Franck Bonville Grand Cru Les Belles Voyes Blanc de Blancs N.V. Franck and his wife Jeannine after the second war commercialized the first bottles of champagne from a vineyard already connected on the lands of Avize and Oger for over twenty years. Today, Giles and his wife Ingrid Bonville, together with their son Olivier spend time tending to the operation of the winery, including updating and modernizing the facility. Their goal is to grow grapes of the highest quality and produce great wines which are fresh, delicate and elegant. If you read the label, you will see the words “Récoltant Manipulant” or “RM” on the bottle of Franck Bonville, which…
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Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rose Brut N.V. Founded in 1812, Laurent-Perrier has been crafting Champagnes for nearly two hundred years, making it one of the largest family owned brands. Located in the northeastern region of France, the Champagne region has one of the coolest possible wine producing climates, which is moderated by the Marne River and the region’s proximity to the ocean. Laurent-Perrier is based in the picturesque village of Tours-sur-Marne – an ideal location at the intersection between Champagne’s three foremost sub-regions: Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs. The Cuvée Rosé from Laurent-Perrier is the most recognized rosé champagne in the world. It is also one…
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Taittinger Brut Champagne NV When Pierre Taittinger first discovered the Champagne region, he was a young liaison officer during the first World War. It was thanks to his passion for wine and gastronomy that he returned several years later and, with his brother-in-law, invested all his energy into the development of a burgeoning champagne business. Since 1932 Champagne Taittinger has grown and taken its place among the great Champagne houses, commanding a bold innovative style particularly influenced by Chardonnay. Having bought back the family business in 2006, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger has surrounded himself with a team that is both young and bound together by a spirit of attainment and permanence. His…
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Champagne Taittinger Prestige Rosé NV When Pierre Taittinger first discovered the Champagne region, he was a young liaison officer during the first World War. It was thanks to his passion for wine and gastronomy that he returned several years later and, with his brother-in-law, invested all his energy into the development of a burgeoning champagne business. Since 1932 Champagne Taittinger has grown and taken its place among the great Champagne houses, commanding a bold innovative style particularly influenced by Chardonnay. Having bought back the family business in 2006, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger has surrounded himself with a team that is both young and bound together by a spirit of attainment and permanence.…
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Taittinger Nocturne Champagne When Pierre Taittinger first discovered the Champagne region, he was a young liaison officer during the first World War. It was thanks to his passion for wine and gastronomy that he returned several years later and, with his brother-in-law, invested all his energy into the development of a burgeoning champagne business. Since 1932 Champagne Taittinger has grown and taken its place among the great Champagne houses, commanding a bold innovative style particularly influenced by Chardonnay. Having bought back the family business in 2006, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger has surrounded himself with a team that is both young and bound together by a spirit of attainment and permanence. His daughter…
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Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Blanc De Blancs N.V. This is the last in a four-part tasting series from a private Billecart-Salmon Champagne event led by Billecart-Salmon Brand Ambassador, Clement Calleja, and in my opinion I saved the best for last. Today I am commenting on Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Blanc De Blancs N.V. Billecart-Salmon is a medium-sized champagne house in Mareuil-sur-Ay, France, near Epernay. Founded in 1818 with the marriage of Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, it is one of the few to remain family owned. Most all of the Champagnes produced undergo a process of Disgorgement (getting rid of the dead yeast from fermentation) and adding a Dosage, topping off…
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Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé N.V. Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart 1999 This is the third in a four-part tasting series from a private Billecart-Salmon Champagne event led by Billecart-Salmon Brand Ambassador, Clement Calleja. Today I am commenting on two Champagnes; Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé N.V. & Billecart-Salmon Brut Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart 1999. Billecart-Salmon is a medium-sized champagne house in Mareuil-sur-Ay, France, near Epernay. Founded in 1818 with the marriage of Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, it is one of the few to remain family owned. The excellence of Champagne BILLECART-SALMON is due to the knowledge of its men who cultivate with rigor an estate of 100 hectares…
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Champagne Billecart-Salmon Extra Brut N.V. Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois N.V. This is the second in a four-part tasting series from a private Billecart-Salmon Champagne event led by Billecart-Salmon Brand Ambassador, Clement Calleja. Today I am commenting on two Champagnes; Billecart-Salmon Extra Brut N.V. & Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois N.V. The family motto: “Give priority to quality, strive for excellence”. This motto is evident at the family garden, which was redesigned in 1926 in a French style under the guidance of Charles Roland-Billecart. The idea of his project was to create a garden at the heart of the village, enclosed by walls surrounded by lime trees primed in to a…
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Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve N.V. I recently went to a private Billecart-Salmon Champagne tasting hosted by my favorite wine shop, Stew Leonard’s Wines. Billecart-Salmon Brand Ambassador, Clement Calleja (photo below), was leading the tasting and provided excellent insights into six of the Billecart-Salmon Champagnes we tasted. Over the next several postings, I will comment on all six Champagnes I tried, just in time to provide some insights should you want to stock up before the holidays. Stay tuned for the remaining 5 reviews in coming posts! Billecart-Salmon is a medium-sized champagne house in Mareuil-sur-Ay, France, near Epernay. Founded in 1818 with the marriage of Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, it…
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Pascal Doquet Blanc de Blancs Champagne Completely independent since 2004, this vineyard, consists of 8.66 hectares, the winery continually searches for healthier and more environmentally friendly farming methods of the terroir and the consumer without constraint. Since 2004, the brand sells under the name Pascal Doquet Mesnil Grand Cru and developed a vineyard that evolved to an organic viticulture. This is another Champagne with the words “Récoltant Manipulant” or “RM” on the bottle label, again meaning that the grapes are grown on the Estate, the Champagne is produced at the Estate and the Champagne is bottled at the Estate. The grower has full control over the quality of the wine…