosen to bid adieu to this particular vineyards, a home rich with history, and a remarkable in the village of Cumières, inclusive of two fl is the heiress to the Champagne Philippe Martin estate the next morning, am I able to process all of it. Adeline Deux Chevaux Vintage through her family vineyards by Adeline Martin in her bumblebee-inspired Citroën quite unforgettable. And only now, as I’m being driven region’s most acclaimed, note-perfect champagnes. been paired with a 7-course selection of some of the 5-course meal of caviar, salmon, meat, and duck has have outdone even themselves this time, because a archbishops of Reims, and now a museum. My hosts enormous palace residence of the bishops and then the others to a Gala Evening at the Palais du Tau—the memories, my hosts have invited me and a few select fi a party of my own. To celebrate the end of this journey 33- 3/2529-1538 Discover champagnemorelpereetfi Savour Champagne Morel; hotel-le-marius.com Stay LES RICEYS House; champagne-drappier.com Savour Drappier Champagne URVILLE 33-8/9222-4609 Discover Tourism Troyes; lessentiel-restaurant.com Savour L’Essentiel; poste.com de la Poste; hotel-de-la- Stay TROYES THE DETAILS lled with stories, aromas, and already-entrenched It’s all very heady, it’s all very luxurious, it’s all Hotel Best Western Le Marius; ute. I’ve come to understand that for the Les Riceys Tourism; lled with another kind of magic. But utes of champagne in the past few days, TRAVEL air with the spirit has only grown with ls.fr + LEISURE / DECEMBER 2015 martin.com Martin; champagne-philippe- Discover CUMIÈRES tau.monuments-nationaux.fr Discover restaurant-lapostrophe.com Savour L’Apostrophe; grandhotelcontinental.com Stay REIMS champagne-collet.com Savour Champagne Collet; AŸ renoir-essoyes.com Discover Du Côté des Renoir; ESSOYES Grand Hotel Continental; Palais du Tau; palais- Champagne Philippe

ourishing ed

95 01/12/15 1:12pm