There is nothing more comforting and terrifying than that moment where you realize from whence you come. It might be when you find yourself obsessing over the color of your new bedroom and say to yourself “oh my god I have become my mother!”. It might be when you see something your husband does and think to yourself “I have married my father!”. I of course have had many such revelations, but none has struck me quite as intensely as the moment I had while traveling with my mother in Napa Valley 13 years ago. I was living in Italy at the time, and thought Napa Valley might be a good place to move once I returned to the states. I needed a food and wine culture to ease the transition of returning home after 6 years of living well in Europe. My mom graciously volunteered to take a trip with me out there for wine tasting and reconnaissance. One evening before dinner, we stopped at Dean & Deluca to grab some nibbles and wine to enjoy by our fireplace in our quaint hotel suite. We saw a great bottle of Champagne and both reached for it, until I pointed out “Mom, it seems a shame to waste a bottle of Champagne. We won’t drink the entire thing and can’t recork it”. My mother replied “Oh honey, don’t you know I always travel with a Champagne stopper in my make-up kit”? It was as though my entire life passed before my very eyes. We all know, in the reaches of our brain, that we are molded by our parents. Never did I know until that moment to what extent that was true!   

 

I have a few focused passions when it comes to wine, but none I am as obsessed with as Champagne. Specifically, I am a supporter of “grower” Champagne, or what we in the trade like to call “Farmer Fizz”. I often say my entire book of wine supports my Champagne habit. 

 

There are two categories in Champagne – the ‘Grand Marques’, or big houses you all know and love (Veuve Cliquot, Moet & Chandon, etc). Without criticizing these products (and I emphasize the world ‘product’), these are not really wines anymore but rather luxury brands owned by huge conglomerates who also own such labels as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Tag Heuer, Chopin Vodka, etc, etc. They are so big that they have to source juice from all over Champagne to meet their demand, and as a result must add a lot of sugar to unify that very disparate fruit. They also spend a ton of money on marketing and that cost is passed on to the consumer. If most of the money one spends on a bottle Grand Marque Champagne is dedicated to marketing, it means there wasn’t much money left to spend on the juice inside.   

 

The big houses have always sourced their fruit from big and smaller growers alike. 50 years ago, if you grew grapes in Champagne, you sold the fruit to a big house, period. Lately, a revolution of sorts has occurred. Many of these small farmers have taken over their estates from their parents and decided to bottle their own wine. The French term is “recoltant-manipulant”, or “RM”. These are small winemakers who want to produce wines from fruit they grow themselves. Usually the winemaking is done by hand, which in Champagne is a laborious process but makes a huge difference. They are so proud of their “terroir” that they want you to taste where the grapes are grown. They want you to see the difference between their wine and their neighbor. As a result, they add very little sugar, so you can taste their beautiful fruit and all its unique characteristics. The results are real wines that happen to sparkle. For the same price as a certain orange label, these wines are at least twice the quality at the same price. All you are paying for is someone’s hard work and labor of love, rather than a status symbol.  

 

Champage is broken up into four growing regions, and all represent very different personalities. There is the Montagne de Reims in the north, home to Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (both are red grapes but are pressed only to release the white juice inside). These wines smell and taste of bright red fruit and are both lush and structured. The Vallee de la Marne, in the middle of Champagne, produces the most wine, and the wines tend to be a blend of all three classical Champagne grapes (Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay). They are round and balanced, and very typical for Champagne.  In the south is the Cotes des Blancs, home to Chardonnay and some of the most famous vineyards in Champagne. Most are made from 100% Chardonnay are called “Blanc des Blancs”. These wines tend to be bright and racy, great young or aged, and are some of my favorites. Finally, in the south, is the Cotes de Bar. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grow there, but this area is actually closer to Chablis than it is to Champagne. The wines have a lush body to them and at the same time are balanced with a beautiful minerality.  

 

This is the perfect time of the year to try these smaller, unique Champagnes. Its really fun to get a few of them and taste them side by side, because they are so different from each other. Just like in a family, they are all Champagne but all have their own unique sensibilities. Just as we are formed by our families, these wines also form their personalities from the ground in which they are grown. For them this is never a disturbing fact, but rather a point of pride! 

