IN VINO CARITAS The Wine Champagne July 10–14 & Burgundy Forum Excursion 2011 Contents Welcome to The Wine Forum 1 Schedule 2 Welcome to TheWineForum History of the Regions 4 Champagne 4 It is with great pleasure we present to you one of the most difficult wine landscapes to Burgundy 10 The Wine Forum’s 2011 Champagne and comprehend. However, meeting the down- Burgundy Excursion. The Wine Forum to-earth producers who produce some of the Climats du Coeur 18 is an independent non-profit organisation most precious, delicious liquids in the world Producer Profiles 20 whose members share three attributes: they will no doubt be inspiring. This time it will are global leaders in their fields; they deeply be particularly special since many of these Experts and Contributors 26 appreciate fine wines; and they avidly pursue producers are involved in the “Climats du For Your Notes 28 philanthropic interests. Coeur”—a charity founded by eight legendary winemakers. We will meet many of these The Wine Forum holds two exclusive events winemakers during a special dinner hosted by per year in the most prestigious vineyard Pierre-Henry Gagey of Maison Louis Jadot at venues around the world. This tour is our most the unique venue of his family Chapel—The ambitious for several reasons: Couvent des Jacobins. The Climats du Coeur 1. We start in Paris and journey through two winemakers collaborate to make f0ur special wine regions; cuvées from grapes donated by premier cru 2. We gain access to some of the world’s most vineyards owned by the top producers in the exclusive producers; Cote d’Or. The proceeds from the sale of this 3. The tour spans four days, not our wine support many local charities and causes. usual three. Finally, some of the wine world’s greatest wine We will meet the names behind the labels— experts will join us during this tour. Fiona the owners and winemakers of some of the Morrison M.W. (of Pomerol’s Le Pin) will be most famous names in Champagne and our general wine guide throughout our visit. Burgundy. In Champagne, Olivier Krug and Additionally, Jasper Morrison M.W., Becky Frédéric Rouzaud will give us an unparalleled Wasserman and Russell Hone will join us for view of two great names in champagne wine: the final evening’s dinner held at the exclusive Maison Krug and Louis Roederer. Chambre de Roi in the Hospices de Beaune. In Burgundy, the intricate network of terroir, We hope you enjoy this event as much as we tiny plots and diverse ownership means it is enjoyed preparing it. David Spreng Vidhi Tambiah Co-founder Co-founder The Wine Forum The Wine Forum 10 July 2011 Schedule 10 July | Paris to Champagne 1500 Visit and tasting at Domaine de la Romanée Conti. An initial visit to the main vineyard sites will be followed by a tasting at the Domaine. 1230 Arrive at Gare Paris Est (East Paris train station) with luggage. 1615 Visit and tasting at La Romanée with Comte Louis Michel Liger-Belair 1257 Private carriage on TGV 02733 train to Reims with champagne tasting. of Domaine Comte Liger-Belair. 1342 Arrival at Reims: Private coach transfer from TGV station to 1900 Champagne Apero at Le Cep. Les Crayeres. 2000 Dinner at Couvent des Jacobins with Climats du Coeur winemakers. 1430 Welcome to Champagne reception at hotel with Olivier Krug. Overnight—Hotel Le Cep. 1830 Visit and tasting at Louis Roederer. Visit to the onsite gallery and small museum. y13 Jul | Burgundy—Côte de Nuits 2000 Dinner at Louis Roederer with Frédéric Rouzaud. Breakfast at Le Cep. Overnight—Les Crayeres. 0900 Morey-St-Denis: Half the group will visit Domaine Dujac with Diana and/or Jeremy Seysses, and half the group at Domaine Ponsot with 11 July | Champagne and Burgundy Laurent Ponsot. The groups then swap locations. Breakfast at Les Crayeres. 1200 Lunch at Domaine Faiveley with Erwan Faiveley and Bernard Hervet— 0930 Visit and tasting at Krug before transfer to the Clos du Mesnil vineyard. tasting followed by lunch with their wines. 1200 Lunch at Clos du Mesnil. 1545 The 1er cru vines outside Gevrey-Chambertin for seminar and tasting with Jean-Marie Fourrier, Domaine Fourrier. 1330 Coach from Clos du Mesnil to Puligny-Montrachet (3 hours 10 mins). 1945 Walk to the Hospices through special underground walkway near 1700 Welcome to Burgundy tasting with Véronique Drouhin of Maison Le Cep. Joseph Drouhin. 2000 Private Apero at the Hospices de Beaune. 2000 Dinner at Le Montrachet with wines from Drouhin. 2045 Gala Dinner at La Chambre du Roi, Hospices de Beaune with Overnight—Hotel Le Montrachet. wine critics/speakers Jasper Morris M.W., Becky Wasserman, and Russell Hone. 12 July | Burgundy—Côte de Beaune Overnight—Hotel Le Cep. Breakfast at Le Montrachet. 