Club Corner
Champagne Club October 2026
& Frere Whilst selecting the bottles for this month, I noticed we’d been featuring a lot of Meunier dominant bubbly lately. So for October we are instead celebrating Chardonnay, with one 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs bottling, and another Chard dominant blend. Both, as is so often the case in Champagne, are the products of long extant family labels; a set of brothers in each case here, ably stewarding - or reviving - their inheritance(s) into heirlooms we can all enjoy for generations to come. The first, Veuve Fourny et Fils, has been a family domain since 1856. The estate is located in the prestigious Côte des Blancs, in the premier cru village of Vertus, an appellation that gives them the rare opportunity to grow Pinot Noir as well as Chardonnay. Brothers Charles-Henry and Emmanuel Fourny sustainably farm nearly nine hectares of vineyards and have been carrying on the family winegrowing tradition since 1993. Veuve Fourny produces classic grower Champagne, raising pedigreed fruit, adhering to high standards, and hand-crafting wines that showcase the chalky terroir of Vertus. All of the Fournys’ vineyards are farmed according to the same meticulous practices and principles, and each parcel is vinified individually. The Brut ages in their cellars for two and a half years before release, the vintage Champagne for five years, and the Clos for nine years. The house style at Veuve Fourny is best characterized as classic Côte des Blancs: a fine bead, rich, deep aromatics, and a complex minerality emphasizing freshness and purity. The Fournys believe in minimal dosage for all of their Champagnes, preferring to let the individual terroirs express themselves more clearly. This technique, in addition to their dedication to partial malolactic fermentations in their overall blends, impeccable vineyard management, and their decision to age most base wine partially in barrel, all contribute to their unique style. As for Tellier, although the family’s history as vineyard owners dates back to 1938, it was only in 2016 that brothers Quentin and Alexandre took 3 hectares of family vines to vinify their own micro cuvées. They are emblematic of the new wave of young vignerons transforming the model of the family business from the traditional focus of growing grapes for large brand producers to one more terroir based, or as the Tellier’s prefer to call it, Vigneron Paysan (Peasant Winegrower). Located in the Côteaux sud d’Epernay in the village of Moussy, their vineyard parcels are located primarily in two zones with different soil profiles and thus different varietals. Moussy & Pierry are Pinot Meunier dominant villages with (59%) followed by Chardonnay (35%) and Pinot Noir (6%). Chavot, Fontaine-sur-Ay & Cramant are villages where Chardonnay is king due to the relatively shallow clay surface over a similar chalky limestone bedrock. Our selection this month, the Les Massales Extra Brut 2022, a Chard/Meunier/Pinot Noir blend taken from all their holdings, represents the best of both worlds. Cheers, The PlumpJack Wine Team Veuve Fourny Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Extra Brut NV From: Vertus Vinification: From Vertus Premier Cru and other Premiers Crus Rendzine over chalk soils. Avg. vine age is 40 years. A blend of 3 consecutive vintages and 20% reserve wine. 7 months on lees before the bottling process, minimum use of sulphur. Vats 75 % and oak casks 25 % Aging takes place in bottles on lees in 19th century cellars with a low and constant temperature. Dosage: 5g/l Tasting notes The nose is expressive, with citrus and orchard fruits, such as lemon, grapefruit, and red apple and floral aromas of white flowers, and a brioche note. The palate is refreshing with medium to high acidity, medium body and intense fruit flavour which provides a richness to balance the acidity. There is a mouth-wateringly fresh, almost saline, juicy dry finish. Winemaker: Charles-Henry & Emmanuel Fourny Price per bottle / varietal: $63.99 100% Chardonnay Suggested Food Pairing: Aperitif, Sushi, Sashimi, white fish, lobster, vegetable quiche Champagne Tellier Les Massales Extra Brut 2022 From: Coteaux Sud d'Epernay Vinification: Aged in bottle before release, Barrel Aged, Barrel Fermented, Bio-Dynamic farming techniques, Direct pressed whole clusters, Dry Farmed, Estate grown grapes, Hand harvested, Indigenous yeast fermented, Large format barrel aged, Low Sulfur Vinification & Aging, Méthode Champenoise, Non-certified organically grown grapes, Partial malolactic fermentation, Unfined & Unfiltered Dosage: 5g/l Tasting notes: The nose initially shows notes of plum, almond & dried floral aromas. As the wine gently opens, it shows notes of bread & butter, confirming the patient cellar aging on its lees. With more air the aromatics evolve revealing baked apple, marzipan and quince aromas. On the palate, it is refreshing and jovially effervescent. Crisp, bracing acidity provides the backbone that gently supports overall warmth in the mouth where the dosage is in perfect harmony with the taught citrus-tinged freshness. Winemaker: Quentin & Alexandre Tellier Price per bottle / Varietal: $66.99 55% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Meunier, 20% Pinot Noir Suggested Food Pairing: Oysters, scallops, white fish, chicken & herb, salmon, duck
Learn more
Champagne Club August: Maison Gamet
Extending a hundred kilometers east to west on either side of the river for which it is named, the Vallée de la Marne is the largest and most geologically diverse Champagne sub-region. A third of all Champagne vineyards can be found here, as well as the monastery where Dom Perignon reputedly invented sparkling wine. Famous producers like Billecart-Salmon, Philiponnat, Bollinger and Jacqueson are all located here as well. This month we are featuring the wines of Gamet, a much smaller producer whose story is nonetheless as emblematic of the Marne’s enticing blend of dynamism and tradition as any of its larger neighbors. Our tale begins just after the end of World War I, when many small growers decided to start making and bottling their own Champagne. Victoire Garnier, “Mardouillate” and Berthe Heucq, “Fleurysienne”, were two such intrepid business women, and Gamet begins at the point when their two families, from the right and left banks of the Marne river, came together. The Garnier clan were farmers originally, who expanded into tending vines in Mardeuil, on the left bank of the Marne, bottling just 800 bottles of Champagne each year. In the 1950s, François Gamet, grandson of Victoire Garnier, came back to the estate and began to expand, planting more land and bottling more champagne. Meanwhile, across the river in Mardeuil, Berthe Heucq’s grandson Robert was growing his family’s holdings in Fleury-la-Rivière, bottling his own wines and tending vines on the right bank of the Marne. In 1993, Fabienne Heucq, Robert’s daughter, and Philippe, the son of François Gamet met and fell in love. Since 2018, the estate has been led by their daughter and fourth-generation vigneron Marianne. Champagne Gamet is a grower-producer, with vineyards in eight hectares in three villages – Mardeuil on the left bank and Fleury-la-Rivière and Damery on the right bank. Marianne’s brother, Jean-François, a trained enologist currently working in Bordeaux, travels back home to assist his sister and parents with harvest, blending, and bottling, but the estate is run by Marianne. This corner of Champagne where the winery is located is just west of the town of Epernay, near the Côte sud d’Epernay, a series of hills that encircles the second most important urban center in Champagne. Mardeuil is just north of the Côte Sud, at the mouth of the Vallée de la Marne, on the Rive Gauche, directly opposite the 1er Crus of Cumières and Hautvilliers. Here, all three major grape varieties thrive on different soils. The subsoil is chalk, with various depths of clay, marl, and silex. The vineyards in each of these three villages face different directions, giving different characters to the wines even though they are less than 8km away from each other In addition to tending grape vines, Marianne and her brother also produce excellent ciders from eight old apple varieties. The production remains very small but will expand slightly in the future, with several single-plot ciders in addition to the delicious Champagnes in the range. We have for you this August the Rive Droite (Right Bank) Blanc de Noirs bottling, and its Rive Gauche (Left Bank) fraternal twin. Both are primarily made from the Meunier grape that predominates in this area, but the latter features a dash of Chardonnay as well. Cheers! The PlumpJack Team Gamet Rive Droite Blanc de Noirs NV From: Fleury-la-Riviere, Damery, Valle de La Marne About the Winemaking: Rive Droite is a blend of the terroirs of Damery and Fleury-la-Rivière. Damery is located on the edge of the marl, while Fleury-la-Rivière is located at the bottom of the valley, half-surrounded by the forest. It is a very sunny area and thus these terroirs appeal to Meunier & Pinot Noir. The soils are clay-limestone, sandy and marly. Soils of great diversity, where millions of years ago the vines were a tropical sea, rich in biodiversity. Today, shells and other fossils litter the soils of clayey-sandy areas, offering great Champagne wines and an intense saline content. Vinification: Base year is 2022 85% Meunier, 15% Pinot Noir30% Reserve wine. Vinified in thermoregulated stainless steel vats & oak barrels Malolactic fermentation 5 months aging on lees. Dosage: 4g/l Tasting notes: “Sleek and finely meshed, with the mousse forming a plush swathe of texture on the palate as it carries notes of dried white cherry and raspberry fruit, almond blossoms, blood orange peel and chopped nuts. A clean tang of salinity chimes in on the mouthwatering finish.” - Wine Spectator 92 pts. Winemaker: Marianne and Jean-François Gamet Price per bottle / Price per case: $58.99/626.30 Suggested Food Pairing: Lox, cream cheese on sour dough with a squeeze of lime and dash of capers Raspberry and Lemon Tart Tuna Steak with a stone fruit and arugula salad Gamet Rive Gauche NV From: Mardeuil, Vallee de la Marne About the Winemaking: Rive Gauche is a blend of fruit from several Mardeuil terroirs, which account for 1/3 of the Gamet holdings. The grapes come from vineyards aged between 25 and 45 years, here, clay-limestone soils are rich in minerals. .The three key Champagne grape varieties are present – Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Vinification: 55% Meunier, 30% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay. 85% 2021, 15% reserve wine back to 2014. From the left bank of the Marne in the village of Mardeuil. Cold, north facing sites. The wine goes through malolactic fermentation. Primarily stainless steel with 10% in oak Aged 18 months on the lees Dosage: 5g/L Tasting notes: On the nose, aromas of ripe fruits like peach and pear emerge, accompanied by floral notes of yellow flowers and delicate mineral nuances. On the palate, it is fresh and savory, with a pleasant minerality and a long, balanced finish that leaves a sensation of harmony and vibrancy. Winemaker: Marianne and Jean-François Gamet Price per bottle / Price per case: $72.99/ $782.91 Suggested Food Pairing: Perfect as an aperitif, it pairs wonderfully with fish dishes, sushi, and shellfish. Also excellent with light appetizers, grilled vegetables, and fresh cheeses.
Learn more
June 2026 Champagne Club
Paul Berthelot & Colin Happy (Belated) Summer Solstice! As you might’ve heard, there is a World Cup taking place at this very moment on this exact continent. Visitors from around the globe, draped in the raiments of various qualifying nation-states, are thronging to thrilling 0-0 nail-biters (jk, greatest sporting event in the world tbh.) )But whatever colors fans muster under, chances are that victory will find spectators, players and passersby alike drenched in bubbly. Champagne is of course French (and the French team one of the favorites to take the Cup) but at this point it pretty much belongs to the world, an international symbol for Happy Days Are Here Again or Here’s Looking At You, Kid or Everything Is Proceeding According To Plan or I Shall Be Released or It’s Thursday, or even and especially: GOOOOAAALLL! And while the World Cup (or FIFA, rather) has an official Taittinger bottling, we are backing two smaller producers this go-round, Paul Berthelot & Colin. Long-standing, multi-generational family concerns each, one of them (at least) quite new to the US market, and both most definitely uncorking their first cap for the PlumpJack club team. Cheers! The PlumpJack Team Paul Berthelot Cuvee de Reserve NV From: Vallée de la Marne, Champagne, France About the Winery: Since 1884, the Berthelot family has had the immense pleasure of cultivating 16 hectares of vines situated between Dizy and Avenay, classified as Premier Cru, as well as in Aÿ, classified as Grand Cru. This variety of plots, with their diverse soils, grape varieties, and sun exposure, serves as an endless wellspring of inspiration. The current owners represent the 5th generation (soon to be six) of Artisans-Vignerons of the Paul Berthelot family. They continue the tradition of holding themselves to high standards of Champagne quality, deeply respecting the land and its biodiversity. Certified HVE, Bertholet prioritizes sustainable practices. We pursue rarity, crafting Champagnes known for their technical precision, subtlety, power, and elegance. This dedication leads us to work exclusively with the heart of cuvées, only in years with favorable weather conditions. We are passionate and enthusiastic about sharing our discoveries. While we could talk about technique for hours, nothing speaks more eloquently than tasting our Paul Berthelot Champagnes. Vinification: The Cuvee de Reserve is composed of 40% Meunier, 40% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay and reserve wine, sourced from vineyards in the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne. It is aged for a minimum of 3 years in the cellar before release. Dosage: 7g/l Tasting notes: The nose is powerful and opens with notes of undergrowth (fern and moss) and herbal tea, before giving way to scents of honey, ripe fruit and fresh mint notes. Well structured body, immediately soft