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Champagne/sparkling wine Producers
Name: Champagne/sparkling wine
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It’s the most prestigious name in Champagne. The house of Krug was founded in Reims in 1843, and from the beginning made itself distinctive by fermenting base wines in small oak barrels, and using very extended lees contact. Krug has always stood out for a character that is oak-driven and autolytic. Recent years, though, have seen some very elegant reinterpretations of that style. The NV Grande Cuvee always includes a wide spread of up to ten years’ worth of declarable vintages, and is released in numbered editions with a determined history. Vintage Krug is only made in the best years.
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Louis Roederer is a Champagne house that truly embodies its motto of continually striving for perfection. Since 1845 Roederer have been buying up some of the best parcels in Champagne, which was quite unique at the time (most houses relied heavily on buying in fruit), this has allowed themto really understand their terroir. This understanding is also due to their meticulous practices of harvesting and vinifying all their 400 parcels separately.
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Moet was established in 1743 and began its history of supplying the aristocracy and Royalty a few years later, when it recruited Madame de Pompadour, who, among her other talents, poved an able Champagne saleswoman. Napoleon`s favourite Champagne house entertained him lavishly too, though later Wellington became an important customer. In the 1920s Moet introduced Dom Perignon, the first prestige cuvee of any house and now produce 5 million bottles each vintage and in 1962 became the first Champagne house to gain a full listing on hte Paris Stock Exchange. -
Since 1998 Nyetimber have garnered a clutch of awards for their brilliant sparkling wines, often outgunning the best cuvees from the most famous French houses. Thirty five acres on Sussex`s South Downs are home to 100,000 vines, comprising the 3 major varieties of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier. Much of the wines` success is due to the siting of the vineyard, located as it is on the same chalky seam as that which is found on the Cote de Blancs in Champagne. There is no denying, however, that the precision of the winemaking regime is key to the extraordianry and consistant quality. -
Bouzy grower Paul Bara is, in the words of Antonio Galloni, ‘one of Champagne’s undisputed leaders in quality’. They make 100% Grand Cru Champagnes, with fruit from 33 house-owned parcels across the Montagne de Reims. They have been on the scene releasing Champagnes under the family name since the 1950s, though they have a family history as vine owners and coopers in the area for much further back.
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`In defeat I need it, in Victory I deserve it,` Sir Winston Churchill. Pol Roger has had a strong British connection for over 130 years, personified in the last century by Sir Winston Churchill`s relationship - not only with the wine - but also with Odette, one of the daughters of the house. A lot of Sir Winston`s relationships were open, yet mysterious, and often characterised by utter loyalty, and so it was with Pol. -
Founded in 1734, Taittinger is based in Reims and although briefly US owned was bought back by the family in 2007 and still has a family member at the helm. Having worked with her father since then, Vitalie Taittinger took over from Pierre-Emmanuel in 2019, while he remains as honorary chair. As well as their Champagne base, the family also own vineyards in Chilham, Kent as a form of future-proofing for the climate emergency. -
It is fascinating to hear Emmanuel Fourny talk about everything he has to bear in mind as he blends his Champagnes. ‘Reserve wines or wines from the year, from cask or from vat, with or without malolactic fermentation, from lower or higher plots, plots exposed east or plots exposed south, older or younger vines, Chardonnay or Pinot…’ With his brother Charles-Henry, Emmanuel is one-half of Champagne house Veuve Fourny. His awareness of the complexities of blending is symptomatic of an attention to detail that informs everything they do here.
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Just about the most important book on wine written in the last five years is Andrew Jefford`s `The New France` in which he states that the new era of the Champagne grower/producer is just beginning. Different in many ways from the industrial production of the big houses, grower fizz is as difficult to buy as any other wine; we have to kiss a lot of frogs to find royalty in disguise. But when we found Vilmart, or rather found ourselves able to buy Vilmart - only 7,500 cases per year from 11 hectares in total, we were in the presence of an emperor of fizz.
