Wednesday, June 8, 2016

May 30, 2016 - A Sigh, Not a Pop

Hi, everybody et bienvenue à Cépage et Cuisine, Mary’s and Brian’s blog about wine, food, art, and culture.  Today we visited two producers and explored the countryside while trying to dodge the raindrops.  I got a lesson in opening a bottle of Champagne.

First, a word about quality vs quantity in visiting wine estates.  We generally visit only one or two per day and we try to schedule appointments in advance.  The producers appreciate the planning and are more willing to provide longer interactions.  We can learn more about the wine, the estate, the family story, the culture.  Rushing from one winery to the next does not offer the same depth of experience.
Our first appointment was at Champagne Guy Charbaut in Mareuil-sur-Ay, just a short drive from Bouzy.  He is located on a busy street in the village.  Behind this wall is a courtyard with the office, a gite, and a reception room to accommodate events.

Alexandra was our host and took us across the street to the cellars, behind a non-descript, unmarked wooden door.

The cellars were constructed in the 1800s, making them 150 or so years old.




They are quite labyrinthine and can store tens of thousands of bottles.

Here are bottles in a riddling machine.  It is still hard work and manually performed, but much less demanding than turning each bottle by hand.


Champagne Guy Charbaut produces a prized Champagne rosé they call Memory.  These bottles are riddled by hand.

They have a nice facility for conducting tastings and group meals.

I’ve been watching how easily restaurant servers and producers open Champagne bottles without the loud pop.  The bottle just makes a slight whooshing sound that is often described as a “sigh.”  I’ve always made the pop sound when I’ve opened bottles.  That’s fine, of course, as it is a festive, celebratory sound.  Sometimes the cork is damp and gripping it is difficult and I use a towel to get a better grip.
It turns out that what I’ve been doing incorrectly is to try to open the bottle by twisting the cork out of the bottle.  Instead, what I should have been doing is twisting the bottle off the cork, turning the bottom of the bottle while holding the cork still.  Leaving the cage on the cork helps keep a grip on the cork.

Here’s a short video to show you my learning process.  I’m doing a little better but I also look forward to getting more practice!  I’ve always known to point the bottle away from anyone else in case the cork goes flying, but I was a little distracted today.  You might get a chuckle from seeing our host, Alexandra, move out of the way.  Here goes and enjoy.
After saying goodbye to Alexandra and Champagne Guy Charbaut, we drove to the mountainside village of Hautvillers for lunch.  It is beautiful with wonderful views.  These vineyards are interesting because they fill a sort of amphitheater topography.  That means the same vineyard has many different exposures to sun.


The lunch specials hit the spot, omelette and potatoes for me.

Pasta with Bolognese sauce for Mary.
Our afternoon appointment was at Champagne Vilmart et Cie in Milly la Montagne.
What is unusual about Champagne Vilmart is their extensive use of oak barrels, both the large foudres and the typical barrels you see in this photo.  Their style is one of more softness and roundness than most producers.
The softer expression is certainly what we experienced when we tasted through their portfolio.  The wines are still fresh and complex, but don’t have the crisp edges of other Champagne examples.
They have this interesting stained glass window that depicts a year in the life of the vine and of wine production.
Our final dinner in France on this trip was at La Cave à Champagne in Epernay.  I should mention that getting to both restaurants where we have dined in Epernay has taken us along the Avenue de Champagne, which I might describe as the Rodeo Drive of Champagne.  The old, enormous, beautiful Champagne houses are a sight to see.

Our reservation was for 7:30 p.m.  Guess what.

Their list included Champagne Goutorbe.  You may recall from our post a couple of days ago that they invited us in for a short tour and tasting when our planned appointment across the street was cancelled.  I appreciate that kindness so when we saw them on the wine list tonight, we chose their wine.  And they let me practice my bottle opening skills!
It was a fine example of a solid Champagne with both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, crisp and clean with fresh aromas and flavors of citrus and tree fruit, fine effervescence, good balance and length.  I’d be happy to have it in our collection at home.
I had this amazing first course of scallops and crawfish in a Champagne cream sauce.
We both had dos de cabillaud, baked cod, which was the poisson de marché, the fish of the day, also in a Champagne cream sauce with lentils and root vegetables.  We are always amazed at how consistent they are with quality ingredients and expert technique.

Not knowing if we will see cheese courses in Germany, I finished with the trilogie de fromages de la Champagne.

Once again, I felt a little wistfulness about leaving France, but we’re looking forward to our first wine, culinary, and cultural visit to Germany.

That’s our post for today.  Thank you so much for reading us at Cépage et Cuisine.  Keep checking back for new posts.  We’ll try to get them on the blog as quickly as we can.  In the meantime,

Cheers!


Mary♥Brian

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