Françoise Bedel is one of the stars of the Champagne biodynamic movement. Based in Crouttes-sur-marne (Champagne’s most famous region), this grower champagne producer is an important figure in the region and has the goal of making well-balanced, high quality and harmonious wines. Using traditional methods only, the wines rely heavily on Pinot Meunier, which is quite rare compared to the outside world.

In the release of her champagne, Entre Ciel et Terre (between Earth and Sky/天與地) is a perfect example made entirely of Meunier – a rarity in the champagne world which is dominated by blends or single varietals of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The characteristics of Meunier give the wine more refreshing acidity, brightness and fruitiness than normal champagne blends. This wine is made exclusively in enameled steel tanks and from the majority of the 2002’s harvest with a low dosage of 6.50g/l.

The nose is fresh and reminiscent of white flowers (hawthorn, acacia). After agitation, it reveals very delicate aromas of floral-flavoured honey and spice bread. On the palate, it is a champagne giving way to rich and generous floral notes, enhanced by a touch of liquorice. This finish is exuberant with a freshness accentuated by citrus aromas (lemon and grapefruit). It goes exceptionally well with seafood or fish in a sour sauce.

Where to buy?

L’imperatrice Fine Wines, 7/F Yellow Building, 8 On Wo Lane, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: 2850 5544

Everyone knows Krug Champagne, but there are now two new releases that are sure to be the ‘sparklers’ of the moment: their Vintage 00 and Clos du Mesnil 2000.

Krug lovers will adore the exclusivity of their Clos du Mesnil 2000 – born in a difficult year with a hailstorm that devastated the majority of the village, the single-walled plot Chardonnay vines used for this fine champagne survived and left opulent and elegant grapes which produced a luminous wine bursting with ripe apple, toffee, honey, gingerbread, peaches and white blossom. After resting for ten years, this is the ultimate in decadence and a unique wine that tastes only the sweeter having survived the odds.

Krug 2000, on the other hand, embodies the year of extremes that the turn of the millenium brought – hot, rainy and stormy, with this vintage you get a blend of powerful Pinot Noir, aromatic and expressive Chardonnay, and a generous Pinot Meunier. This, like other hot years, will probably have great cellaring potential, but it is already an intense wine with citrus and lime, caramel, hazelnut and freshly baked pastries in the nose and a long, persistent finish.

How much?

• Krug CDM 2000 – HK $5540
• Krug 2000 – HK $1739

Cracking open a bottle of vintage Dom Pérignon is always a satisfying experience, but it’s about to get even more special with the arrival of a unique ‘shop in a shop’ at Lane Crawford for the month of November. Yep, that’s right – set in a fittingly luxurious setting, the Dom Pérignon shop will be open for only four weeks.

Boasting three vintages of the famed champagne, each bottle will be personally customised with an engraving of the date and a name to make your purchase especially memorable.

Dom Pérignon will offer the 2002 vintage with a silver shield logo at HK$2,000, and the 2000 vintage Rose for HK$2,500 which comes with a metallic label and deep purple sleeve. But these are both easily trumped by the one and only 1998 vintage in Hong Kong – a three litre Jeroboam encased in white gold which will set you back a cool HK$200,000.

Details

• Date: 1 November to 1 December 2011
• Venue: Lane Crawford ifc, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong

At the recent ‘Indulgence Day”  of tasting hosted by Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve and moderated by Susan Jung from SCMP, Winebuzz.hk was invited to the comparative tasting of  six Château Cheval Blanc including the legendary 1967 and 1982 vintages, and two Petit Chevals.

Table favourites were the Cheval Blanc 1998 which was a beautiful, harmonious wine that is delicate, full bodied with balanced tannins that shows of the terroir and according to Pierre Lurton, Director of Chateau Cheval Blanc, ‘very reflective of the the ideal Cheval Blanc blend and character’.

The other outstanding vintage was the Cheval Blanc 1982, which had the most perfect weather condition which produced a super refined, delicate harmonious wine with lots of character and complexity.

Cheval Blanc 1967 everyone agreed was a lively wine that was charming and elegant and easy to drink.

The tasting of Dom Perignon vintages which followed after the Cheval Blanc tasting had the whole table swooning over the beautiful buttery aromas and just kept getting better the  older the vintages. Six Dom Pérignon vintages were served; Dom Perignon 2002, Dom Perignon Rose 2000, Dom Perignon 1996 and Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1996, Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1975 and Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1969.

Highly recommended are the Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1975. This wine is in the third period of its aromatic life and and demonstrates such a complex evolution and offers considerable length and freshness that it can only be described as decadent.

The Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1969  is another amazing vintage that offers a delicious biscuity buttery indulgence. We are floored by the pure, bright fruitiness and elegance that is never overpowering even at this age.

These grand champagnes has an intensity to fitness and purity of fruit that just gets better with age with a complexity of bouquet that’s really enthralling. We are convinced that Dom Perignon’s reputation for vintage champagne is well deserved.

The brightest new star to emerge from the Grower Champagne movement is Olivier Collin, in the small village of Congy, south of the Cote des Blancs.

Inspired by Jacques Selosse after working with him in 2001, he described it as “one of those encounters that changes your life”. Spurred into action, in 2003 he reacquired 4.5 Ha of family vineyards that had been rented out for years to Pommery.

As for the style and the rule of winemaking, Collin insists on developing his wines in a natural and non-interventionist way. All fermentation is carried out with indigenous yeasts, which can take a remarkably long time to complete: six to eight months is not at all unusual for Olivier Collin, and even when tasting vins clairs in June or July, they are typically still in the middle of their alcoholic fermentations.

Both the fermentation and malolactic are carried out in three- to six-year old barriques, and the wine is neither fined nor filtered before bottling, which takes place in the fall after the harvest.

Only one wine is produced by Ulysse Collin – a Blanc de Blanc (Chardonnay) which comes from a small 1.2 hectare parcel called “Les Perrières”, (producing around 5000 bottles a year).

The 2006 (second vintage) Extra Brut is complete and intensely vinous, finishing with long, flowery length and a brisk, flinty sense of chalkiness, emphasizing the expression of terroir over fruit flavor.

Recently, a 2006 Blanc de Noirs (Pinot Noir) cuvee has been released to very selected high end restaurants. The next release of this wine will be in 2012 with the 2008 vintage,(500bts cuvee only).

Where to buy?

• L’IMPERATRICE Limited, 7/F Yellow Building, 8 On Wo Lane, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: 2850 5544

“I’ve always been of the opinion that champagne should be to wine what haute couture is to fashion.”

This statement by Alfred Gratien signifies not only his company mission but also defines the product in an ever-expanding market.

Since 1864, the house of Alfred Gratien has been producing champagne with rigorous grape selections, traditional wine-making methods, voluntarily limited output and respect for the land – these principles and the fact that it is one of the last few remaining “hand-crafted” champagne producers in the world.

And now lucky for you champagne lovers in Hong Kong, now Alfred Gratien is available in the city!

The Alfred Gratien Brut Rose NV is a light, salmon-pink copper colour with very fine, very long-lasting mousse. The bouquet is delicate – slowly unfolding and dominated by the flavor of orange peel, dried fruits and gingerbread. Note tingling flavors of orange peel, melding into notes of strawberry and raspberry sorbet.

• 90 Points – WINE SPECTATOR (December 2008)
• 90 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (December 2009)

In Hong Kong, you can buy from Wine Culture directly at HK$645 a bottle, or you can find it on sale at:

• Intercontinental HK, Conrad, Grand Hyatt Champagne Bar
• The Peak Lookout, The China Club
• W52 just started pouring it by the glass.

We sat down with Alfred Gratien Brand Ambassador Olivia Boutault in Hong Kong after her stint in Japan. She said the champagne market there is quite mature and champagne bars are quite easy to find in Tokyo, citing ones like Salon de Champagne Viony in Ginza and champagne food-pairing like Birdland in Roppongi.

We have a few in Hong Kong (like Flutes) now to take advantage of Hong Kong’s love of champagne and sparkling wine so we wonder will more be popping up soon? We’ll keep you informed!

Everyone will be watching the Royal Wedding of HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton today so we thought it be fitting that we share this little nugget of info. Want to know what the royal couple will be pouring during the wedding banquet? Pol Roger French Champagne and apparently a non vintage has specifically been requested by the Palace. Decanter broke the story last week and lucky for royal fans, you can get it here in Hong Kong! There’s our little contribution to the Royal Wedding. Enjoy!

The Champagne is brought in by Altaya Wines in Hong Kong and you can pick up a bottle of Pol Roger Champagne at City Super, Oliver’s The Delicatessen, 360, Rare & Fine, Mayfair Fine Wines, Classified Food Shops.

Distributor Info

• Altaya Wines Limited Hong Kong
• Tel: 2523 1945
• www.altayawines.com

The Jebsen Fine Wine Club will be hosting a blind tasting of 10 bottles of some of their finest wines on 24 February where, as a guest, you’ll be able to taste one of Champagne’s rarest and most iconic wines – the Bollinger’s Vielles Vignes Françaises 2000. Only a few thousand bottles are made each year from Pinot Noir grafted onto pre-phylloxera rootstocks in Ay and Bouzy.

