FOCUS ON - SPRING 2020 - Fine Champagne Experience
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
FINE CHAMPAGNE EXPERIENCE
G O O D T A S T E , G O O D T I M E S , G R E A T E X P E R I E N C E S
SPRING 2020
FOCUS ON
FRANCOIS LAVERGNE
FOCUS ON
FRANCOIS LAVERGNE
This unique Champagne
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO producer is the first amongst
equals when it comes to
Artisan champagnes
A note from
the editor...
As I welcome you to this first edition of our magazine, we We embody all those things in the unique seasonal
find ourselves in the most challenging of times. Covid-19 approach to our service and the varied types of events and
has sadly become the focal point of all our lives and tastings we are making available.
our thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones
particularly. We are sensitive towards organising events With our seasonal magazine, which is reflective of
in the coming months, we recognise the need to all follow our values, we aim to provide an informed review of
advice and keep everyone safe. Our focus is very much on a Champagne House and other ‘insider’ news. Our
preparing for the time when things return to normal and lead feature this Spring covers Francois Lavergne, who
we can share our passion for champagne together safely. produces a stunning selection of award winning Brut and
We do have some events we are attending organised by Rosé champagnes. Our ‘insider news’ feature covers the
3rd parties, and will follow their direction on whether Drinks International Most Admired Champagne Brands
they go ahead. We will continue to engage with you and 2020; interestingly, last November I was asked to vote as
keep you informed of what is happening and plans for part of the award process, for my favourite champagne
later in the year. brands. One of my favourite producers made it onto the
list, and you can see which one this was, together with
For over 20 years now, I have had a true passion for the others I voted for, on page 7. Let me know if you
champagne, having successfully promoted high quality agree with the judges and what your favourite champagne
Artisan champagnes in the UK. This has led to the brands are – see letters to the Editor on page 14.
development of The Fine Champagne Experience.
On page 8 you will see our upcoming events – do check
My passion runs much deeper than just the pleasure of these out and of course let me know any suggestions
a glass. During my time working and living in France you may have for possible events that you feel will be of
back in 1998, and on my return home, I have come to interest to both you and your fellow members.
appreciate that Champagne is not just a region, it’s an
environment. Its not just vineyards, its landscape. It’s not I look forward to hearing from you or meeting you in the
just buildings, its architecture. It’s not just information, future, in the meantime, please stay safe, look after loved
its history. It’s not just people, its characters. Taste ones, and take care.
champagne and you experience the environment, the Warmest regards,
landscape, the architecture, the history, and of course,
the characters that define Champagne the region, and
champagne the wine.
Pete Pedrick
FOCUS ON FRANCOIS
LAVERGNE
Heritage and situation blending wines for his celebrated champagnes – he and a fruit filled taste. The difference between the followed by a Gold at the International Taste Awards
has developed two Brut and two Rose cuvees, each Classic and the Light cuvees is the dosage – the 2020 where Champagne Lavergne Brut Classic was
This unique Champagne producer is the first amongst with a different dosage, thus giving different flavours amount of sugar added to the wines. For the Classic also granted the Top 50 Award 2020 – recognising
equals when it comes to Artisan champagnes – Artisan on the palate. cuvees, the dosage is 9g/l, whilst for the Light a it as one of the 50 best products of the year. Our
champagnes being made by vignerons with the dosage of just 4g/l is used. The lower dosage makes view is that these awards are entirely merited and
experience and knowledge to produce the finest quality of Product profiles the Light champagnes slightly drier but the freshness all the champagnes of this fine producer are highly
champagnes going back generations. Francois Lavergne and fruitiness still remains. The Classic cuvees are recommended.
champagnes are produced using grapes from the vineyard All the distinctive champagnes offered, e.g., the Brut fruitier but not sweet. The Brut is a fresh and gentle
near the hamlet of Talus St Prix, to the south of Epernay Classic, the Brut Light, the Rose Classic and the Rose champagne that boasts luxury, class and style and is
in the Champagne region. The vineyard itself is small, Light, are subject to a longer ageing process, ensuring matured for a minimum of 5 years to create sublime
producing around 300,000 bottles each year. depth and maturity whilst still delivering freshness aromas. The Rose is again full of flavour, bursting
with life, and again aged for 5 years – fresh summer
Francois Lavergne’s background fruits abound.
