Vintage Champagne Tasting at San Francisco Wine Trading Company
December 31, 2-5:30pm $10
While any sparkling wine is festive and easy to enjoy, Vintage Champagne is serious wine and a rare treat that highlights the year and usually shows the more complex side that can be displayed by the artisans that toil over every detail to make these amazing wines. Though Royalty and James Bond types seem to drink these Champagnes like water, it is not often we get a chance to taste such wines together and see the subtle differences that these wines offer. Vintage Champagne also is more often than not deeper, richer and more powerful than the No-Vintage versions, and they are made to age gracefully in the cellar.
Don’t miss this chance to taste this wonderful selection of fine Vintage Champagne!
The Vintage Selections
2005 Ruelle-Pertois, Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne, Grandy Cru, Moussy. $44.95
Ruelle-Pertois is a small, family owned and operated Champagne producer located in the town of Moussy. In total, the house of Ruelle-Pertois has less than 15 acres of vines, from which 4,000 cases of Champagne are made annually, which in Champagne terms is next to nothing. Their vineyards in the Côtes de Blancs are located in Cramant, Chouilly and Oiry, and are all classified as 100% Grand Cru fruit. The ethereal 2005 Blanc de Blancs is a gorgeous effort with delicately perfumed aromas of white tea, jasmine flowers, honey crisp apples and smoke.
2002 Eric Rodez, Brut Champagne, Grand Cru, Ambonnay. $66.95
Eric Rodez is not only a Champagne producer but he is also the mayor of Ambonnay, the renowned Champagne village in the Montagne de Reims. About 70% of his Champagne is fermented and aged in oak, leading to a decadently rich and wonderfully creamy mouth-feel. Rodez relies heavily on reserve wines and often blends anywhere from five to ten different vintages in his final cuvees. The 2002 is made from equal proportions of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and it reveals the complexity of its esteemed origins, with hints of ripe pear and apricot and a touch of recently cut hay.
2002 J. Lassalle, Brut Champagne, Premier Cru, Special Club, Chigny Les Roses. $78.20
The house of J. Lassalle is one of importer Kermit Lynch’s oldest producers, having been in the KL Wine Merchant portfolio for longer than any other producer. Lassalle’s Special Club is only made in the finest of vintages and is a blend of Chardonnay (60%) and Pinot Noir (40%) from the family’s 10.1 hectare vineyard. Only the finest vines are selected for the Special Club and the 2002 is a large-scaled effort that is overflowing with honeysuckle, mandarin citrus, pears, bright acidity and plenty of perfumed minerals.
2002 Paul Bara, Brut Champagne, Grand Cru, Special Club, a Bouzy. $91.80
The Montagne de Reims boasts some of the best Pinot Noir in all of Champagne, and Bouzy is without a doubt 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 2002 Special Club is the crown jewel in their Champagne portfolio. This is a real powerhouse with bold, highly textured notes of violets, black truffle, wild strawberry and sweet raspberry and plum fruits. This is a must-have for any lover of Red Burgundy as the Pinot Noir dominates the nose and palate and is reminiscent of a fine premier cru.
2006 Vilmart & Cie, Brut Champagne, Premier Cru, Grand Cellier D’ Or, Montagne de Reims. $109.00
Named as “one of Champagne’s top estates” by the Wine Advocate, “Proprietor Laurent Champs can be counted on for wines of extraordinary class and elegance. The 2006 Brut Cuvee Grand Cellier d’Or is a striking wine endowed with tons of class and sheer depth. It shows considerable power in its freshly cut flowers, spices and rich Chardonnay fruit. All of the aromas and flavors build effortlessly to a creamy finish layered with smoke, minerals and ash. This is a fabulous wine in every way, but it will require at least a few more years in bottle.” (Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate)
2002 Bollinger, Brut Champagne, La Grand Annee. $129.95
“The 2002 Brut La Grande Annee is marvelous. The 2002 is an understated Grande Annee that caresses the palate with layers of effortless, weightless fruit. The mousse is exceptionally fine, which adds to the impression of total elegance. This is a relatively bright, floral Grande Annee with plenty of aromatic lift, inner perfume and no sense of heaviness at all. A rich, creamy finish adds the final note of complexity and pedigree. The 2002 is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, 71% from Grand Cru villages and 29% from Premier Crus.” (Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate)
These Champagnes are available now at:
www.sfwtc.com
