Non-Vintage Champagne Tasting at San Francisco Wine Trading Company
December 24, 2-5pm $10
There’s no time like the present to celebrate the holidays. Whether you can’t wait for the holidays to arrive or you can’t wait for them to end, nothing does a better job of lifting the spirits and carrying away all of your woes, than a bottle of Champagne. This Saturday we will be pouring a star-studded selection of well-known producers as well as a handful of hidden gems from small grower-producers throughout the region. This star-studded lineup will feature the real deal, not sparkling wines from California or bubbles from any other corner of the globe for that matter. To add further enticement we will also be offering special deals on select Champagnes so stock up now while the savings are good and enjoy Champagne all year round! After all, Champagne is not only an effective way to enhance the holiday season, but it is also a wonderful elixir that can turn any day of the year into cause for celebration. Check out the line up below of small grower/producers we have picked, all were imported by the famed Kermit Lynch.
Non-Vintage Champagne Selections
J. Lassalle, Brut Champagne, 1er Cru Chigny Les Roses $43 (Special Price $36.55)
Long before it was popular to promote the virtues of grower-producer Champagnes, Kermit Lynch was right there at the forefront of the movement with an eye for quality and a pension for all things artisanal. Everything done at this fine estate is done by hand, from the harvest to the disgorging. No corners are cut and the proof is in the bottle. This is a lovely effort with toasty notes of crème brulée and smoky minerals. The lovely aromatics are complimented by the wine’s generous fruit core and subtle leesy quality.
Veuve Fourny, Brut Grande Reserve Vertus 1er Cru $47.00 (Special Price $39.95)
The Fourny estate is located in the prestigious premier cru village of Vertus, an appellation within the Cotes des Blancs that gives the Fourny family the rare opportunity to grow Pinot Noir as well as Chardonnay. Veuve Fourny produces classic grower Champagne, raising pedigreed fruit, adhering to high standards, and hand-crafting wines that showcase the chalky terroir of Vertus. Like most non-vintage Champagnes, the Brut Grand Reserve embodies the house style at Veuve Fourny impeccably well with elegantly perfumed aromatics, a highly refined texture and a combination of tree orchard fruit and complex minerals that embraces Champagne’s more elegant side.
Paul Bara, Brut Reserve Champagne, Grand Cru $56.00 (Special Price $42.00)
The Montagne de Reims boasts some of the best Pinot Noir in the region, and Bouzy is its capital. The key to Bouzy’s inherent greatness lies in its deep, chalky subsoil, which imparts an intense combination of bold fruit and great minerality in its grand cru wines. Bouzy is Pinot Noir territory and Bara’s non-vintage Brut Reserve is composed of 80% Pinot Noir with a balance of 20% Chardonnay. This classic cuvee offers up gorgeous notes of freshly cut violets, toast, honeysuckle and baked apples.
Veuve Fourny, Brut Rose Champagne, Vertus 1er Cru $56.00 (Special Price $47.50)
Passionate custodians of the land, the Fourny family has been cultivating the vines of Vertus since 1856. The Brut Rosé consists of top quality handpicked Pinot Noir (20%) and Chardonnay (80%) from several of the estate’s finest and oldest premier cru vineyards. A wonderfully refreshing and refined Rosé with gorgeously perfumed notes of red violets and citrus blossoms, white tea and juicy wild strawberry. The palate is at once assertive and forgiving with bold mineral notes that flatter the elegant red and white fruits and compliment the wine’s outstanding natural acidity.
J. Lassalle, Brut Rose Champagne, 1er Cru Chigny Les Roses $62.00 (Special Price $52.70)
Just like the great whites of the Cote d’Or, the Lassalle Champagnes are allowed to finish their malolactic fermentation, adding a signature richness and complexity rarely found at these price points. All of the cuvées are aged extensively with a minimum of five years in bottle. This is an astonishing effort with delicate notes of tuberose, honeyed tangerine, black plums and plenty of liquid minerals. There is a decisively Pinot Noir-like quality on the finish that mixes dried herbs and dusty red berry fruits across a framework of bright mouth-watering acidity.
Paul Bara, Brut Rose Champagne Grand Cru $62.00 (Special Price $46.50)
The Baras make their wines by hand, with low-yielding vines. Andrew Jefford, author of The New France, calls them, “…essential references for anyone who wants to enjoy and understand the ripe, dry richness of Bouzy…” We couldn’t agree more! The non-vintage Brut Rose is the winery’s most popular Champagne. Made from 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, there is a richness and complexity here that is rarely found in a non-vintage cuvee. Bright aromas of wild strawberry fruit, black currant and smoky minerals abound followed by hints of fresh herbs, toast and ripe plums.
SFWTC Staff
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