Featured Sparkling Wines

CHAMPAGNE OF THE MONTH

THE RETURN OF TARLANT

TARLANT BRUT “TRADITION”

It has been seven years since we were last able to sell Tarlant Champagnes. We must say that they are even better than we remember. This family-run estate has to be one of the most dynamic firms in the Marne Valley. Jean-Mary Tarlant and his son, Benoit, carry on the family’s Champagne tradition that started back in 1687. The family organically farms 28 acres of vines including Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier hillside plantings from the outstanding Notre-Dame and Longue Attente plots. The fruit from these sites is an important component for their “Tradition” cuvée, which is a blend of 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Pinot Meunier and 10% Chardonnay. This Brut was aged on the yeast for five years prior to disgorgement, a costly practice that has, no doubt, contributed to this Champagne’s impressively opulent texture and flavor nuance. This, then, is a full-bodied, richly textured cuvée that seamlessly showcases pleasing notions of spice cake, honey, mature red fruits and vanilla. Despite its considerable richness and maturity, this Tarlant possesses an underlying vibrancy and finesse. A super Champagne value that fans of full-throttle bubbly will adore.

$36.98 750ml [325736] 

FIZZ FIND

NOT YOUR MOTHER’S PROSECCO

COSTADILA PROSECCO “330 SLM”

With the Prosecco category's increasing popularity we are seeing more and more bottlings vying for shelf space. Most of the new contenders taste very much alike and are pleasantly forgettable. One big exception is this highly original Costadila “330slm.” The “330slm” designation refers to the average altitude (over level of the sea or Sopra Livello del Mare in Italian) of Costadila’s vines in meters. The estate is located in Serre, a village situated in the central Trevisan hills and historically an important Prosecco area. The vineyard is a mix of Prosecco, Bianchetta, Perera and Verdiso vines with average age of 30 years planted on a bed of limestone, clay and marlstone. This ingeniously made bubbly is not made with a second tank fermentation like most other Proseccos. For the “330” most of the grapes are pressed and made into a still dry wine while a second portion of the crops is left out to dry and shrivel achieving dessert wine sweetness. Juice from the sweet batch is then added to the dry wine. The bottle is then capped and left to re-ferment. The entire process takes place without the addition of commercial yeasts, sugar or enzymes. Because the yeast sediment remains in bottle one has the option to enjoy this bubbly clear or cloudy. If one lets the sediment settle on the bottle’s bottom and pours slowly, the taster encounters a delightfully fresh fizz filled with the peach and orchard fruit characteristics that one associates with a good Prosecco but with the added benefit of enhanced minerality and flavor length. If you decide to turn the bottle upside down and mix the yeast sediment with the wine, the bubbles become less apparent (they are felt not seen) and intriguing bread-like and smoke inflections are added to the ensemble. Rarely does one find so much flavor interest and drinking pleasure at such a modest price.

$16.98 750ml [325738] 

Champagne Value Duo

Last month, we held two well-attended wine bar tastings focusing on the terroir of Champagne. The first event focused on the Côtes des Blancs while the second one investigated the Montagne de Reims region. While all the bottles showed well, we felt that two Champagnes (one from each event) really stood out as best buys. Both really held their own against excellent Champagnes costing twice their price and they certainly deserve to be spotlighted again for your consideration. By the way the third and last installment of our Terroir of Champagne survey will be held at our wine bar Thursday, August 12th.

LE MESNIL BRUT BLANC DE BLANCS GRAND CRU
We introduced this co-op-produced Champagne from the famed Côte des Blancs village of Mesnil-sur-Oger about 18 months ago and quickly sold it out. That Champagne was fashioned entirely from 2002 Chardonnay juice, while this successor is mostly drawn from the 2004 and 2005 vintages. If anything, this sequel surpasses the 2002 as it represents a richer, more mouth-filling expression of Le Mesnil’s noble terroir. One of the unique aspects of Le Mesnil Champagnes is that the vineyards of the village are planted with a special clone of Chardonnay that is noted for its pronounced apple-like varietal flavor and for its penetrating perfume. This Blanc de Blancs honors its noble origins by offering up billowing aromas of wisteria and apple blossoms followed by vibrant tastes of pippin apples and bosc pears interlaced with inflections of chalk and lemon meringue. A deliciously authoritative aperitif that works well with or without food.

