We are having Champagne
Today the entry into the assortment of André Clouet. A Grande Réserve from Bouzy.
Champagne always feels a bit decadent. If you really need it is a good question, which you probably shouldn’t think about too long. After all, there are quite beautiful bottles of Sekt out there. And depending on where you look, the prices are not that different. But as I said, don’t brood too long. Less thinking, more refilling should be the motto. Especially with bubbles. In the end, the bottle today is just the entrance to Champagne anyway. And some occasions are just calling for a bit of decadence. Apart from that, I take the view that wine that you have in your cellar has already been paid for anyway. So opening the bottle costs nothing.
There is plenty of sparkling wine, but champagne, yes, champagne is something special after all. Since the reputation naturally helps with the selling of the approximately 400 million bottles per year, they pay a lot of attentian to this reputation. Almost always from Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier or Pinot Noir the bottles are produced according to strict rules from vineyard to cellar. The result can be everything from the well-known big brand champagnes with a massive production volume to vintner champagnes from smaller producers.
Today in the glass we have an entry level bottle from André Clouet, a smaller producer with vineyards around Bouzy. The Grande Réserve was made purely from Pinot Noir, but as Blanc de Noir, so it is a white wine. The first thing you notice in the glass are the fine bubbles and the full nose. Elegant, but also a bit massive. Lots of fruit, apples, pears, and fresh with a note of yellow compote. Somewhere in between. It also has the yeasty or brioche note that you find in so many sparkling wines. But here it is more in the background than in front, an elegant support in the aroma. The aroma stays very long on your tongue when tasting, with citrus notes, soft and the mousseux fits simply superb. The mouth feel of the sparkling wine is great, creamy, fruity, sparkling. Awesome. Bottle fermentation is worth it, in Champagne and everywhere else. What is also worth it is to take your time with the drinking. Something happens in the glass, sometimes more fresh, sometimes more compote, always round and pleasant. A nice entry into the world of champagne.