2003 was a tough year to be a grape in Champagne. First they had to contend with an unusually cold winter followed by a deceptively warm spring only to be zapped by hail and not once, but twice by frost, the worst of which was on April 11th destroying up to 3/4 of the Côte des Blancs Chardonnay crop. To add insult to injury that...
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I had lunch twice with Jean-Herve Chiquet, one half of the fraternal owners of the champagne house of Jacquesson (founded in 1798), along with his fabulous champagnes in the space of 2 weeks. I know, it’s tough but someone has to do it. My first encounter with Jean-Herve, at the winery was rather disheveled, as somebody had...
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Walking into The Ritz, I couldn’t help but be slightly overwhelmed by the opulence of the hotel – red velvet, gigantic golden chandeliers, marble and damask as far as the eye can see, now I know where the expression “putting on the Ritz” comes from, you can’t help but feel like should be dressed in...
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I rang up my friend Luiz (The London Foodie) the other day and asked him if he wanted to help me drink the latest release of Billecart Salmon champagne, the Brut Sous Bois as I hate to drink alone and nobody was home at the time. Being a good friend, and living just round the corner, Luiz agreed to help me out. “Sous...
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As we pulled up through the gates of the champagne house/B&B of Ployez-Jacquemart we heard a doorbell go off. I walked back through the gate to get a picture and the bell went off again. Ah, a sensor gate, a very good way to know when people have entered the compound, either on foot or by car, especially when the winemaker is...
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I had the pleasure of trying the Lanson Gold Label 1999 the other day while I was in Champagne with the CIVC. Lanson is well known for their non-vintage champagnes but their lesser known vintage wines are the ones to wait for. Lanson makes their wine in a different style to many of the grandes marques in that they don’t let...
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