Anthony Gismondi shares his top picks to ring in the New Year
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Style is one of those words that means different things to different people. Take champagne. If you taste enough or pay attention to what comes your way over the years, you will also come to recognize that the style of one champagne can be different from the next.
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The short course in Champagne knowledge is all about its style and the blending of fruit. Ultimately, the nuances create the differences between one producer’s “house” style and another, from the light and ethereal mineral citrus offerings to the rich and robust or the heavier toasted-biscuit style. All producers work with three main grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier. They tweak the final percentage yearly to maintain a consistent house style.
When Pinot Noir dominates the blend, the wine is noticeably richer. The extra body and weight that stems from the power of Pinot Noir gives the sparkler the ability to age longer in bottle, further increasing its complexity and power. When Chardonnay is the focus, the wines have a leaner structure that often appears lighter and creamier in the mouth. Elegance and finesse are the hallmarks of exceptional Chardonnay, with few exceptions. Meunier is the region’s swing grape. While never prominent in champagne, its fruit component can be important in the final assemblage or blend.
Ultimately, the flexibility to add older reserve wines drawn from a diverse range of vineyards allows each Champagne house to reproduce a consistent taste or house style year in and year out — not unlike a fine cognac or blended whisky.
Time in the bottle by Champagne law is at least 15 months before release, while 12 months on its lees is required for non-vintage cuvées. In practice, most Champagne wines are cellared for longer: two to three years for non-vintage wines and four to ten years for vintage Champagne.
Our final selections for the year are restricted to the broad category of champagne known historically as non-vintage Brut. More recently, the category has chosen a more descriptive moniker, multi-vintage, that better describes these sparkling jewels for what they are: a multi-vintage, blended wine containing different grapes from scores of vineyards and, more often than not, several years of reserve wine.
The Champenoise raised their prices coming out of COVID-19, which hasn’t been well received by regular wine drinkers who reach for a bottle or two, and sales are lagging worldwide as a result. That said, there is nothing quite like champagne, which leads us to suggest you get together with others to share the cost and enjoy a glass or two over the holidays. Buy one on sale and take advantage of a further five per cent reduction courtesy of the federal government’s current GST holiday. It’s the only way to shop in B.C.’s ridiculously overpriced wine market.
Here’s a short list of some of the best muti-vintage blends in our market. Our wines of the week will feature more bubbles to choose from. Happy New Year to all, and be safe wherever you decide to celebrate.
Multi-vintage Champagne
• Champagne Mumm N/V G.H. Grand Cordon Brut, $70.99
• Champagne Piper Heidsieck N/V Cuvee Brut, $73.99
• Champagne Taittinger N/V Brut Reserve, $74.99
• Champagne Veuve Clicquot N/V Brut, $82.99
• Champagne Louis Roederer N/V Collection 243, $86.99
• Champagne de Venoge N/V Cordon Bleu Brut Sélect, $88.99
• Champagne N/V Pol Roger Brut Reserve, $89.99
• Champagne Moët & Chandon N/V Rosé Imperial, $94.99
• Champagne Laurent-Perrier N/V Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature, $163.99
Weekend wine picks
Santa Margherita Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Brut N/V, Veneto, Italy
$22.49 I 88/100
UPC: 8003930001606
This Prosecco is made with glera grapes grown on the hillsides of Valdobbiadene north of Venice, where Prosecco Superiore is the DOCG status. The refinement begins with tiny bubbles that reflect the straw yellow colour and highlight the green notes. The nose is a subtle mix of scents, including pineapples, peaches, and apples, and while exotically sweet smelling, the wine finishes clean and just off-dry — Prosecco with a touch of style.
Fitz Brut Sparkling Wine 2019, Okanagan Valley
$32.99 I 89/100
UPC: 626990291831
Fitz Brut has been a quality sparkler from day one and is the signature blend or cuvee of the property. The mix sits at just under three-quarters Chardonnay with roughly one-quarter Pinot Noir and, since 2015, a splash of Meunier. All of it is grown at their estate, Greata Ranch Vineyard, and made by talented winemaker Sarah Bain. The Brut is 24 months old most of the time and presents as dry. Look for a fresh crunchy fruit entry with orchard pear and green apple poking through a delicate leesy autolytic creamy texture with fantastic persistent bubbles. Complex and food-friendly.