on the palate with notes of apple, pear, redcurrant and subtle flavours of menthol and aniseed, creating a tremendously long finish. Winemaker: Arnaud & Valérie Berthelot Price per bottle / Price per case: $57.99/626.30 Suggested Food Pairing: As an aperitif or with oysters, charcuterie, and soft cheeses. Colin Les Grands Terres Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs 2015 From: Vertus, Cotes du Blanc, Champagne, France About the Winery: Since 1829, the Colin clan has been cultivating vines in Vertus with passion and humility. Seven generations have shaped the estate, combining expertise, observation of nature, and respect for the long term. Throughout the ages, they have followed traditional practices, guided by a deep attachment to the land that sustains them. In Vertus as in Bergères, the plots tell a story of families united by the same commitment: to care for their land in order to reveal its full expression. Winemakers and farmers yesterday as today, the Colins bring this heritage to life every day, driven by a love of a job well done and a deep respect for the terroir. Vinification: 100% Chardonnay from Grand Cru Villages of Oiry and Cramant. Soil and subsoil is clay, white chalk and silty chalk underneath. Vinified in stainless steel tanks without malolactic fermentation. Racking was done in April 2016 and then wine was aged on the lees for 7 years. Dosage: 9g/l Tasting notes: The initial aromas are lovely and elegantly mature with wax, honey, quince, melon and orange blossom. Next come sweet linseed oil and a wealth of spices. The rich and complex blend is joined by a refreshing bergamot, lime, candied orange and mandarine. The taste matches the aroma with delicious, salty and flavourful sharpness. The wine’s natural effervescence brings out notes of candied fruit, beautiful ripeness and remarkable freshness. Winemaker: Delphine, Richard, Romaine & Justin Colin Price per bottle / Price per case: $86.99/782.91 Suggested Food Pairing: chicken with morels, risotto, meringue tart, a citrus sabayon,
Learn more
Champagne Club December 2025: Message in a Bottle
Now that we’re approaching the apex of celebration season, I find myself wondering, with every toast: Why Champagne? Besides being delicious, what accounts for its specific mystique, its literal elevated status - the raised glasses in which we so often hold the stuff - its figurative fizz, if you will? Sounds odd, but I think it in large part comes down to the inevitable tension between bubbles and time. On the one hand - nothing sparkling can stay that way for long; on the other, the precision, attention, and patience it takes to produce great Champagne, the rigorous and lengthy stations of methode Champenoise (assemblage, remouage, degorgement, dosage) require a life’s work – all to conjugate a particular future-present pluperfect tense. The sound a popped Champagne cork makes is NOW and it starts the countdown to the end of each bottle’s effervescence. So we use Champagne to welcome each New Year, punctuate personal milestones, and bookmark special occasions because it’s a libation commensurate with our ambivalence over nothing ever staying the same. Or maybe it’s something more like what beloved, problematic author Roald Dahl (creator of Fizzy Lifting Drink after all) allegedly told his daughter once: “I drink it because it’s fizzy and makes me go WHEEE.” Either way, reaching the end of another year, and trying to select a bottle that bridges the gap between the NYE NOW! and NYD NOW WHAT‽, my thought process was: if we want some new looks for the new year (and I certainly do), we should probably consult a visionary - and Phillipe Lancelot is certainly that. After inheriting the grand cru parcels his family had farmed since the 1970’s, Philipe embarked on a mission to overhaul and revitalize these invaluable heirlooms, partnering with Hervé Jestin of Leclerc Briant to convert to organic and biodynamic farming - rarer in Champagne than other parts of the winemaking world - achieving all the most rigorous certifications by 2015. Since 2015, Phillipe has also eschewed the use of added sulfites as well, which is even harder to find, and perhaps even a first for the Champagne Club. His are extremely small production bottlings, where every vintage very much has its own DNA. As Philipe himself is fond of saying: “Nature is well made, there is surely nothing better than nature?” I agree, but I love the question mark at the end there too, since I think it clarifies the message in this particular bottle. It is delicious and will rise to whatever occasion, whether you’re using it to welcome the new year, or saving it for a special celebration yet to come. And that is kind of amazing. As another ponyboy visionary famously noted once: “Nature’s first green is gold/her hardest hue to hold.” Yet somehow Champagne manages - at least for a while. Happy New Year! The PlumpJack Family Philippe Lancelot Chouilly ‘Le Fond Du Bateau’ 2019 Grand Cru From: FRANCE • Champagne Côte de Blancs • Chouilly About the Winery: Philippe Lancelot represents the third generation of his Cramant-based family estate, Y. Lancelot-Wanner. The domaine holds vines across the most historical and prestigious Grand Cru communes, including Chouilly, Oiry as well as Avize, Epernay and Aÿ. Upon graduation from oenological school in Avize in 2008, Philippe began to make wines for Y. Lancelot-Wanner as well as his eponymous label. In 2012, Philippe adopted biodynamic practices in all his vineyards to promote auto-immunity in his vines. The domaine received AB Ecocert certification in 2014, Demeter in 2015 and Biodyvin in 2020. Assemblage/Vinification: Philippe’s commitment to biodynamic viticulture is deep - with the use of 500 and 501 preparations, essential oils and natural plant applications, and adhering to the Maria Thun lunar calendar in the process. Copper sulfate treatment in the soil is minimal or even eliminated, just as sulphites are eschewed in the winemaking. All vines are trained in selection massale to retain their individualities. He also pursues full and unique expressions of the terroir in his cuvées with his creative lens, tapping on his imagination to interpret the identity of each parcel in his ‘parcels et coups de cœur’ (single vineyards and favourites). Dosage: 0g/l Tasting notes: A 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs from the revered Le Fond du Bateau vineyard in Chouilly. This zero-dosage, sulfite-free Champagne is a testament to Lancelot’s biodynamic practices, with grapes grown on pure chalk soils for unmatched minerality. The 2019 vintage offers tight perlage, white flower aromas, and a palate of toasty almonds, baked orchard fruits and creamy texture, culminating in a long, acid-driven finish. Winemaker: Philippe Lancelot Price per bottle / Price per case: $124.99/$1349.90 Suggested Food Pairing: Oven-roasted lobster with salted butter, Barbecued Sea Bream, Fresh Tagliatelle with Seafood
Learn moreOctober 2025 Champagne Club
