Grower Champagne Focus: Léclapart, Charlot-Tanneux, Emmanuel Brochet, Chevreaux-Bournazel

champagne france

Grower Champagne Focus: Léclapart, Charlot-Tanneux, Emmanuel Brochet, Chevreaux-Bournazel

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I had these lovely grower Champagnes in a wine bar in Reims (the excellent Au Bon Manger, 7 Rue Courmeaux). Anyone who thinks of Champagne merely in terms of the Grand Marques needs to think again. Anyone who doesn’t think Champagne is a terroir wine needs to think again. I need to go back, soon.

Champagne Emmanuel Brochet Le Mont Benoit NV France
40% Pinot Meunier, 40% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir. Salty, tangy and intense with lovely citrus and herb notes. Finesse here with a lovely lemony finish. 93/100

Champagne Charlot-Tanneux Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Elia NV France
From Mardeuil, this is 12.7% alcohol and has 7 g/l dosage. It’s based on the 2006 harvest ad is from a premier cru vineyard, selection massale vines, fermented with wild yeast in small oak, no malolactic. 1900 bottles made, disgorged January 2015. Very pure and fine with some sweetness to the citrus fruit, with depth. Quite linear, though. Fine acidity and a lovely mellow crystalline core. Slightly honeyed, but quite mineral too. 93/100

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Champagne David Léclapart l’Amateur 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs Pas Dosé NV France
Very fine, fresh, textured and mineral with fine pear and citrus fruit. So pure and linear with notes of anise and a nice savoury edge. Focused and poised. 94/100

Champagne Augustin Cuvée CCC1 Element Feu Cuvée 301 1er Cru NV France
Disgorged 17/05/15. 8.6 g/l dosage, 12% alcohol. Bold, rich and toasty. Very smooth and intense with lovely richness. Great depth here with sweet toasty notes dominating. Rich pear and peach fruit. Powerful and appealing. 90/100

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Champagne Chevreux-Bournazel La Parcelle NV France
This spends 11 months in oak, 11.7% alcohol. This has an interesting story. A couple used to work in a steeply sloped vineyard and the owner decided to sell it. He asked them if they wanted to buy it but they had no money. They went to Vincent Charlot-Tanneaux, and he helped them. They now make 650 bottles from this plot. It’s very tight and fresh, linear and mineral, with fresh citrus and pear fruit, lovely lemony acidity and nice spiciness. 92/100

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1 Comment on Grower Champagne Focus: Léclapart, Charlot-Tanneux, Emmanuel Brochet, Chevreaux-BournazelTagged
wine journalist and flavour obsessive

One thought on “Grower Champagne Focus: Léclapart, Charlot-Tanneux, Emmanuel Brochet, Chevreaux-Bournazel

  1. Not that I drink a lot of Champagne, but when I do, it’s anything except the Grands Marques. Before I spent a week in the Aube many years ago, I really didn’t know anything about grower Champagne. But there, I think pretty much all Champagne is grower Champagne. And what we had was very good.

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