$35.98 750ml [325462] 

ANDRE CLOUET BRUT “GRAND RESERVE” GRAND CRU
We weren’t too surprised about how well this Bouzy Brut held up to the other powerhouse bottlings in our Montagne de Reims shootout since winemaker Jean-Francois Santz-Clouet is known for his fanatical devotion to quality. Thanks to an ancestral land grant from Napoleon, Jean-Francois has the privilege of working with some of the best-situated vines on the sweeping slopes of Bouzy. His “Grande Reserve” is a 100% Pinot Noir Cuvée that was aged six full years on the yeast. Styled along the lines of Bollinger’s Special Cuvée (but with less oxidative toastiness) this Clouet really grabs one’s attention with its full-throttle strawberry, wheat kernel and stone flavors that are graced with a pleasing touch of cream in the mid-palate and finish. Definitely a “food” Champagne that will work wonders with creamy pastas, poultry and richer seafoods.

$37.98 750ml [305520] 

L. AUBRY BRUT PREMIER CRUT
We’ve long been supporters of estate-bottled or “grower” Champagne for the quality, value and singular individuality that the best among them have to offer – and there are none better than those from iconic importer Terry Theise. One of best and perhaps most iconoclastic producers in Terry’s portfolio is Aubry, a family firm best noted to be one of the only growers to commercially produce Champagne from the extraordinarily rare varietals: Petit Meslier, Arbanne and Fromenteau. We recently had a chance to get reacquainted with Aubry’s more mainstream (50% Pinot Menuier, 25% each Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) Brut Premier Cru cuvée at our wine bar and we were absolutely floored by its richness and complexity. There are a lot of impressive Champagnes in the Terry Theise book, but none that’s a better value. If you don’t believe us here is what the Wine Advocate had to say last December: “...wonderfully expressive on the nose. Exotic passion fruit, dried apricots, spices and mango emerge from the creamy textured, mid-weight frame. The wine continues to blossom on the palate in an utterly captivating display of class. Quite simply, this is an incredible wine at this price point. 91 Points.”

$34.98 750ml [378247] 

Fizz Find - Natural Sparkle, Pet’nat and All That

ROCHER DE VIOLETTES 2006 MONTLOUIS PETILLANT NATUREL
Throughout the wine world a new generation of winemakers is pursuing a more natural, non-interventionist approach to their wines. This rather courageous rejection of modern winemaking remedies requires pristine grapes and consequently a lot more care and cost in the vineyard. The payoff, if all goes well, is a more delicious wine that is truly expressive of a sense of place. In France, one of the leading centers of this new natural wine scene is the Loire Valley. It was here in the early 1990s that Christian Chaussard first made a sparkling Vouvray by simply letting his wine re-ferment in the bottle. Today, across the river from Vouvray in Montlouis, a growing band of Chaussard’s disciples is zealously applying his gospel of naturalistic sparkling production forming the vanguard of the Petillant Naturel (or Pet’Nat) Movement. Our favorite to date of this nascent Pet’Nat genre is this bone-dry beauty from Xavier Weisskopf. Here fully ripe, organically-grown Chenin Blanc was naturally re-fermented without the addition of commercial yeasts, sugar, sulfur compounds and enzymes. What the taster does encounter is a luminous, pale gold liquid with a very gentle mousse (CO2 pressure is about half of that found in Champagne) that releases a parade of aromas that are suggestive of pastry dough, Nilla Wafers and butter. The palate is luxuriant with subtle notions of apple, sourdough, casaba melon and chalk. The way this sparkler changes and evolves in the glass is a marvel to behold and is likely a function of the diverse mix of indigenous yeasts that were employed. Definitely a must for bubbleheads with inquiring palates. Look for additional Pettilant Naturel releases latter this summer.

$18.95 750ml [325711] 

New Releases

Andre Beaufort Brut Rosé Ambonnay Grand Cru
One of the most spectacular Rosé Champagnes we acquired last year is finally back in stock. This is lot 06R that was just disgorged this past March. It is composed primarily of Ambonnay Pinot Noir from the superb 2002 vintage. Like its predecessor, this is a dense, food-oriented Rosé that is chockablock with aromas and flavors of flambéed cherries, citrus, smoke and wet stones. Truly a Champagne of tremendous depth, it could even get better with another year on the cork to display its true splendor.

$84.98 750ml [325528] 

Jacques Selosse Blanc de Blancs "Initial"
Anselme Selosse is, of course, one of the most lionized winemakers in France and his Champagnes have been "cult" collectibles for over a quarter century. We just received a tiny allocation of Anselme's classic Brut "Initial". It is an assemblage of three vintages aged 2 years before disgorgement and is a good representation of the Selosse style. Very limited.