Eric Rodez & Charles de Cazanove The other day a fellow wine industry person was telling me about a method champenoise bottling they recently uncorked and very much did not enjoy. “I mean, it’s a natural wine!”, they exclaimed in the end by way of explanation, and it got me thinking: Wherever you land on the whole ‘natural wine’ question, Champagne kind of seems like its natural antagonist. At root, ‘natural wine’ is supposed to signal a commitment to minimal intervention on the winemaker's part - shepherding fruit-to-juice and grape-to-glass with the fewest possible fingerprints. Champagne by contrast demands - from assemblage to liqueur du tirage to remuage to dosage - almost ceaseless tinkering. Fussiness is kinda the whole point; all the effort it takes to make everything effervesce just right really underlines the extent to which the wine can’t just make itself. Which got me wondering: can these warring imperatives ever be reconciled and, if so, what would that look like? If natural wine is the thesis, Champagne the antithesis, what is the synthesis? Maybe Eric Rodez knows. After all, he represents the 7th generation of his family to grow grapes and make Champagne in Ambonnay, the Grand Cru Village for which he served as mayor from 2008-2014. He also worked as a winemaker at the legendary Krug house for a while, and is a 5-time winner of the prestigious ‘Mr. Champagne’ title. But, most importantly for our purposes, he has been making awesome bubbly under his own name for many years and, despite the pedigree and all the accolades (only one of which I made up), he is hardly complacent. Indeed, Rodez has proven quite willing to rethink and change the fundamentals of his craft in search of greater quality and consistency. A disappointing 1984 harvest occasioned trips to other French wine regions to learn new soil maintenance and fertilization practices, which resulted in an increasingly organic and holistic approach to the land. In 2007, the winery made a commitment to total transparency in its practices as it moved towards organic and biodynamic conversions. In 2012, they became the first French farm to receive “high environmental value” certification. While these practices and certifications, quite rare and difficult in the region, are consistent with the values espoused by most ‘natural’ winemakers, Rodez’s approach remains painstaking even for Champagne. While working at Krug, Eric developed a passion for blending grapes and vintages to achieve a better balance. Many, if not most Champagnes are primarily from one year, perhaps with small amounts of a couple of other proximate vintages added, but Rodez relies heavily on reserve wines, interpolating anywhere from five to ten different vintages in the final cuvees. As he says: "It's the creation of something new, like putting musical notes down on paper. And you're never sure where the melody will go. "You try to direct it, but it's like walking up a circular staircase without knowing where it will lead. I find that incredibly exciting." Anyway, for me, the result of all this careful praxis is a near ideal alloy of nature and nurture, gorgeous bottlings that feel incredibly refined but not at all forced. The cuvee we are featuring this month is the flagship Grand Cru blend, a combination of 2 grapes and several vintages. The other selection, despite coming from an equally established and long-standing Champagne house, by necessity contrasts sharply with the Rodez operation. Charles de Cazanove is a vast large endeavor, producing some 3 million bottles annually and boasting a storied history of presentation to kings and heads of state, and partnership with institutions like the Cannes Film Festival. Though it was founded as a family concern, it has been owned by such boldface names Martini &Rossi and Moet and Chanon. Today, it is helmed by another family company and the Tete du Cuvee bottling we have here is a triumph of regional and institutional know-how: one of the best $40 Champagne that I have come across. Sante! The PlumpJack Wine Team Eric Rodez Cuvée de Crayères Grand Cru From: Ambonnay, Montagne de Reims, France About the Winemaker: The Rodez family has been producing their own Champagne for generations, not simply selling their grapes to large houses. Records show that Jean-Baptiste produced in 1757, Marie-Louis in 1786, Louis in 1819, Eugene in 1850, Camille in 1877, Pol in 1905 and Jean in 1931. Each generation has added several small parcels of vineyards, giving them additional material with which to blend. Eric's son Mickaël patiently waited his turn in line and then became the domaine’s vineyard manager, as the 9th generation of the family! His son Pol-Auguste will perhaps soon be the 10th. Assemblage/Vinification: The vineyards are worked in a traditional way, just like Mickaël’s great-grandparents once worked the soils. They have always hesitated to use the word organic, because they are not certified. But as a grower, Eric (and now Mickaël) never uses pesticides, fertilizers or synthetic sprays on his plants. They plow their soils and limit their yields through careful pruning. They have worked biodynamically for several years now, and in 2012 received the Haute Valeur Environnmentale (HVE) certificate given to farmers who achieve organic farming but also biodiversity and water management on their farms The cuvee Crayères is made on average from a dozen different wines from 4 to 5 different vintages, with 20 to 25% of wines vinified in small oak barrels, with 45 to 50% reserve wines helping to bring homogeneity. Tasting Notes: Gold in hue with small golden highlights. The nose reveals floral and mineral notes allowing upon aeration the release of red and white fruits. The palate is fresh and generous, playing with notes of spring berries. Winemaker: Eric & Mickael Rodez Price per bottle / Price per case: $94.99/$1025.90 Suggested Food Pairing: Smoked Trout Canapes, Lobster Roast Chicken Dishes w/ nutty and creamy sauces. Charles de Cazanove Tete de Cuvee Brut NV From: Reims, France About the Winemaker: The Charles de Cazanove brand is one of the oldest in the Champagne region. It was started in 1811, by Charles Gabriel De Cazanove – an unusual deviation for a man from a long line of master glassmakers. From early on in their history, Charles de Cazanove was supplying European politicians and diplomats, as well as many French presidents. In 1983, leading winemaker, Christophe Rapeneau, joined Charles De Cazanove. He modernized the winery to guarantee the authenticity of the wines being crafted. Partnering with local grape growers and partners all over the Champagne region, Charles De Cazanove crafts and produces champagnes made from rich, varied blends - which satisfy and tantalize a wide variety of tastes all over the world. Assemblage/Vinification: 45% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims;. 38% Pinot Meunier from the Marne Valley; 17% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. 37% Reserve wine 10 g/l dosage. Tasting Notes: The fine bubbles form a large string against a golden background. A fruity nose and delicious, persistent barley sugar and brioche flavors. A very lively wine that is very versatile. Winemaker: Christophe Rapeneau Price per bottle / Price per case: $39.99/$431.90 Suggested Food Pairing: As an aperitif or with shellfish, pork dishes, mild and soft cheeses and rich fish.