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Liz 

The orders will be processed by Acker Merrall

 

160 West 72nd Street (between Broadway and Columbus)

 

      Tel - (212) 787-1700. Email:

 

      Minimum 3btls per wine.  

 

Côtes des Blancs:

 

Guy Charlemagne

 

Guy Charlemagne is a family owned estate, producing wine since 1892. It is now run by Philippe Charlemagne, whose saying "quality is my truth" is the mantra and passion of his personnel. His thirteen hectares of Chardonnay vineyards are located in the heart of the small village of Les Mesnil sur Oger, in Crus Mesnil sur Oger and Oger. The average age of the vines is 30 years. By practicing "culture raisonée" (non-interventionalist farming, almost organic but will do "what is reasonable" to protect disease in the 

vines if necessary) and adding very little dosage, he is able to express the quality of his world-class terroir. 

 

NV Guy Charlemagne ‘Brut Extra’

 

60% Chardonnay ; 40% Pinot Noir

 

$45 

NV Guy Charlemagne Réserve Brut ‘Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs’

 

100% Chardonnay 

 

$50 

NV Guy Charlemagne Brut Rosé

 

This is made from 100% Pinot Noir, produced in the now rare ‘saignée’ method.

 

$51 

Le Brun Servenay – Becky Wasserman Selections

 

Le Brun is a very small Chardonnay producer – 3000 cases.  However he makes over 25 micro cuvées in order to get the perfect blend, since in one parcel he might have different aged vines and feels they need to be vinified separately.  Their vineyard is exceptionally located on the slope of the Côtes des Blancs.  Most of the 45 parcels are located on the top of small slopes, which helps them get optimal sun contact.  They block malolactic in the reserve wines, filter only once, and still do remuage by hand.  The blend is 50% current vintage and 50% reserve wines from 4 previous years. 

 

NV Brut Séléction Grand Cru Blanc des Blancs

 

750ml $57

 

1.5L $130 

1999 Brut Millésime Vieilles Vignes

 

$72  

Montagne de Reims:

 

Godmé Père et Fils – Becky Wasserman Selections

 

Monsieur Godmé  is steadfast in his belief that great wine comes from great vines. In a region where using chemicals is all too common and accepted, he has spent years comparing his vines to his neighbours, which only reinforces his beliefs that working organically produces the highest quality product. He treats the vines with homeopathic remedies such as teas and herbs, and his minute detail in the vineyard is then carried into the cellar with his many microcuvées and meticulous blending process. Some of his wines are fermented in cement, others in oak and yet other fermented in cement and then aged in oak. He loves racy wines with very little dosage – however his location in La Montagne yields grapes that are slightly heartier than his counterparts in the Cotes de Blanc. As passionate as all our growers are about what they do, Monsieur Godmé takes it to the next level.  This is real wine that happens to sparkle, serious stuff! 

 

NV Godmé Brut Réserve 1er Cru - 90 WS

 

The age of these vines is 29-years-old and they come from two different parcels.  They are powerful, well-balanced and full-bodied.

 

50% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir; 5% Pinot Meunier

 

$52  

NV Godmé Brut Rosé - 90 WS

 

85% Pinot Noir; 15% Chardonnay

 

750ml: $61 

 

375ml $36      

 

                                            

 

NV Godmé Brut Tradition Blanc de Noirs

 

$57 

2000 Godmé Brut Millésime

 

$70 

 

 

De Meric

 

Made in the old style - fermented and aged in 5 year-old oak barrels from Meursault, and riddled by hand. All the grapes are from Grand Cru and 1er Cru vineyard sites. This is poor-man’s Bollinger!! 

 

NV Brut Grande Réserve 1er Cru ‘Sous Bois’

 

80% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Meunier.

 

$45 

 

 

Côtes de Bar:

 

Thierry Massin – Becky Wasserman Selection

 

Thierry Massin is located in the Côtes de Bar, the new up-and-coming growing area of Champagne located in the South.  The limestone soil is perfect for growing Pinot Noir.  The wines are always the current vintage blended 30-40% reserve wine from the past two vintages and are aged at least three years before being disgorded. 

 

NV Réserve Brut

 

15% Chardonnay; 85% Pinot Noir

 

$45 

NV Séléction Brut

 

100% Pinot Noir 

 

$45 

NV Brut Rosé

 

85% Pinot Noir; 15% Chardonnay

 

$50