Champagne Lanson Le Black Brut N/V, Champagne, France
$78 I 92/100
UPC: 692743002863
Something is to be said for consistency and accountability in Champagne, and Lanson Le Black Brut has it in spades. The pale amber colour previews a stream of tiny bubbles infused with lemon, pear, and apple, with a hint of pastry running from front to back. This is supported by a mineral, stony stream of electricity that refreshes every sip. The mix is 50/35/15 Pinot Noir/Chardonnay/Pinot Meunier with a generous hit of reserve wine stored in stainless steel and wood. Drink any time, anywhere.
Champagne Pol Roger Brut Reserve N/V, Champagne, France
$89.99 I 92/100
UPC: 089744142450
A personal favourite, this champagne is simply a pleasure to drink and serve. The nose has a subtle fruit tone, like pear or mango, with honeysuckle and floral notes. The palate pitches quince, apricot, and light honey with a streak of tangerine and an electric mineral stony finish. Brut Réserve has always been crafted to be the champagne of all occasions. The blend is equal parts Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay from 30 different crus, and 25 per cent is reserve wine from several previous years. Harmony is the key to this label’s success, which is consistently reached by mixing the structure, body and power of Pinot Noir with the freshness, roundness and fruitiness of the Meunier and the aromatic complexity, finesse, elegance and lightness of Chardonnay. Four years aging in deep (33 metres below ground), cool chalk cellars, on its lees, is the final secret to a magical wine.
Champagne Pierre Paillard Les Parcelles Bouzy Grand Cru XVIII N/V, Montagne de Reims, Champagne, France
$89.99 I 92/100
UPC: 03535140001008
Les Parcelles is a mostly 2018 wine (70 per cent), as noted by the XVIII on the front label, and is a mix of 70/30 Pinot Noir/Chardonnay disgorged after four years on lees. Red and green apples and citrus roll over a saline oyster liqueur base that penetrates its long leesy palate and finishes with spice. The balance is off the charts, allowing the terroir of one of Champagne’s unique sub-regions to speak directly to the drinker. Pick your food match, as almost everything works — the essence of Champagne.
Calendar Items
• Fifty-seven restaurants jumped on board to launch Dine Out Vancouver, a fixed-price menu promotion to get Vancouverites out to restaurants during the ordinarily slow weeks of January and February.
The Dine Out Vancouver Festival turns 23 this year, having grown into Canada’s largest food-and-drink event. This year, it will bring together hundreds of chefs, almost 400 restaurants, wineries, craft breweries, suppliers and more for a three-week season of dining, food-forward events and experiences from Jan. 22 to Feb. 9.
Tickets go fast, from the inexpensive Great Eats under $65 to the acclaimed Vancouver World Chef Exchange, where foreign chefs are invited to collaborate with leading Vancouver chefs to create a unique evening of food crossing many cultures.
• Victoria wines, spirits and ales retailer Vessel Liquor Store at the Fort and Oak Bay Crossroads offers some of the province’s most compelling consumer wine tastings. The Cru’s Nest Classroom, a custom-built tasting facility above the retail store, hosts a series of wine, beer and cocktail classes year-round. A bevy of overqualified instructors leads friendly, accessible tasting seminars capped at 18 guests to ensure everyone has time to ask questions, learn and taste. Vessel’s Eventbrite page lists all current and upcoming classes into the summer, where you can discover all they offer and register online.
B.C. wine of the week
Phoenix Chardonnay 2023, B.C.
$22.90 I 89/100
UPC: 696852021036
Corcelettes Winery has gone outside the Similkameen Valley to make its Phoenix Wines and this Chardonnay is the first we have seen. It hails from King Vineyard at the southern entrance to the Naramata Bench. It’s fermented in 100 per cent concrete, giving it a fresh, vibrant vibe with fully ripe fruit at a moderate 12.7 per cent alcohol. The nose is an orchard fruit bomb of lemons, melons, green apples and peaches that spill onto a well-balanced creamy palate of more of the same with just enough acidity to keep it fresh. It is easy to sip and very pleasing down to its mineral finish. This showed well at the National Wine Awards, garnering a solid silver at a bargain price. Ready to drink now.
Value wine of the week
Umani Ronchi Medoro Sangiovese, Marche, Italy
$14.99 I 87/100
UPC: 8032853720479
Umani Ronchi is a respected producer of Marche wines. Medoro is made with Sangiovese, the most prominent single variety planted in Marche, a good combination when looking for value wines. The nose is earthy and streaked with some floral notes. On the palate, it is a medium-weight mix of cherries and earth with bright acidity and a clean finish. Food-friendly and organically grown, it is a match for a Margherita pizza, a simple ragu, or a piece of Reggiano cheese. You can’t expect more at this price.