Learn more
August Champagne Club: Allouchery-Bailly & Barrat-Masson
Allouchery-Bailly & Barrat-Masson First off, apologies for the lag of this here communique. I received and rang these selections last week, and intended to have the notes ready to go shortly thereafter, but couldn’t finish before leaving on vacation. Back now and so back at it - as, with school starting and whatnot, are many of you I’d reckon.Rest assured though, whilst out of town, I still couldn’t (figuratively) shake Champagne. On an island and consulting a bunch of travel activity brochures, the thought occurred to me that the Champagne region (much like the fictional nation of Boca Grande in Joan Didion’s novel A Book of Common Prayer) is distinguished by a degree of sameness foreign toyour regular postcard-from-abroad patter. Not really a “land of contrasts”, Champagne is instead a spot where all the propinquities we tuck into typicity (grape, winemaking technique) and terroir (soil, topography, climate) exist comfortably under a single, highly specific, title. “Champagne” is a sign of quality ensured by the uniformity ofproduction it demands; you don’t tend to visit for the variety.There are differences between bottling of course, as fine and important as the bubbles for which we venerate them, and so we end up playing those up. For instance, this month we are featuring a selection, the Allouchery-Bailly Diapason 1er Cru Brut, with a higher level of dosage (9 grams per liter) than any I’ve chosen before. It is paired with a Brut Nature, theBarrat-Masson Les Marganges (zero grams per liter dosage) for the contrast, but I think that the craft on display will resonate whatever style you usually favor. And the two producers turned out to have more in common than I initiallyexpected: They are both grower/producers, as almost all of our vignerons are, which makes them outliers without trying amongst the large labels and small farmers that predominate in the region. They also both feature women winemakers - still all too rare here - and each possesses environment friendly certifications (Sustainable and Organic, respectively), which are likewise hard to come by in Champagne. Allouchery-Bailly is making its debut in the Champagne Club, while we seem to have an unspoken psychic rule that Barrat-Masson be used every four years - April 2017, August 2021, now -though the Les Margannes cuvee is also new to us. Anyway, feel free to savor or ignore these details, cleavages, and/or convergences at your leisure, there will be plentymore next month. There’s really no wrong way to appreciate Champagne; we all keep coming back for that guarantee. Sante!The PlumpJack Wine Team Allouchery-Bailly Diapason 1er Cru BrutFrom: Montagne de Reims,Champagne, France About the Winemaker: Founded in 1953, Allouchery-Bailly is a four-generationfamily-owned domaine in the village of Écueil, at the heart of la Montagne de Reims. ThePremier Cru vineyards are composed of 5.5 ha in the villages of Écueil, Villedommange,Chamery and Sacy, predominantly Pinot Noir covering over 3.6 ha, followed by PinotMeunier and the Chardonnay.The terroir of this region is diversified and gives the wines a unique richness. The Écueilvineyard is planted on formations deposited over a period of 75-30 million years BC. Thedifferent layers (chalk, sand, clay, limestone, marls) make the soil especially rich. Thisminerality gives the grapes all their tension, their crunchy and fruity character, typical ofthe Écueil regionAssemblage/Vinification: 7% Pinot Noir 24% Chardonnay 39% Meunier Winemaker: CamilleAlloucheryPrice per bottle / Price percase: $63.99/$691.10 August 2025Premier Cru, Estate vineyards in the villages of Ecueil, Villedommange, Sacy, andChamery. Clay, limestone, loam, sand soils.Certified sustainable farming. VDC(Viticulture durable en Champagne) and HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale)Handharvested, Pneumatic press, stainless steel fermentation. 30% reserve wine. 9 g/ldosage.Tasting Notes: A classic, pleasurable champagne with all the notes in harmony. Leaningfruity with nice floral tones for complexity. There is fresh acidity and intriguingminerality all balanced by mid-level Brut dosage. A very easy champagne to love. Suggested Food Pairing:Cheese canapéChicken émincé withpeachesApple crumble Barrat Masson ‘Les Margannes’ Brut Nature NVFrom: Côte de Sézanne,Champagne, France About the Winemaker: Champagne Barrat-Masson is the project of Aurélie Barrat andLoïc Masson, a wife and husband team who farm seven hectares of Chardonnay and PinotNoir on the slopes of the Sézannais in Champagne’s Côte de Sézanne region.In 2005, Loïc took over the family farm in Bethon, and promptly began to replaceconventional herbicides with organic treatments and vineyard practices. Supportedby Aurélie, a trained oenologist, Loïc has fully committed his vineyards to organicwinegrowing by 2009. Presently, the wines of Barrat-Masson are certified organicby Ecocert.At Barrat-Masson, the quality of the grapes is paramount, and for this reason Loïc’swork and attention to detail in the vineyard is painstaking. With healthy grapesharvested at optimum ripeness, Aurélie then takes over; expert winemakingconducted in a manner to be as minimally intrusive as possible. Each parcel is vinifiedseparately in either stainless steel tank or barrel (demi-muid), and special attention ispaid towards working with the Coeur de Cuvée, or the first press of the juice from theincoming harvest. This enables Aurélie to have a detailed vision for each of thedomaine’s parcels in order to perform precise blends that will ensure wines ofcharacter over time.Assemblage/Vinification:: 100% Chardonnay. 2011 vintage. From 7 hectares of estatevines in Bethon in Villenauxe-la-Grande - Côte de Sézanne. Clay and chalk soils.Organic farming, certified by Ecocert. Hand harvested, each parcel pressed separatelyand fractionally using traditional Coquard press. Fermentation at low temperature(16C) in stainless steel tank & oak barrels. Partial malolactic fermentation completed.Aged a minimum of 9 months on fine lees after primary fermentation is completed.Sur lattes minimum 24 months. Minimum 3 months in bottle before release afterbeing disgorged. 0g/L Dosage.Tasting Notes: The Margannes is a pale yellow color with golden hues, a very fine andcomplex nose, mixing honey and acacia, toasted bread notes, with hints of white flowers.The foam is persistent with very fine effervescence. It has hints of candied citrus peel andsome floral notes. It is a Champagne characterized by a very long and powerful aromaticrange. Biscuit, honey, acacia and minerality for days here. Winemaker: Aurélie Barrat& Loïc MassonPrice per bottle / Price percase: $65.99/$712.17 Suggested Food Pairing:SushiScallopsRicher, oiler fish like salmonor tunaCreamy Risotto
Learn more
Champagne Club June: E. Barnaut & Michel Gonet