0930 Welcome to Burgundy seminar with Maison Louis Jadot President y14 Jul | Departure Day Pierre-Henry Gagey and winemaker Jacques Lardière. Breakfast at Le Cep. 1230 Vigneron lunch at Château de Puligny-Montrachet with Etienne de Private departures as necessary; or stay and enjoy Bastille Day Montille, Alix de Montille and Jean-Marc Roulot. in Burgundy. 2 3 History of the Regions (Excerpts from the Oxford Companion to Wine, with kind permission from Jancis Robinson, The habit was taken up by the licentious court dominated by a number of internationally www.jancisrobinson.com) round the duke of Orléans, who became famous brand names. Most of these were regent of France after the death of Louis XIV those of young entrepreneurs from the CHAMPAGNE in 1715, but serious winemakers (and their Rhineland, such as Messrs Krug, Bollinger, clients) continued to believe that sparkling and Roederer, who showed greater History But the wines did not sparkle: they were champagne was inferior to the still wines of commercial nous than the local merchants, Although there are numerous legends light, pinkish still wines made from the Pinot the region. Moreover even the stronger bottles only a few of whom, apart from Madame concerning earlier vineyards, the first serious Noir grape. In the last half of the 17th century, could not reliably withstand the pressure Clicquot and Monsieur Moët, survived. mention is at the time of St Rémi at the wine-making greatly improved, under the generated by the second fermentation. So, th end of the 5th century AD. For nearly eight auspices of leading clerical winemakers, led throughout the 18 century, only a few But for over half a century, until well into the centuries after Hugh Capet was crowned as by Dom Pérignon, who transformed the thousand bottles were produced every year, 1950s, Champagne suffered from a number of king of France in Rheims cathedral in 987, Abbey of Hautvillers, above Épernay, into and up to half of them would break. problems which clouded its earlier successes. the city’s position as the spiritual centre of the region’s leading centre of viticultural The important Russian market collapsed in France naturally boosted its fame. progress. The wines’ fame grew greatly in The champagne business we know today 1917, and two World Wars, separated by the the second half of the 17th century when they was born in the first 40 years of the 19th slump, closed the export markets on which Vines had already been planted were introduced to the Court of Versailles, century. The first notable step was taken the region depended so heavily. The arrival around the city, mainly by the notably by the Marquis de Sillery, a by Madame (Veuve) Clicquot. One of her of the phylloxera louse in Champagne in numerous local abbeys and by large landowner in the region, and employees developed the system of pupitres 1890 intensified competition from other the local nobility. But until the by the Marquis de St-Évremond, to assist in the remuage process. Corks sparkling wines, from Germany as well 17th century there was no generic who introduced champagne were improved, and a corking machine as from other French winemakers, and ‘vin de Champagne.’ Since the to London society after he was developed. Understanding, and then intensified the fraudulent habits of some of 9th century, wines from the banished to Britain in 1662. mastering, the second fermentation took the region’s more unscrupulous merchants, Montagne de Reims south of the longer. The scientist and minister Chaptal who were wont to import juice and wine for city had been known as ‘vins de In the cold winters normal in the had understood that ‘sparkling wines owe bottling and sell as champagne. Reims,’ those from the Marne region, the wines had a tendency to their tendency to sparkle only to the fact that valley as ‘vins de la rivière,’ stop fermentation and then to start they have been enclosed in a bottle before The fraud compounded the misery caused or river wines. A number of refermenting in the spring. For a long they have completed their fermentation.’ by phylloxera to the region’s growers and But it took a young pharmacist from caused a near civil war in 1911. This was villages, notably Bouzy and Dom Pérignon time this was considered something of Verzenay on the Montagne, and a nuisance, as the resulting release of Châlons-sur-Marne, André François, to sparked off by the first attempts to define Ay and Épernay in the Marne valley, were carbon dioxide was often strong enough enable winemakers to measure the precise the region entitled to produce champagne. already being singled out for the quality of to break the flimsy bottles normal at the quantity of sugar required to induce a second When the French Assembly included the their wines.