Champagne Discovery
beyond the bubbles
- TASTING EVENTS -
bespoke tastings
- coming soon -
- TASTING EVENTS -
champagne masterclasses
- coming soon -
- TASTING EVENTS -
champagne et fromage
- coming soon -
ABOUT US
We are Gita and Lee, two self-confessed champagne lovers for whom this effervescent drink has been a huge part of our lives since meeting twenty-three years ago. Our first trip to the region was in 1999 to source bottles for our wedding. Since then, we have been visiting several times a year, have tasted thousands of champagnes and continue to discover amazing new producers, incredible wines and stories. We are immensely passionate about the top quality smaller domaines who tell a narrative through their creations, from vineyard to bottle. As well as the bubbles, Champagne is home to some excellent still white, red and rosés too; not to forget Ratafia de Champagne. This famous region is fortunate to be home to a myriad of World class winemakers, producing an array of diverse wines, we really are spoilt for choice. We love wine, we absolutely adore champagne!
Tchin tchin!
Champagne of the Month
JACQUES LASSAIGNE
1 + UN
Our “Champagne of the Month” for November 2022 is the cuvée “1 + UN” from the brilliant Emmanuel Lassaigne. He is based in the village of Montgueux known by the moniker of the Montrachet of Champagne. Montgueux wasn’t always so affectionately lauded and when Emmanuel or Manu as he is known, took over the family domaine in 1999 it was a little known champagne outpost. It didn’t take too long however before this chalky hill to the West of Troyes began garnering attention and it is now rightly appreciated for its Chardonnay.
The estate totals 5½ hectares with all plots located inside the commune of Montgueux. Here the soil is of Cretaceous chalk beneath clay-limestone. In the vineyard, Emmanuel eschews the use of chemical fertilisers and insecticides. Biodiversity is promoted through enherbement and gentle ploughing by hand. In the winery, fermentation predominantly takes place in stainless steel, partial malolactic fermentation, his wines are neither fined nor filtered; minimal sulphur is used and the wines are without dosage.
“1 + UN” is a blanc de blancs consisting entirely of Chardonnay. It is born from the two Montgueux plots of Haut Revers du Chutat and Grande Côte. The base wine (60%) is from the 2009 harvest, 17% from 2008, 17% from 2007 and 6% from 2006. We believe the wine was disgorged in February 2017 before being sealed with a natural cork.
Tasted: 17:45 hours, Friday 28th October 2022 (fruit day in the biodynamic calendar)
Glassware: Jamesse Absolus
Appearance: Clear, medium, lemon.
Flavour characteristics: Pronounced intensity with primary notes of chamomile, honeysuckle, pear, green apple, quince, grapefruit, lemon rind, lemon juice, honeydew melon, pineapple, lychee, passion fruit, persimmon, white peach and lemon curd. Secondary aromas of short crust pastry, parmentier biscuit, coconut, buttered brioche, butterscotch and lemon meringue pie. Tertiary notes include almond, marzipan, walnut, dried apricot, dried apple, ginger, gingerbread, nutty, marmalade, hay and honey.
Emmanuel crafts delicious wines, always exciting and always have you craving for more! This wine is drinking beautifully now yet still has potential for further ageing.
Price circa – no longer available
tchin tchin
WHAT'S IN OUR GLASS
A brief description of the most recent wines we have been enjoying. Tchin tchin!
Charles Dufour – Orange Sanguine
Jacques Selosse – Brut Rosé
Leclerc-Briant – Rosé Brut
Egly-Ouriet – V.P.
Jean-Marc Sélèque – Quintette
Piollot – Colas Robin
Caillez-Lemaire – Rosé
Pascal Doquet – Blanc de Blancs
Vincent Charlot – Le Fruit de ma Passion