It’s Champagne Day today, the day to celebrate champagne but especially to drink it. But we’ve been celebrating champagne all week long. Yesterday we shared 20 champagne facts and on Monday we shared with you some famous champagne quotes
But because today is Champagne Day proper, we share with you some champagne recommendations from French wine importers in Australia.
The official hashtag is #ChampagneDay. Last year, 8 million people around the world participated on social networks with the hashtag. This year marks the 11th edition of this global champagne celebration.
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Airoldi Fine Wines
OFFER: Use the code “Marseillaise” at checkout to receive a discount of 20% off all your orders with Airoldi Fine Wines.
Daniel Airoldi from Airoldi Fine Wines recommends the below for Champagne Day.
Which champagne do you recommend for Champagne Day?
Le Champagne Le Brun de Neuville Lady de N Clovis NV
Why?
It is a gastronomic Champagne dominated by Pinot Noir and just 20% Chardonnay, which gives it a superb freshness. This wine spends 10 years on the lees before disgorging, which gives it a bewitching aromatic complexity and gives this Champagne a number of opportunities for food pairing.
What would you serve with this champagne?
A cheese soufflé or chicken with a mushroom sauce.
Bottli
Nathalie Taquet from Bottli gives us her recommendations for Champagne Day.
If I had to recommend a Champagne, I would recommend Bruno Paillard Champagne Brut Première Cuvée. It is composed of a melange of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier.
The house has consistently worked with grapes grown by the same families since it was founded. Likewise, parcels of land have been carefully chosen. Because, for Bruno Paillard, it is not about dominating one village but about tirelessly seeking out different terroirs to allow the personal expression of the champagne and have a clear vision of creating wine.
The vineyard is the fruit of a patient quest, guided by a profound understanding of Champagne and a very clear vision of the wine to be created. The Bruno Paillard style is a marriage of elegance and complexity which is manifested as a light and smooth effervescence, a remarkable purity, a true freshness and a silky texture.
The effervescence has to be delicate. The bubbles are very tiny, almost microscopic, yet they are what releases the wine’s aromas and gives it a smooth and creamy texture on the palate. The golden straw colour reveals a high presence of chardonnay and the exclusive use of the first pressing. The fine bubbles are due to a strict selection of the best grapes, perfectly controlled temperature in the cellar and very long ageing. The primary aromas reveal the citrus fruits of Chardonnay: lime and grapefruit.
Then the red fruits aromas of Pinot Noir appear: redcurrant, raspberry, morello cherries. When left to open up in the glass, the wine shows hints of dried fruits, sometimes exotic, from Pinot Meunier.
Lively and vivacious, thanks to a low dosage, the aromas on the nose are echoed in the mouth. Primary flavours of citrus, almonds, and toasted bread, very soon joined by redcurrant jelly but also dark fruits like cherry, fig and blackberry. Whilst the wine opens up in the glass, and gets warmer, it expresses light plum and pear flavours. The palate is full, quite long with a very clean finish. Excellent as an aperitif, it paired divinely with cheese (Brie de Meaux, Camembert, aged salers), poultry, shellfish and clam risotto.
Clos-Cachet
Alexandre Rougeot from Clos Cachet recommends 2 champagnes for Champagne Day.
I love the rich and fresh expression of the Marne Valley Meunier. One of the exemplary winemakers in this region is Jérome Dehours. His Grande Réserve NV is a delight.
On another register, very powerful, and with a more mineral line, I really like the cuvée Les Parcelles made by the Paillard brothers (Quentin and Antoine), in the Grand Cru Bouzy appellation.
Why?
These two producers work with respect for the soil, in organic farming. The yields are low, and the wines have a lot of complexity, finesse, and a real factor of excellence. Two great winegrowers of Champagne, who are also part of the Artisans du Champagne. An elite group of talented winegrowers.
What would you serve with them?
On the Grande Réserve de Dehours, we can enjoy it as much with a platter of cold meats, but also with grilled poultry or a roast pork.
Les Parcelles from Pierre Paillard will go very well with firm fleshed fish, but also grilled prawns, lobster in sauce or oysters.
DiscoverVin
OFFER: Use CODE MATILDAM15 for 20% off until November 1, 2020.
Craig and Helen from DiscoverVin recommend the Champagne Jeeper Grande Reserve for Champagne Day.
60 years ago the owner of Jeeper Champagne, Armand Goutorbe, a resistance fighter, lost a leg helping to liberate France. American GIs gave him a Jeep to enable him to tend his Champagne vineyards. The neighbours dubbed it Champagne Jeeper.
Nowadays the house of Jeeper has gained an international reputation for producing fine Champagnes. With its stand-out bottle-shape (designed to reduce oxidation and allow much reduced sulphur levels) and its distinct taste, it stands out from the field.
