What a great little tasting we had on Tuesday night!

A big thank you to all who joined us to discover or rediscover Grower Champagne and the emerging organic wines from Gibbston Valley Winery, made by Christopher Keys. I always find it very interesting, fun and humbling to taste with a large group of people from different backgrounds. You may trust your own palate and experience but should never forget that we all have different tastes and there are enough wines out there to please everybody.

The Champagnes were from a small importer called Cave de Cochon. It’s exciting to see the growing interest there is for Grower Champagne in New Zealand. There is so much more coming out of Champagne than the big names we all know, and the NZ public is finally getting its share. You can identify the Growers Champagnes by the R.M. (Recoltant-Manipulant) on the label. What it means is that the same people who own the vineyard, also grow the grapes, harvest them and transform them into the final product. In comparison the Negoçiant Champagnes (or N.M.: Negociant-Manipulant) own very little vineyard, but buy large quantities of grapes from numerous growers. Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Pol Roger are just a few examples of the most famous “Maisons de Negoce Champenoises”.

Back to our tasting: We had 5 Champagnes to taste, 1 from a small cooperative and 4 Grower. The former came first and has been generally enjoyed, although with little comments.It is in my opinion very accessible with its slightly sweeter, peachy attack and a fresh and light body. A good crowd pleaser aperitif in simplicity. The next 3 Champagnes initiated more debate and more interest. There was a clear split in the taster’s style preferences. I liked the Coutier Brut NV (#2) for its delicate creaminess powered by the Pinot Noir (dominant in the blend) but unaltered by any oak influence. But I preferred the rounder fuller style of the Lancelot-Royer Cuvée des Chevalier Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru (#4). Being a 100% Chardonnay it has that elegance and finesse expected from a good Blanc de Blancs, but its extended ageing of 44 months on lees give it complexity, weight and delicious mealy flavours. The Berèche & Fils Brut NV ( #3) was a big favourite by those enjoying the more linear style. Pure, dry, light of body with a certain saltiness and refreshing tartness; calling for a fresh seafood platter at the end of a hot summer day, watching the sunset over the ocean. We kept the Rosé for last, a Brut NV by Coutier, made in the classic Champagne way of blending vinified white and red wines. I found it very dry and a bit hollow, which could be explained by its Chardonnay base. My personal preference is for either a fruitier or more powerful style of Rose, but the wine was well received by the same people who favored the more linear style of Champagne.

The famous Gibbston Valley Winery in Central Otago have recently converted 2 of their vineyards to organic viticulture. The 30 year old Home Block vineyard that was planted by pioneer Alan Brady in Gibbston and the 12 year old School House vineyard in Bendigo which is elevated at 420m. 4 White and 2 Reds were lined up on the table. We started with the Riesling Le Fou 2014 which was quite sweet with its 30g/L of residual sugar. Ripe, tropical and exuberant on the nose, the palate although quite sweet was fresh and tight with a welcomed green apple tartness towards the finish. We then had an interesting comparison of 2 vintages of La Dulcinée Pinot Gris, 2013 and 2008. When the 2013 was still showing young and brought uncertainty to some of us on its potential, the 2008 displayed the slippery, waxy aged Pinot Gris texture and more harmony. The liver paté from Plentifull Deli offered as a food companion worked marvels with these wines, taking away the heat of their strong 14% alc and playing joyfully with the flavours of fragrant spices and ripe stone fruit, taking you to an umami destination. The last white was La Dulcinée Gewürztraminer 2014. A pretty, enticing nose of spiced litchi and fresh rose petals, very seductive. A bit young and showing a bit of heat. But this could be just a matter of time and finding the right food match as we’ve seen with the Pinot Gris. Gewürztraminer lovers should definitely put it on their list. The Riesling was by far the favorite of the whites, the Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer got a more mixed response. The Riesling certainly was the most enjoyable on its own when the others presented more of a challenge for the senses and would have been better showcased with a tailoredmatch dish. I find that wines with exuberant perfume have their followers, or should I say “lovers”, but fail to conquer a large audience. That’s ok, variety in flavours and style is what makes it fun and interesting. We closed the tasting with two Pinot Noir. The Le Maître 2013, Gibbston and the School House 2013, Bendigo. Stephen recommended we started with the Le Maitre as the wine is more elegant, refined and quiet, but also more complex; I couldn’t have agreed more. The School House promised a lot of power and some rich flavours with notes of blackberries, black plums, game and rich earthy notes. The palate felt a bit out of shape, lots of tannins, lots of acidity… My feeling is that the wine needs some time to get together. If you think about it those two red wines are just babies. Even the Le Maître, which is more accessible now will benefit from some cellaring.

I really enjoyed the company of everybody and the mix of wine lovers and professionals, who made our first free tasting a success. Looking forward to meeting more of you very soon!

Sylvaine Novel

Wine Sentience: Blog

Grower Champagne and Gibbston Valley - Sylvaine