and development
Our experience and awards
Francois Lavergne’s passion for champagne stems
back over 20 years, and that passion led him to The Fine Champagne Experience has been working
realise a dream and start producing his own award with Francois offering the classic cuvées through
winning cuvées, integrating his rich and diverse its partner site, The Champagne Collection. Tasting
background in food, drinks and their culture. events involving Francois have been great fun and his
His journey started when he first trained to be an enthusiasm and passion has always been infectious.
oenologist and soon after travelled to Tokyo to open In the past 12 months the Brut Classic has won 2
Le Corden Bleu’s third international cooking school. Gold awards – first came a Gold medal at the annual
Having fallen in love with Japanese food and sake Glass of Bubbly Sparkling Wine Awards 2109,
culture, and through his natural ability to recognise
tastes, he became a Umami specialist (Umami
means ‘delicious taste’ in Japanese). These tasting
skills became an important factor when it came to
INSIDER NEWS
MOST
ADMIRED
CHAMPAGNE
BRANDS 2020
One of the first events of the “champagne Of course, we could have chosen Sanger or our best-
selling champagne from Francois Lavergne, both of these
year” is the publication of the Drinks are superb champagnes, so it was a tough choice. Have
International Most Admired Champagne a look at the list and see what you think. Interestingly,
Brands 2020, a list of the top 30 brands as when it comes to the well known Grand Marques, the
selected by industry experts. list reflects our own thoughts. Maybe we should do a
30-champagne tasting and judge for ourselves!
This is always an interesting reveal; we can see which
brands have improved or perhaps not been so well
received in the last year by the industry experts. The list
is compiled by Giles Fallowfield, a well known expert in
champagne and he kindly invited us to cast our votes.
Being an Artisan champagne produced by the smaller
Houses, we were not surprised when our favourite
champagne didn’t appear on the proposed list. However,
with an option to state your own preference we were able
to provide our thoughts on the House and the cuvee of
choice. That House is Champagne Pierre Moncuit, the
champagne Cuvee Nicole being one of Pete’s favourites.
Our second House was Champagne Cuchet Cez, and
our third choice, which did make it on the list and was
an option, was Champagne Le Mesnil, another Côte des
Blancs producer which creates stunning champagnes.
Long ageing is the key factor in all these Houses.
Droitwich Food and Drink Festival – Lido Park
Droitwich – Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th June 2020
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Currently this event is still on, but if that situation
changes, we will notify you. This is an annual event
for us where we take the Champagne Van along and
service up some of our best artisan champagnes. There
are loads of great foods and drinks to taste, live music
and entertainment all day and evening, and a great
atmosphere. Its free to enter so why not come along , say
hello and enjoy a glass of champagne.
Champagne and Summer Berries Tasting – Country
Inn Lower Slaughter – Sunday 19th July
Working with the team at the Country Inn at Lower
Slaughter in the heart of the beautiful Cotswolds, we
are planning a summer Sunday afternoon picnic of
champagnes and berry deserts. This will be by the river
in the pleasant peaceful grounds of the Inn, and we will
pair up some great champagnes with some super deserts.
Watch out for more information soon.
Events Worcestershire Point to Point – Chaddesley Corbett
– Saturday 18th April 2020
The current Coronavirus pandemic and restrictions we Sadly the organisers have had to cancel this event due to
now face, have had a major impact on all event organisers the Coronavirus outbreak. We were hoping to give the
both large and small, and we are directly affected. Our Champagne Van its first outing of the year, but she will
primary focus is the health and well being of all people so have to wait patiently until things improve.
any events we attend, particularly in the next 3 months,
need careful managing. Some events are our own, some Supercar Fest | The Runway – Sywell Aerodrome
are organised by 3rd parties where we are guided by their Northamptonshire
decisions. – Sunday 24th May 2020
Again, sadly the organisers have had to cancel this event,
the good news is that it will take place in 2021.
Champagne Tasting with Dartington Crystal –
Dartington, Totnes Devon – Friday 21st June 2020
We are currently setting up a tasting in sunny Devon with
our partners Dartington Crystal. For a group of around
25 people we will share some beautiful champagnes with
chocolates and enjoy them from some of Dartington
Crystal’s great flutes. We hope we will be able to hold this
event so look out for more details soon.