Champagne is so internationally famous, such a universal shorthand for all things quality, luxury and convivial (off the top of my head: Miller Hi-Life ‘the champagne of beers’; Churchill’s quip that meeting FDR for the first time was like “opening up a bottle of champagne”; “sparkling” and “bubbly” as adjectives full stop) that is always kind of startling to remember that the world’s major go-to for good times all comes from this one very small, and not particularly warm, part of France - and that most of it originates with cranky farmers plying difficult dirt. But the entirety of the Champagne region, which is the furthest north grapes vines can be commercially grown in France, covers just 34,000 hectares of land (the Napa Valley AVA, arguably the USA’s most famous, has 49,000 hectares), less than 30% of which is planted to white grapes. What it lacks in girth, it makes up for in density though, as 90% of its grapes come from some 19,000 small holders, averaging a vineyard size of only 2 hectares. There are the giant houses too of course, but even they buy grapes from smaller concerns to maintain production and quality levels each year even as climatic conditions (spring frost, poor weather) vary widely. It’s a very specific set of circumstances, even within the larger wine world. While I’m sure that any gathering of champagne producers generates much passionate disagreement, put them all in a room with outside vignerons and I think they’d form their own faction pretty quickly. I don’t know if our two producers this month have ever specifically interacted over the years, though it is highly likely. Both have been farming and making wine in Champagne for generations, starting small and expanding gradually over the years, until a pivotal descendant took the reins and shaped their modern incarnations. These particular bottles each display the flagship typicity of their respective areas of the region: E Baurnaut has a Blanc De Noir from the Pinot Noir dominated terroir of Bouzy, while Michel Gonet makes a Blanc de Blanc from the Cotes de Blancs (so named for the white color of its chalky soils actually, but also where most of the Chardonnay in Champagne is concentrated.) Both Barnaut and M. Gonet have also been featured in previous editions of the Champagne Club, though not in several years and never together. Regardless of whether this is the first time they’ve been put in direct conversation, I can guarantee the results will be absolutely sparkling. Sante! The PlumpJack Wine Team E. Baurnaut Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs NV From: Bouzy, Champagne, France About the Winemaker: Edmond Barnaut was a pioneer in Champagne, becoming one of the first to launch his own brand outside of the bigger controlling centers of Epernay and Reims. In 1874 he formed Champagne Barnaut in the town of Bouzy where he had already owned and farmed some vines. Later he married Appoline Godmé-Barancourt who also had inherited additional vineyards from her family in the same village. The first cuvée was two-thirds Pinot Noir and one-third Chardonnay and is still made today under the Grande Réserve label, still using small amounts of reserve wine coming from the solera system started by Edmond himself and maintained throughout the five generations of family descendants. The current proprietor, Philippe Secondé has been at the helm since 1985, after earning his degree in enology. Since then he has significantly increased the house’s vineyard holdings, modernizing its cellar and expanding production all while moving its viticulture towards organic practices. Along with its sister village of Ambonnay, Bouzy has some of the finest vineyard sites for Pinot Noir in the Champagne region, the majority of them Grand Cru status. With over 830 acres of vines growing up the rolling foothills of the Montagne de Reims, the southern facing orientation ensures the best possibility for ripening year after year, resulting in rich and full-bodied wines of class, similar to the reputation of wines from the Côte des Blancs in Burgundy. Assemblage/Vinification: Today Champagne Barnaut consists of 12 hectares of Grand Cru vines spread out over 22 parcels in Bouzy composed of 12% Chardonnay and 88% Pinot Noir, along with 5.4 hectares in the Valle de la Marne. All of the wines undergo malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks. From each vintage production, fifty percent of the wine is saved for reserve. The non-vintage wines spend a minimum of twenty-four months on the lees before being disgorged and rested for another three months before being dressed for market. The Barnaut Blanc de Noir is made entirely of Pinot Noir from Bouzy, and has a miniscule production of only 1,650 cases a year. The wine has a minimal dosage of 6 g/L eschewing flabbiness while preserving the richness and purity of the Bouzy fruit. Tasting Notes: Classic Bouzy fruit notes of mixed red berries and tangerines, complimented by gingery spices and a chalky mineral backbone. The nose is yeasty with bread dough like quality paving the way for a bouquet of orchard fruits that spring forth from the glass. The finish is long and luxurious with plenty of juicy acidity to leave you wanting more. Winemaker: Phillipe Secondé Price per bottle / Price per case: $54.99/$593.90 Suggested Food Pairing: Rind cheeses along with dried stone fruits and nuts. Pasta alla carbonara with guanciale and chili flakes. Michel Gonet Les 3 Terroirs Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs From: Eparney, Champagne, France About the Winemaker: Gonet is a very old name in Champagne. The family moved to Champagne from the Beaujolais in the 15th century and worked in the vineyards before establishing a Champagne house in the early 1800s. Each subsequent generation helped lay a foundation for a successful domaine with the most recent patriarch, Michel Gonet, enlarging the cellars in Avize and refocusing their winemaking in the 1970s.The total holdings are around 40 hectares, consisting mostly of Chardonnay on the Côte des Blancs. The vines are located in the villages of Le Mesnil sur Oger, a little further south, in Vindey on the Sézannais hillsides, and also near Troyes, on the slopes of Montgueux. Assemblage/Vinification: Made from vineyards in the three villages (terroirs) of le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Montgueux, and Vindey. A minimum of 5 years aging on lees before release and disgorged only when it leaves the estate. Dosage is Extra Brut at 5 g/l. Tasting Notes: A creamy and complex wine with fresh notes of fruits and flowers with hints of pastry fragrances. This classic chardonnay is fruity, vivacious and aerial, with a slight acid scent and a beautiful mineral purity. Winemaker: Antoine Gomérieux Price per bottle / Price per case: $68.99/$745.10 Suggested Food Pairing: As an aperitif or with light spicy dishes.
