Champagne - Burrows and Lightbourn

Champagne
Robinson, Michael. "Grape Expectations: Champagne" The Royal Gazette [BDA] 31.12.15 Print
With a mean annual temperature of only 50
degrees and the least amount of sunshine of
any vineyard area in France, the appellation
known as Champagne is a difficult place to grow
th
grapes. Sitting on the 49 parallel it is actually
over one thousand miles further north than our
Island. Despite this the first vines were planted
by the ancient Romans and Pinot Noir and Pinot
Meunier dominate at 75% with the rest being
Chardonnay.
but it is quite perfect for those with a sparkle. A
few hundred years ago the folks in Champagne
were pretty jealous of Burgundy to their south as
their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay was in such
demand, but a fortunate thing happened.
Because of very cool temperatures the
fermentation process would sometimes stop and
in the spring it would start again in the bottles
and many would explode in their cellars. Once
they learned how to make stronger bottles, their
wines with up to 45,000,000 bubbles in each
one, became the symbol for luxury and special
occasions. With pressures up to three times of
those in our car tires, recycled glass cannot be
used as it does not have the required tensile
strength.
Bubbles ~ 45,000,000 of them…
The very cool temperatures result in high levels
of acidity that would not suit regular table wine
Of course…
Champagne should be served cooler than still
whites and 43 to 45F is ideal. I also stay away
from tall, thin flutes and much prefer a standard
white wine glass, as many Champagne Houses
now recommend.
There are about two hundred and fifty
“Champagne Houses” and hundreds of small
producers and I could say that our Nicolas
Feuillatte is third overall in size, Laurent Perrier
fifth and Piper Heidsieck sixth. The truth is that
two producers that are both owned by the same
large corporate empire absolutely dominate the
market with 60%+ in the U.S.A. and they are
very strong world-wide. It all makes for a very
interesting segment of the wine trade.
Next down on our price scale is the Laurent
Perrier “Grand Siecle” Brut at $179.85 and the
Wine Enthusiast magazine picked it as their
Cellar Selection and rated it 97/100.
It has a
heady bouquet of minerals, lemon, anise, dried
pears, marzipan and a satin rich texture with a
smoke-tinged finish. It is always a blend of a
few top years and I suspect that some are at
least ten or even older.
Laurent Perrier Cuvee Rose’
Armand De Brignac ~ “Ace of Spades”
The absolutely stunning Armand de Brignac
“Ace of Spades” package consists of a gold
bottle with hand attached pewter labels and the
bottle rests in an equally impressive wooden gift
box. For $320.00 you can enjoy an extremely
highly rated bottle of bubbly.
Our World’s most asked for rosé Champagne
happens to be the 100% Pinot Noir offering from
Laurent Perrier. Many of today’s rosé is made
by adding a little still, red, Pinot Noir wine until
the desired colour is reached, but LP used the
far more difficult (an historic) “saignée” method
of leaving the fermenting must (juice) in contact
with the skins until the desired hue is achieved.
I happen to absolutely love this wine that was
awarded 96/100 by the Connoisseurs Guide. I
can virtually guarantee that you will as well and
for $96.85 you can have a bottle in a fine gift
box.
If it is not too much of an oxymoron to talk of
budget priced Champagne we do have Cattier
Brut Icone non vintage for $32.00. This blend
of 50% Pinot Meunier, 30% Pinot Noir and 20%
Chardonnay is straw gold with a fine, persistent
mousse. It is bready and yeasty with notes of
tangy apples, lemon sherbet and elderflower.
This firm actually produces a very fine range and
it shows in their budget priced offering.
Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve
If you are a person that really appreciates the
finest quality non vintage Champagne then the
relatively small, family owned Billecart-Salmon
is a must. James Suckling, who writes of
“wonderful aromas of light dough, fresh flowers,
sliced pears and peaches, agile and fresh” gives
it a 93/100. All Champagne is good, this one
just happens to be one of the “goodest”. $55.95.
Their rosé at $89.55 unleashes beautiful wild
strawberries and the aroma of fresh bread which
is the yeastiness that I so enjoy in this category
of wine.
Cattier Brut Icone
I once met Noel Coward when he lived here
and he supposedly asked “Why do I drink
Champagne for breakfast, doesn’t everyone?”
Another early tourist, Mark Twain, commented
“Too much of anything is bad, but too much
Champagne is just right”. And of course that
visitor in the 1950’s Sir Winston Churchill has
been often quoted; “Remember gentlemen, it’s
not just France we are fighting for, it’s
Champagne!” or “In success you deserve it and
in defeat you need it”.
Let us all have a great 2016 and thank you very
much for enjoying our wines in 2015.
Michael Robinson is Director of Wine at Burrows, Lightbourn Ltd. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm or on
295-0176. Burrows, Lightbourn have stores in Hamilton (Front Street East, 295-1554), Paget (Harbour Road, 2360355) and St George’s (York Street, 297-0409). A selection of their wines, beers and spirits are available on line at