Tom Stevenson on Champagne | The World of Fine Wine
| Original Title | All For One And One For All? Single Vineyard Champagne |
| Publication | The World of Fine Wine (Issue 49) |
| Author | Tom Stevenson |
| Published | September, 2015 |
Houses may have been the early pioneers, but over the past ten years growers have sent the number of single-vineyard Champagnes rocketing, to 120 and rising. Tom Stevenson introduces a tasting shared with Essi Avellan MW and Andrew Jefford in which they set out to identify the rare sites that really merit such special treatment and the producers who translate them most successfully.
Tom Stevenson on the tasting
For this single-vineyard Champagne tasting, 60 wines were submitted by 38 producers, mostly growers, including five who were not even in Essi Avellan’s list of just two years ago. This clearly illustrates how fast-growing this embryonic category of Champagne is.
Essi highlighted the “low- or no-dosage policies [that are] aiming for maximum authenticity and transparency,” and there was indeed an above-average proportion of Brut Nature (18 percent) and Extra Brut Champagnes (40 percent) in this tasting.
In his summary, Andrew states a preference for Extra Brut, whereas Essi and I had preference for Brut, but it was far less marked. The inherent difficulty of producing a low- or no-dosage style in Champagne is due to its intrinsically lean structure, so when it does work and the result is harmonious, it must be applauded. It is much easier to produce such styles in Franciacorta, where the slightly warmer clime provides a plumper base wine, whereas low- and no-dosage styles are difficult for Trentodoc, which has a much leaner structure.
Surprisingly, no fewer than 26 of the 60 wines were Non-Vintage, and you have to wonder about such a development. Is it a logical strategy for single-vineyard Champagnes to be produced and sold without a vintage?
How a vineyard responds to the climate is one of the most essential elements of terroir. Each year the terroir imprints itself on a wine according to how the vines have responded to that vintage, and thus a single vintage is a pure expression of individual terroir. This is lost when blending two or more years. Losing the pure expression of individual terroir does not necessarily devalue its quality. Eight of my top 12 wines were Non-Vintage, as were six of Essi’s top 13. Only Andrew had a clear preference for Vintage, with just two of his top 11 wines being Non-Vintage.
Still, the fact that a Non-Vintage grabbed any of the top spots—even just two, as in Andrew’s case—demonstrates that a lack of specific terroir expression does not detract from the quality of a Champagne. It is more about being true to the concept of terroir and how a producer—particularly a grower producer— presents his domaine. It goes without saying that all Non-Vintage single-vineyard Champagnes should carry an easily understood code indicating the age and, ideally, disgorgement date, much like Ulysse Collin and others do. This is a basic requirement, whether the Champagne is from a single vintage or not. If it is from a single vintage and is being released after three years of age, then it is ridiculous not to proudly show its vintage. If it is from a single vintage and is being released after less than three years of age, then it does not deserve to be promoted as a single vineyard Champagne, because in all but a few rare (and unpredictably occasional) cases, an exceptional terroir will require more than three years on yeast to show its potential. If it is not from a single vintage and the only reason for labeling it as a single vineyard is simply to express a point of difference between a grower’s Champagne and the region-wide blends of a major house, then do not devalue single-vineyards in the process. Simply prefix the producer’s name with “Domaine,” and highlight “Estate Bottled” on the front label. It is the ability to use these two terms—not single-vineyard names— that defines a grower’s point of difference. The use of “Domaine” and “Estate Bottled” endows growers with the terroir specific reputation they crave.