The 2000 Brut Blanc de Noirs Vielles Vignes Françaises emerges from the glass with an elegant, refined mousse that’s quite captivating. Sweet, perfumed and layered, the 2000 VVF shows off superb grace and a long, vibrant finish. This is an especially elegant and understated version of this Champagne and Mark de Vere, MW raves about it in his tasting notes. A unique and amazing quality wine, Mark describes it as having “an off-beat quirkiness done the old-fashioned way. Incredibly profound, complex, long and with all its technical quirks coming together perfectly.”

This bottle was disgorged in July 2009 (a step in sparkling wine production where the yeast that conducts the secondary fermentation in the bottle is removed) and the anticipated maturity is from 2010-2020. Marco, Fine Wine Specialist at Jebsen Fine Wines Club, recommends that the VVF be drunk before age 20.

This blind tasting event is a great way to discover fine wines for yourself. To make it a little more fun and challenging, Jebsen Fine Wines Club is also offering a set of 4 Riedel Overture Red Wine Glasses and Hyde Dining Coupons for the person who matches the most wines correctly throughout the evening.

Wine to taste:

• Bollinger Vielles Vignes Françaises 2000 (94 points)
• Danzante Prosecco NV (NR)
• Ch. Beaucastel 2007 (96 points)
• Ch. Talbot 2008 (89-91 points)
• Ch. Clerc Milon 2008 (89-91 points)
• Ch. Potensac 2008 (90-92 points)
• Ch. Pavie-Macquin 2006 (92+ points)
• Lucente, Toscana IGT 2007 (89 points)
• Penfolds Private Release 2009 (NR)
• Marques de Murrieta 2005 (NR)

How much?

• HK$300 per person

Detail

• When: Thursday February 24, 2011
• Time: 6-8pm
• Where: Hyde, 2-3/F, Lyndhurst Building, Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong.
• RSVP to Marco at 2926 2269 or marcovazquez@jebsen.com or Vanessa Chui at 3180 3424 or vanessachui@jebsen.com
• www.jebsenfinewines.com

image: www.experiencebollinger.co.uk

Divers exploring a shipwreck in the Baltic Sea have found bottles of the oldest drinkable champagne in the world. Said to be made in the 18th century, diver Christian Ekstrom told Reuters that they had discovered bottles of unmarked champagne at the shipwreck in the Baltic Sea near the Aland Islands between Sweden and Finland. The ship was speculated to be sailing to St.Petersburg when it went down. Not knowing what the bottle contained, Ekstrom said the divers popped the cork and tasted the champagne. “It tasted fantastic. It was a very sweet champagne, with a tobacco taste and oak,” Ekstrom said.

Champagne specialists in France are convinced that the champagne is Veuve Clicquot champagne made between 1772 and 1785. If this is true, these bottles of champagne will be considered the oldest in the world, breaking the current title held by Perrier-Jouet, which has two bottles from 1825.

According to Richard Juhlin, a Swedish champagne specialist who told the newspaper Alandstidningen that he believed the champagne was Veuve Cliquot and said that if it was from the late 18th century, it could cost around 500,000 Swedish crowns (US$68,000) a bottle if the corks are intact and the campagne is genuine and drinkable. It is believed that there are about 30 bottles scattered amid the wreckage. Via Luxury Insider, via Reuters.

Excuse us for this really big image of Luxor Brut champagne, but we need it that size so you can see the real 24 Carat Gold flakes swimming around inside in what must be the most decadent bottle of champagne you are going to see as we enter the Year of the Tiger!

Winebuzz.hk in co-operation with Bacchus Asia have ten 75 cl bottles of this rare champagne left to buy by the end of business on Friday, so we can get it to you before the Lunar New Year.

There are only 1,000 bottles of this unique champagne made a year, enjoyed by the likes of Mickey Rourke, Christian Audigier and Tony Parker. It’s a sure-fire conversation starter at your Chinese New Year party and can be yours at a very special price!

This champagne’s quality is like none other as it is based on Drappier “Cuvee Special,” and consists of 90% Pinot Noir, 7% Chardonnay and 3% Pinot Meunier as well as 24 carat Golden Leaves – the highest level of purity you can find for the gold! With widespread availability in Europe, it has only now come to the Asian market so we want you to be the first to try it.

Drop us an email to email or call Sidney at Winebuzz (852) 3488-1090 if interested in one or more of these luxurious bubblies but make sure to get in quick as it’s on a first come-first serve basis.