What is the “Jeeper Taste”? It is the production of finely balanced wines, with great persistence and no harshness, bitterness or astringency. This Grande Réserve is 100% Chardonnnay (Blanc de Blancs). Champagne Jeeper uses sustainable practices and has received High Environmental Value (HEV) certificates. It is low in sugar (“dosage”). Multi-award winning including 5 stars Winestate Magazine.
I wouldn’t eat anything with it! Or freshly shucked oysters or sushi or smoked salmon.
European Wine Store
Jeremy from the European Wine Store says:
I recommend the Champagne Devaux Cuvée D NV. It was ranked the #1 rated Non-Vintage Champagne at the prestigious Winewise Champagne tasting. I should point out Winewise tastes all wine blind, so there’s no possibility of ratings adjusted to suit the big names and boy did this NV beat the big names!
Devaux outscored names like Roederer, Pol Roger, Bollinger, Piper Heidsieck & Mumm Cordon Rouge that’s just about the who’s who of Champagne Houses, and with that introduction, you must ask yourself, why continue to drink mass-produced Champagne?…. when you can get this with all the complexities and nuances of a superior Champagne for the same price. I’ll leave you to answer that…..
See reviews below:
“An outstanding Champagne with a marzipan, floral, citrus, pear and stone fruit perfume. The palate is rich and somewhat toasty with an energetic mousse; still youthful and bright. Good balance, length and complexity. Take a bow, Devaux!” 97 Points and Platinum Award; Best Champagne on Show, Decanter World Wine Awards 2019
“This intriguing Champagne is fresh and complex, possessing power, length, balance and creaminess. The finish is long and dry, and the palate has ideal structural phenolics.” Rated No.1 , Non-Vintage Champagne, Winewise
Pair this with diverse dishes such as Lobster, Oysters or Chicken Kebabs!
France-Soir Wine Selections
www.francesoirwineselections.com.au
Pierre Stock from France-Soir Wine Selections recommends a Cuvée rosée for Champagne Day.
Which champagne do you recommend for Champagne Day?
Why?
I love their Rosé, perfect as aperitif , it is like , fruity and dry at the same time. Pink screams for celebrations.
What would you serve with this champagne?
served with bitter chocolate and candied grapefruit peel.
Le Plonque
Margot from Le Plonque gives us her Champagne Day recommendation.
For Champagne Day I propose the Champagne Remy Massin et Fils cuvée Prestige. It is currently on special on our website.
If there is a champagne to open throughout the year, it’s this one. It’s a magnificent blend of 50% pinot noir and 50% chardonnay. It has a delicate nose of white flowers (acacia flowers) and citrus fruits. On the palate, the bubbles are fine and persistent, the flavours that stand out the most are peach and hazelnut.
This champagne is wonderful with fish. A dish that works wonders: carpaccio of scallops, sesame oil and parmesan shavings. A real treat.
Mosaïque Wines
https://www.mosaiquewines.com.au/
Thomas Gilbert from Mosaïque Wines speaks to us about champagne.
Which champagne would you recommend for Champagne Day?
I recommend the Champagne Vincent Couche Cuvée Elegance Extra-Brut NV.
Aromatics: The Cuvée Elégance Extra-Brut is slightly oxidative, with yeasty, toasty notes as well as crushed red apples, gingerbread, spice, vanilla.
Palate: Vinous, with notes of blackcurrant and red fruits, along with yellow and white cooked fruits. Dry and vibrant finish.
Wine Front 94/100
Wine Enthusiast 91/100
Wine Advocate 90/100
Why?
This cuvée offers tremendous value for quality in the grower champagne category. This is a beautiful biodynamic Champagne from grower champagne producer based in the Côte des Bar region. 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Chardonnay. Pinot grown on Kimmeridgean soils.
Ten percent of the base wine is vinified in barrel, with the end wine a blend of 3-4 vintages. Extra-Brut, with 4 g/l dosage, no filtration, no sulphur added since 2016. Disgorgement date is 04/10/18 as per engraving on the bottle.
What would you serve with this champagne?
We recommend Cuvée Vincent Couche Cuvée Elegance with seafood, butter-sauced fish like lobster, truffle dishes, duck, triple cream cheese, goat cheese, aged hard cheeses such as Comte or Gouda or a pavlova (but please avoid sweet dessert or chocolate).
More Vincent Couche’s Champagne available in Australia: Millesime 2004, Chardonnay de Montgueux, Chloe.
World Wine
Thomas from World Wine gives us his recommendation for Champagne Day.
My favourite at the moment is the Champagne Agrapart Grand Cru Terroirs Blanc de Blancs Réserve because it amazes with the freshness of lemon, tangy grapefruit zest, and notes of fresh almonds. It’s soft, salty, and creamy in texture and lingers with great length and poise. A wonderfully crafted and terroir-infused cuvée.
Something simple and summery to pair with it, such as lightly cooked seafood like steamed barra, grilled scallops or prawns on the bbq.
Which champagne are you drinking for Champagne Day?
