Chapter 3.General View on Champagne

This is a much needed chapter on My blog since many have requested info on Champagne.

I am really proud to start with THE BEST Champagne in the World as of now !

Armand de Brignac Champagne!

Armand de Brignac is an entirely handmade Champagne from Chigny-les-Roses,France, that has been rated No. 1 in the World in a blind tasting of 1,000brands.  The Champagne is characterized by a dramatic, opaque metallic bottle and “Ace of Spades” shaped labels, which lend the brand its nickname.
Winemaker and house patriarch Jean-Jacques Cattier oversees production of each bottle, from selecting only Premier and Grand Cru grapes, to blendingthe three distinct vintages for each bottling.  Every bottle is made entirely by hand, down to the real pewter labels on each bottle.  Armand de Brignac is one of the world’s finest Champagnes and truly an experience of luxury.

HISTORY: Produced by the Cattier family estate, owners of Champagne vineyards since 1763 and recognized as one of the world’s best Champagne producers by Robert Parker, Tom Stevenson, Jancis Robinson, and others.

PRODUCTION: Bottled in limited quantities through traditional hand labor‐intensive methods by a small staff of only eight people, overseen by father‐and‐son oenologues Jean‐Jacques and Alexandre Cattier.

PROVENANCE: Grapes for our Brut Gold and Rosé cuvées are taken from three terroirs in the cradle of Champagne: the Marne department. These include the Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs. Our Blanc de Blancs cuvée is made solely of Chardonnay grapes from the Montagne de Reims and Côte des Blancs terroirs. All grapes are from villages rated Premier or Grand Cru.

Jean‐Jacques & Alexandre Cattier select grapes from Armand de Brignac’s own vineyards and from villages in the terroirs mentioned above, including Grand Cru villages Cramant, Avize, Oger, & Choully, and Premier Cru towns Ludes, Rilly‐la‐Montagne, Villers Allerand, Taissy, Villers Marmery, and Mareuil‐sur‐Ay for each bottling of Armand de Brignac.

CUVÉE: The wine is a top fraction of the first cuvée pressing on our traditional Coquart press, used to extract the cuvée slowly and with the highest quality of juice.

VINTAGES: Each cuvée is a blend of three distinct vintages, allowing for more complexity, richness, and nuance of aromas than a comparable single‐vintage wine. The current release of each of our cuvées is a blend of the outstanding 2002, 2003, and 2005 vintage years.

AGEING: The Armand de Brignac bottles age in a gated section of the Cattier cellars, considered among the deepest in Champagne at more than 30 meters (approx. 100 feet) underground. This ensures a low, constant temperature conducive to slow ageing.

DEGORGEMENT: After degorgement, the Champagne is rested for at least an additional 6 months before bottles can be released.

There are three CUVEES which I’m gonna present next:

Armand de Brignac Brut Gold

• Composition: 40% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, and 20% Pinot Meunier.
• Tasting Notes: Complex and full‐bodied, with light floral notes, a racy fruit character, and subtle brioche accents on the palate. Lovely density and depth Tight bead, creamy texture, and long finish. A complex yet sharply focused Brut.
• Residual Sugar: 10.9 g/L

Armand de Brignac Rose

 

• Composition: 50% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier, and 10% Chardonnay. Created by the assemblage process, with 12% still Pinot Noir blended into a sparkling white cuvée.
• Tasting Notes: A beautiful, salmon‐hued wine with aromas of fresh strawberries and blackcurrant. The bouquet is rich, with red fruits in front and lightly smoky grilled notes behind. Long finish.
• Residual Sugar: 9.65 g/L

Armand de Brignac Blanc de Blancs

• Composition: 100% Chardonnay
• Tasting Notes: Delicate, light, and clear; dry and crisp with notes of young Chardonnay fruit and floral accents. Aromas of vanilla, citrus fruits, and dried apricots. Lingering finish. A breathtaking expression of Champagne Chardonnay fruit, and one of the most unique Champagne experiences – made possible by the remarkable nature of
• Residual Sugar: 10.4 g/L

 

 

CHAMPAGNE GARDET BRUT

 

 

The family’s vineyards are spread over 7 hectares in the “Premier cru” areas of Chigny les Roses, Ludes and Rilly la Montagne.

The rest of the grapes are bought from around thirty proprietors with whom Gardet have long standing relationships.
Their vineyards are situated, principally, among the top Crus of Champagne(the Montagne de Reims, The Côte des Blancs…).

Every year Gardet selects a number of top cuvees to join their Reserve wines which are aged in 100 years old oak vats, and later on married with younger wines to produce the harmony and continuity of Gardet Champagne.

The bottles are then taken down into the coolness and tranquility of our old vaulted cellars, for the “prise de mousse”, the second fermentation and further ageing.

So after years of patient work the wines have acquired the particular style of fragance,maturity and finesse and the right to bear the noble name of CHAMPAGNE GARDET.

The story of Champagne GARDET began at the end of the 19th Century with Charles GARDET (1870-1913).He was a director of a small House in Mareuil sur Ay which has since disappeared.

In 1895, he created his own Marque at Dizy and, later, EPERNAY.

His son, Georges(1895-1952), revived the House during the Twenties and moved his cellars to Chigny les Roses in the heart of the Montagne de Reims to facilitate the development of the business.

Since then, our House has been guided by successive members of the family, following the policy laid down a century ago to respect tradition and to take the greatest care in producing top class Cuvees.

 

J.M. GREMILLET CHAMPAGNE BRUT

Our family has been winegrowers for several generations and in 1979 my father decided to create our own Champagne. Our estate composed of 25 hectares of vineyards is situated in a small village 45 kilometres from Troyes, the historic capital of Champagne, 180 kilometres south of Paris. The vines from which our Champagne is produced lie on steep, sun-drenched hillsides. Our very first steps led us toward the different export markets and today our Champagne is sold in more than 75 countries and 70 different embassies and consulates throughout the World have selected our Champagne

In Guyana every successful launch of the Arianne is celebrated with our Champagne. One out of every 1000 bottles of Champagne sold in the World was produced in our cellars. Today, my father’s dream has become reality. My brother and I have also joined the company. We are proud of what we have accomplished and are now all working together to continue with our successful venture.

 

Even as a young boy he was fascinated by champagne.His childhood dreams were filled with efforts of trying to solve the mystery of this fantastic bottle as if it was the most important thing in life. Champagne was always surrounded by such magic ; the noisy time of the grape harvest with the hearty laughter of the pickers, the pressing of 4000kg of grapes that had to yield exactly 2550 liters of sweet grape juice , the bubbling fermentation of the grape must in the vats which slowly clears and changes into wine ; the decanting of the wine from the vats and the delicateness of its aromas ; and finallyall of the other operations that take place.

 

 

More to come on this Fantastic Champagne!