With Christmas hurtling toward us at an
ever increasing speed our Champagne Shootout was the perfect opportunity to uncover
a few celebratory gems. Vanessa di Gianni from Distinguished Beverages was on
hand to guide us through a dozen Champagnes
from the houses of Nicolas Feuillatte, Duval Leroy and Gosset.
First up were
the non-vintage wines, all representing their house style. Duval Leroy, headed
by Carol Duval Leroy and boasting one of the finest wine makers in Champagne, produces very
pure, focused feminine wines. The NV Fleur de Champagne had a lovely
lemon colour, toasty notes on the nose and a creamy elegant palate, a great aperitif style.
Nicolas Feuillatte was a French diplomat who was very much part of the New York celebrity
jet-set in the 1960’s and 70’s. He inherited vineyards in Champagne
and in 1974 decided to return home and establish an eponymous Champagne
house. The Brut Reserve Cuvee Particuliere NV was in a softer style, with a
higher dosage than the other two, this showed on the palate with elegant pear
and apple flavours. Gosset, established in 1584, is very highly regarded and
produces rich powerful wines with generally a very low dosage and extended lees aging. We
started the Gosset range with the Grande Reserve Brut which showed a creamy
mousse, rich red fruit bouquet, a crisp powerful and persistent palate.
Next up were the two vintage wines from two
completely opposite years. The Duval Leroy Brut 1996 came from a vintage
that started poorly but ended up with some terrific wines. The wine showed a
toasty savoury nose, a full palate with good acidity and excellent length. 2003
was a year that was the hottest since goodness knows when so we went from a
high acidity vintage to one of the lowest acid years on record. Nicolas Feuillatte 2003
displayed a ripe bouquet soft strawberry palate and low acidity.
The prestige cuvees came next. The Duval
Leroy Femme de Champagne 1996 (79% Chardonnay 21% Pinot Noir 100% grand cru
vineyards and ten years on lees )is a wonderful wine. An extremely elegant,
complex bouquet followed by a pure, focused palate with layers of flavours,
wonderful balance and persistence. An extraordinarily sophisticated wine capturing
all the beauty of fine Champagne, the tasting group’s top wine of the night by
some distance. The Gosset Celebris 1998 (64% Chard 36% Pinot Noir, 6 years on
lees, dosage 3.5) showed all the power of the house. Quite golden in colour, a
toasty yeasty bouquet with a sherryish note. A full savoury palate and good
length. The Palmes D’or 1998 from Nicholas Feuillatte (50/50 Chardonnay and
Pinot Noir 8 years on lees 10.2 dosage) showed leesy, toast and butter bouquet. The palate demonstrated the richness of Pinot Noir and the elegance of Chardonnay,
some complexity and length.
Finally we looked at the Rosé wines. The
Duval Leroy Rosé de Saignee NV was reasonably restrained on bouquet however the
palate opened out with delicious strawberries and cream flavours and a fine
finish. The Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Rosé NV had a vibrant salmon pink colour,
cherries and berries on the bouquet with a creamy red fruit palate. The Gosset
Grande Reserve Rosé Brut NV was a pale copper colour with complex red fruit and
savoury notes, a rich complex palate and a long savoury finish. Finally we
finished up with the Palmes D’or Rose 2002. Quite a lurid salmon pink colour with
a spicy red fruit bouquet and an unusual note reminiscent of older oak. An
unusual palate with red berries and a creamy texture. A distinctive wine that
came top equal in the flight but definitely polarized people.
Thanks to Vanessa for a great tour around Champagne, just in time
for Christmas!