Learn more
April Champagne Club: Guy Charlemagne & Louise Brison
Guy Charlemagne & Louise Brison Close your eyes, count to Champagne and you might picture two figures right away: Dom Perignon and Veuve Clicquot. You could call them the First Couple of Bubbly or whatever, except for the fact that they were born a century apart, never met, and are both framed for posterity by honorifics outlining solitude. Dom Pierre Perignon is of course the 17th century Benedictine monk and winemaker famously - and falsely - celebrated for inventing sparkling wine as we know it. You may recognize him from the prestige bottling that bears his name, or the statue of his likeness that graces the entrance to Moet & Chandon, the largest Champagne house in the world. Veuve (Widow) Clicquot, is the namesake of the 2nd largest Champagne house in the world - hardly unheralded - but the contrast with #1’s mascot here is instructive. The woman born Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin is known to the world by two titles detailing her relationship to a man, despite the fact that he died at 30 and never made wine. She actually played a role in all the Champagne innovations for which she is credited, such as the creation of vintage and rosé champagne and the invention of the ubiquitous riddling process, by which sediment is removed from champagne before disgorgement. Which is to say: Dom Perignon undoubtedly made important contributions to codification of Champagne, but it is impossible to imagine wine full stop as we know it today without the efforts of the woman whose full name I just had to look up. Obviously not shocking or unusual in the wine world or anywhere else, but I mention it because when people (rightly) herald the increased presence and visibility of women in vineyards and cellars, it’s important to remember they aren’t so much registering a change in terms of who does the work as the recognition of a long standing reality. Our bi-monthly schedule means we missed Women’s History Month in March, so here in April we have two great selections made by women that toast this essential fact. In the tiny village of Le Mesnil sur Oger, in the heart of the Cotes de Blancs, alongside such famous names as Salon and Delamotte, the small family operation called Guy Charlemagne has been operating in some form since 1892, passed down father to son until Phillipe Charlemange handed over the reins to his daughters Maree and Justine, who now handle the winemaking and sales and marketing, respectively. The sisters have taken a measured approach to change since taking over, which is understandable given the quality of the operation they have inherited: 15 hectares of mostly Grand Cru vines, 87% of which are planted to Chardonnay averaging 42 years of age. The chalky terroir of Côte des Blancs is particularly well-suited to the cultivation of the Chardonnay, as the Blanc de Blancs Brut Reserve bottling we are featuring here illustrates in spades. Starting in 1910, before the appellation system, before mechanization, and before the possibility of easy travel, Louise Brison eked out a modest living from a few hectares of vines in her home village of Noe-les-Mallets in the Cote des Bar. Her daughter Antoinette and her husband Germain Brulez took over in the 1950s, expanding the estate. Francis Brulez, their son, replanted many parcels and laid the foundation for today's style. He made the champagnes internationally famous and created an impressive treasure trove of matured vintages. In 2006, his daughter Delphine took over and led the winery towards organic cultivation with biodynamic elements. Louise's tenacity definitely lives on in Delphine, who produces astonishingly vibrant wines with a total absence of ornamentation. All her Champagnes are single-vintage and zero dosage, and she ages all her vin clair in used barrels for nine months before bottling for secondary fermentation. Delphine has no patience for the fanciful nomenclature either, so all her cuvees come with straightforward names: "Chardonnay de la Cote des Bar”, rather than “Blanc de Blancs”, for example, which is the one we have this month. Sante! The PlumpJack Wine Team Guy Charlemagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Réserve Brut From: Le-Mesnil-sur-Oger Marne Valley About the Winemaker: Sisters Justine and Marie Charlemagne are the fifth generation to make wine at this great estate in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, representing a family whose story dates back to the beginning of 19th century in this historic village. With fifteen hectares, principally in the villages of Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, the Charlemagne family produce deliciously accessible bubbly that combines rich texture with the renowned minerality of the region’s chalky soil. The house and winery are located directly opposite the famous Champagne Salon, certainly an enviable address! Assemblage/Vinification: Harvest is carried out entirely by hand and usually takes place in September. After 100% malolactic fermentation, the wine is blended by marrying wines with different aromatic qualities. After riddling and disgorging, the bottles are prepared and labeled with an eagle, the Charlemagne emblem. The standout Grand Cru Réserve is from vineyards all in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger. 2017 forms the base vintage with 60% of the cuvee, followed by 40% from the 2016, 2015, and 2014 harvests. It rests for a minimum of 60+ months en tirage before disgorgement and finishing with a 5 g/l dosage. Tasting Notes: A delicate nose of white flowers and citrus zest leads to toasted brioche and fresh croissant thanks to prolonged aging on lees. In the mouth, the minerality and salinity of Mesnil are expressed with plenty of finesse and freshness, closing with a precise finish full of tension. Winemaker: Justine & Marie Charlemagne Price per bottle / Price per case: $54.99/$593.90 Suggested Food Pairing: Dungeness Crab Maine Lobster Louise Brison Chardonnay de la Cotes des Bar 2016 From: Noé-les-Mallets, Cotes des Bar, Aube About the Winemaker: From Delphine herself: “I am proud to produce Champagne which comes from magnificent terroir, chosen by my great grandmother, Louise Brison, more than 100 years ago. She started with nothing, or close to nothing, but she was determined to keep and cultivate this land. My work today is a tribute to this great lady, who lived an ordinary life, but created an extraordinary future !” Assemblage/Vinification: The Aube terroir is unique; created by a particular climate with a strong influence of the Langres plateau (cold and dry), a Kimmeridgian type soil composed of a clay-limestone parent rock called limestone marl which contains an abundance of fossilized marine organisms. In the Côte des Bar, don’t look for chalk… there isn’t any! The terroir is more similar to the terroir of Chablis than to that of Reims. Traditionally, Pinot Noir is planted there, but Chardonnay, once vinified in oak barrels, will offer amazing roundness and finesse. Tasting Notes: The stunningly expressive Chardonnay’s nose is noble without being excessively polite, and it offers breadth and grip on a palate which possesses a delightfully assertive retronasal expansiveness. Bright citric elements coexist with orchard fruits, all underpinned by a very Kimmeridgian umami note not unlike chicken stock—something only ample aging can provide. Winemaker: Delphine Brulez Price per bottle / Price per case: $77.99/$842.33 Suggested Food Pairing: Oysters, Seafood, Creamy Cheeses, as an aperitif