SPECIAL OFFER
BOLLINGER JAMES BOND THE CHAMPAGNE
SPECTRE LIMITED EDITION CROSSWORD
The Fine Champagne Experience prides itself on access to very special limited editions and this month we
have an exceptional and very limited cuvée.
We have 6 bottles of the Bollinger sPECTRE LIMITED EDITION 2009 vintage in the original special
packaging created to celebrate the release of the Bond film Spectre.
Made from Grand Cru grapes and produced in small oak barrels to avoid any wood or tannin taste, the slow
maturation was completed using cork stoppers to preserve freshness and protect against oxidation. A moderate
dosage of 7g/l and a maturing period in the cellar twice as long as stipulated in the Appellation rules give this
wine beautiful balance.
On the eye, Bollinger sPECTRE LIMITED EDITION has a deep golden colour, which demonstrates the wine’s
maturity as well as Bollinger’s winemaking methods.
On the nose, the vintage boasts a refined complexity, the expression of the Grands Crus’ terroirs. White flowers,
citrus fruit, delicately stewed pear with hints of vanilla, toasted aromas, hazelnut and breadcrumbs.
On the palate, the wine shows a good maturity yet remains quite brisk and lively. We move through candied
fruit, Mirabelle plum, quince paste and honey with a finish that reminds us of bitter orange.
It is recommended to serve between 8 and 10°C to allow the aromas and flavours to fully develop.
This limited edition cuvée was produced to celebrate the
release of the James Bond film SPECTRE. It is very much
an expression of Bollinger’s expertise in interpreting
the 2009 vintage. The expression of the terroir and the
aromatic richness are beautifully enhanced in this blend,
which perfectly reflects the Bollinger style.
Obtain this limited edition bottle of Bollinger sPECTRE
LIMITED EDITION 2009 vintage complete in its
specially designed 007 packaging – Plus 15% off a tasting
or other event run by Fine Champagne Experience and
advertised on this site.
Click here to get the offer
The cost includes free delivery.
Bonus offer listed above: Anyone ordering will receive
a unique code for use when purchasing a ticket for any
event against a tasting run by The Fine Champagne
Experience.
EDUCATION
ONLINE CHAMPAGNE
COURSE
As many of us are currently staying at some and searching for new opportunities and things to do, we
are able to offer you a chance to take up a superb online course all about Champagne the region, and
champagne the wine.
Our great friend Jiles Halling, known to many as “My Man in Champagne” has created this in depth
modular online course which teaches you all you need to know about champagne. Jiles is a real expert on
champagne having worked all over the world developing its presence, and spending many years living in the
region. He is very well known and acknowledged by winemakers across the region for his knowledge, and
like us, he shares a passion for sharing that knowledge with you. Jiles has worked with Grand Marques and
Artisan producers alike and is able to offer a unique holistic view of everything champagne.
The course is fully interactive with videos and images used to bring champagne to life and is broken down
into modules. There is a quiz at various stages to help you along. You can go at your own pace and stop/start
as you wish. If great fun and comes highly recommended. We are all doing it here at The Fine Champagne
Experience!
The course is available to Fine Champagne Experience members at a significantly reduced price, plus,
during the current Coronavirus lockdown Jiles is offering a free copy of his e-guide to Champagne and Food
Matching. This extra downloadable pdf includes tips learned from the chefs at Moët et Chandon and a chart
that shows which champagnes to match with various type of food: fish, cheese, herbs, vegetables etc.
To find out more and to register for the course click below. This will take you to an information page with an
introduction from Jiles, and the opportunity to enrol on the course based on your location.
Click here to join
FINE CHAMPAGNE EXPERIENCE
G O O D T A S T E , G O O D T I M E S , G R E A T E X P E R I E N C E S
YOUR
FEEDBACK
Your feedback and involvement are
very important to us - please email
your comments to us on the link below:
www.fce.life/contact
Until the publication of our next issue
(Summer 2020) offers and events for
members will continue to be detailed
on our web pages and periodic
e.newsletters.
FCE.life FCE is wholly owned by the Champagne Collection Ltd.
You can also read