$129.98 750ml [325423] 

Wedding Bell Bubbles

PLOYEZ-JACQUEMART EXTRA BRUT “PASSION”
This small family operation, which is nestled in Ludes in the heart of the Montagne de Reims, is a definite “must see” for anyone touring Champagne. The firm has one of the deepest, most picturesque cellars in the region and offers accommodations at their very elegant B&B. P-J’s non-vintage Brut has long been one of our faves, but her new “EBP” limited edition Laurence Ployez-Krommydas has really taken the NV Brut genre to the next level. It is three-quarters Grand and Premier Cru juice from the excellent 2004 vintage. To add structure, a third of the wine was aged in aged in oak without undergoing malolactic fermentation. Further complexity was imparted by the addition of 25% reserve wines. After 4 years aging sur-lees, the “EBP" was disgorged and topped off with an ultra low dosage. This “Passion’s” style is dryer and more subtle than Claude Carré’s (see below), but it is a real charmer nonetheless. It is fresh and complex, honeyed (not toasty) and is impeccably dry without being the least bit austere. All in all, a remarkable tour de force at it modest price point.

$39.98 750ml [325595] 

J. LASSALLE 2002 BRUT “CUVEE ANGELINE”
While grower Champagnes are rightly all the rage these days, we have been in the game since the early '80s when we first fell in love with the exuberant Champagnes of Olga and Chantal Lassalle. “Angeline” is the firm’s prestige cuvée and is a classic blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. “Angeline” is created with an old-fashioned wooden basket press, aged on the yeast for 6 years, and is finally riddled by hand in the traditional manner. These practices, along with the family’s impeccable fruit, have wrought a Champagne with excellent depth and complexity. Aromas of ripe Macintosh apples mingled with hints of strawberries and bakery scents dominate its bouquet. In the mouth this Brut is creamy yet firmly structured as it showcases highly focused red berry notions in the front palate, while lip-smacking citrus and nougat inflections emerge in the finish. With a few more years aging on the cork, this ’02 will certainly rival the legendary 1996 “Angeline.”

$49.98 750ml [325516] 

CHARLES GARDET BRUT SELECTED RESERVE
Situated in the Montagne de Reims hamlet of Chigny-les-Roses near J. Lassalle, Gardet is a small (5,000 cases per year), family-run firm that produces a range of wonderfully expressive Champagnes at prices that are way under the market. Their offerings are so remarkable that we included two in this year’s “best of” roster. This Brut’s full-tilt Edwardian style is as nostalgic as the bottle’s retro label. It is a golden, broad-shouldered Champagne that has an almost chewy texture along with heaps of toasty baguette, honey and baked apple flavors. This rich mouthfeel and complexity is the result of a costly eight-year aging regime and enables this modesty priced Brut to outsize, if not outclass, Bollinger’s Special Cuvée.

$34.98 750ml [325591] 

ANDRE JACQUART BRUT BLANC DE BLANCS “EXPERIENCE”
Andre Jacquart is a family-owned Champagne operation based in Vertus on the Côte des Blancs. “Experience” is a new endeavor that is made from 100% barrel-fermented and -aged (8 months) Chardonnay from the family’s Grand and Premier Cru vineyards. Wisely, a light hand was applied with the oak so the Chardonnay and mineral flavors take the spotlight while the wood just contributes fascinating background atmospherics of ginger, vanilla and spice. Oodles of sophistication and flavor interest for the money.

$39.98 750ml [325483] 

VEUVE FOURNY 2002 BRUT BLANC DE BLANCS 1ER CRU
The Fourny brothers, Charles and Emmanuel, are definitely one of the Côte des Blancs' most dynamic duos. Organic farming, well-situated old vines and the judicious use of seasoned oak barrels are the key reasons for this firm’s meteoric rise to prominence. The brothers believe in keeping their dosage levels as low as possible to better enable the Vertus terroir to be expressed in their wines. Situated in the Côtes des Blancs next to Mesnil-sur-Oger, the village of Vertus is a bit higher and cooler than its neighbor. This climatic factor gives the Fourny Champagnes their signature high-toned acidity and floral aromatics. For this 2002, Emmanuel allowed the malolactic fermentation to proceed creating a Champagne that that is at once elegant and pure while at the same time redolent with the rich fruit that is the hallmark of this outstanding vintage.

$45.98 750ml [325545] 

CHARLES GARDET 2002 BRUT ROSE DE SAIGNEE 1ER CRU
This 2002 is a blend of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier from mature grapevines that average 30 years of age. Its striking salmon pink hue is achieved by macerating or “bleeding” color from the skins of the grapes. This is a tricky, labor-intensive method that is rarely practiced today. Most producers simply adjust their rosé’s color with still red wine. This is a weighty, well-evolved rosé that offers appetizing aromas and flavors of flambéed cherries, carob, stones and smoke. Lingering hints of sweetness on the finish enable this Champagne to pair well with the richer fare found on the Holiday table.

$35.98 750ml [325592]