Learn more
Champagne Club - February 2025
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS WINE I don’t really have a unifying theme this month, just two great and well-priced bottles to get you through the last of the winter doldrums, or save and pop when more daylight shows up. The first is a brut rose from Louis Gantinos, who is the 12th generation of his family to grow and make bubbly in the Grand Cru village of Äy, in the Vallée de Marne. Probably best-known as the home of such famous Grandes Marques as Bollinger, Gosset and Deutz, Äy is one of the most important communes in all of Champagne, as its vineyards are all ranked Grand Cru and it is considered one of the very top sources for Pinot Noir in the region. Louis sells a portion of his crop to those big houses, including Bollinger, but with each passing year he is bottling more and more for his own label. Pierre Cheval-Gatinois, Louis's father, was the quintessential Champenois traditionalist and spoke out repeatedly about the potential pitfalls of using new oak in the fermentation and elevage of Champagne, which has been gaining adherents amongst several of his fellow grower-producers in the region. Gatinois remains quite small, producing a mere 3,300 cases each year total, and each bottle well worth seeking out when and if they make it to these shores. The second is a Blanc de Blancs (or 100% Chardonnay) from Laurence and Charles Baffard, third generation vignerons who have been running their estate, called Bolieu, since 1998. The house’s appellation is a portmanteau of its history, with the ‘B’ taken from ‘Ballard, the ‘O’ representing their immediate predecessors, Lydia and Serge Ortillon, and the concluding ‘lieu’ derived from ‘Bealieu, the surname of their grandparents, Léone and André, the vineyard’s original founders. Bolieu is located in the village of Bassuet, in a remote and less known part of Champagne nearby the town of Vitry-Le-François. Geographically, Vitryat (as the larger area known) is part of the Côte des Blancs subregion, but isolated from the rest of it, lying slightly more than 40 km (25 miles) further to the east. Chardonnay dominates completely here, and the soils are mostly limestone with varying proportions of marl. While 90% of the town of Vitry-Le-Francois was destroyed during the Second World War, its most iconic structure, the Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption Collegiate Church, remained standing, if partially damaged. A restoration was completed in 1960 and it is still the largest classical style church in the department. All this destruction (along with a particularly nasty bout with phylloxera in the 19th century) is presumably why Vitryat remains relatively off the grid (it’s not even on all Champagne maps) today. As far as I can tell, this is the first time we've spotlighted the place in the club as well. If Bolieu is at all indicative of the quality that currently obtains there, we can look forward to many more top notch bottlings in the future. Sante! The PlumpJack Wine Team Champagne Gatinois Brut Rosé From: Äy, Vallee de la Marne About the Winemaker: Nicolas Le Cacheur and Françoise Remy married in 1696, and since then there have been 12 generations on the famous hillsides of Aÿ. Louis Cheval took over the domaine in 2010 after a career as a geologist. He now runs Champagne Gatinois and oversees all stages of production, from the vineyards to the cellars. His is the task of producing a range of champagnes that naturally reflect the real substance, warmth and depth of the family history. As a trained geologist, Louis Cheval could talk to you for hours about the soils and sub-soils that make up the Aÿ terroir. The subtle balance between chalk and limestone in this very special terroir endows the champagne from Aÿ with its prized power and finesse. Assemblage/Vinification: This cuvée is always an “assemblage” (blend) of three vintages, with the majority from the most recent vintage and around 30% of “réserve” wine from the two previous years. To obtain the rosé colour, 7% of still red wine Côteaux Champenois Grand Cru (Pinot Noir) is blended with 83% of Pinot Noir white juice giving a blend of 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay. Hand-harvested, the wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks and spend 36 months aging on the lees before bottling. Dosage: 6 g/L (Brut) Tasting Notes: This is a classic Äy rosé: deep, full-bodied, pure and utterly refined, with notes of wild strawberries, red currants, wheat toast and a lovely base of soil. Winemaker: Louis Cheval Price per bottle / Price per case: $55.99/$604.70 Suggested Food Pairing: Aperitif Charcuterie Seared Atlantic Salmon Duck Breast Creamy Cheeses Champagne Bolieu Fleur de Craie NV From: Côte des Blancs, Champagne, France About the Winemaker: Bolieu is located in the village of Bassuet, in a remote and less known part of Champagne nearby the town of Vitry-Le-François. Le Vitryat only covers 1000 acres today and has been largely forgotten after the Phylloxera crisis. Bolieu’s 6.5 ha are mostly composed of Chardonnay planted on S/SW exposed hillsides, anchored in a particular type of chalk with clay inclusion. These characteristics tend to bring an openness in the mid palate and citrus notes to the Chardonnay. All cuvées went through extended aging on the lies: Pépin de Vignes is kept 55 months, Fleur de Craie 77 months, Assemblage/Vinification: This 100% Chardonnay champagne is named after the chalky limestone terroir where the vines, over 40 years of age, are planted. Fermented and raised in a mix of stainless steel vats and oak barrels (15%) before aging on lees for approximately 6 years prior to release. 30% reserve wines added in the final blend. Dosage: 0-12 g/L (Brut) Tasting Notes: The clay-limestone (marl) soil that typifies the region is represented here in the mineral-driven palate that expands to encompass citrus, lemon and white flower as it develops. Winemaker: Laurence & Charles Baffard Price per bottle / Price per case: $63.99/$691.10 Suggested Food Pairing: Oysters, Crab Cakes Potato Soup Pesto Linguine
Learn more