A while ago I was invited to a tasting by Champagne giant Veuve Clicquot, who brought over their oenologist François Hautekeur. The tasting took place at an atmospheric, cozy-but-epic wine cellar downtown Helsinki. (Kudos to Kari Sjöblom!) First of all I have to admit I have never been an avid Champagne drinker, but I've always respected the style, history and professionalism that goes into the winemaking. It's strange since I very rarely have had a bad experience with Champagne. It's just so cleverly branded and valuable people tend to only pop that bottle at special occasions where the mood is already great. Must do well for the established brand on the other hand - many people get awsome experience, but then again they are more rare than lets say, tasting epic Rieslings. The scarcity does work for Champagne though, keeping in mind the pricing. A rich elite consumer group buys the bulk that keeps things rolling and everybody else has a special event every now and then... Luxury branding 101 right there. Learn from these guys.
Mr. Hautekeur has been working for Veuve for almost a decade. As an oenologist he is an expert in all areas of winemaking. He takes care of the red grapes grown and needed to blend the Rosé among other things, like tasting many samples each morning. More recently he has been the embassador for Veuve's Nordic and Russian market. Much respect!
François & myself with La Grande Dame.
On THE menu -
Non-Vintage Rosé
Vintage 2002
La Grande Dame 1998
Vintage Rich 2002
Alright, starting with the Non-Vintage Rosé, the most recent addition to the Veuve Clicquot family (at least over here in Finland) - A Chardonnay & Pinot Noir blend. My notes describe it like this; "Berries and citrus in the nose, Floral - Rose feel, quite short taste, balanced acidity and those famous small bubbles, balance in the berry side (not over the top). Hints of fudge(!). Colourwise more towards apricot. Party wine?"
"The Chardonnay is the backbone - The Pinot Noir are the muscles" - Mr. Hautekeur
Next up the Vintage from 2002 and my notes; "Nuts, rasins and fruits in the nose, rich fruitiness throughout and a long taste. Everything in balance from the acidity to bubbles." I must say I enjoyed this more, even though the Rosé was a nice surprise.
"Orgasmic" - Mr. Hautekeur
Off to my favourite La Grande Dame (1998) that had us all smiling and looking at each other with polite acceptence. This might have been my friend Kale Agnus's (Nomad Importers) favourite too. And the notes go; "Great acidity and bubbles. A balance between citrus and fruit. Lots of in-your-face character for its age. A bit of that classic french toast feel." This is in the same price class as a Dom Perignon, that only over 100€ bottle on Alko's shelves and while similar to each other, they are both great competitors!
Then the weirdo of the buch - Vingate Rich 2002. Basically the sweet version of the vintage. This had so much sugar it was not my cup of tea. I could see the target audience though - Women! There is just something about women and their sweet tooth that has created demand for a product like this and well, Veuve replied nicely! The acidity is still there, fruits and all, but with an overwhelming amount of sugar I find it hard to reach for a second glass. Well if this isn't expanding the brand I don't know what is. As long as the stretching is done in a subtle manner, Veuve can get off with these "stranger" personalities in their Champagne family.
Keep 'em coming!
François & myself with La Grande Dame.
No comments:
Post a Comment