GROWER CHAMPAGNE CLUB
NOVEMBER 2021
ALL IN AVIZE
Avize is Champagne for the hardcore. Chardonnay grapes grown in the crunchy limestone slopes of the Cotes des Blancs that express minerality in some of it’s most aggressive form. You’ll find a high concentration of Grower/Producers wineries here, among them some of the biggest names in today’s more mineral focused wines like Agrapart and Jerome Selosse. It’s also become a prime destination for any and all fortunate Champagne tourists due to Les Avises, Selosse’s stunning Hotel and Restaurant.
– Kevin Wardell, November 2021
FREREJEAN FRÈRES
1ER CRU BRUT
+ 50% PINOT NOIR
Avize, Champagne, France NV
Brothers (frères in French) Richard, Rodolphe and Guillaume Frerejean-Taittinger have Champagne in their blood. The prestigious Taittinger house has been producing Champagne since the 1930’s when the family took over vineyards dating back to the 1700’s. However, the three brothers chose to take a path of their own separate from their cousins, championing artisan quality far over quantity in the most hand-crafted, patient way, working only with premier cru or grand cru vineyard chardonnay and pinot noir grapes when they launched their own label in 2005.
Their premier cru wine is aged a minimum of six to eight years, allowing character and complexity to develop in the bottle. The brothers pride themselves as well on minimal added pesticides, sulfites and added sugars during final fermentation.
Random fact: the Frerejean brothers come from a long line of cannon-makers. During the Napoleonic Wars, the last cannon-makers that supplied the French army against the Prussians.
Having aged gracefully on the lees for 72 months, there is an undeniable richness of honey atop toasted brioche with baked apples and pears. Creamy in texture but with just a lace of bitterness similar to alpine herbs or even a light touch of quinine. That balance, as well as some delicate acidity, keeps the wine from overstepping the boundaries of ripeness but does not at all interfere with sheer enjoyment of it either.
This is great value Champagne that evokes all the right flavors for celebrating with friends and family during the holidays.
50% Chardonnay + 50% Pinot Noir from small 1er Cru sites in and around Avize. Full Malo and 6 years aged in bottle before disgorgement, 6 months after. 6.5 g/L dosage.
CHAMPAGNE DE SOUSA
‘MYCORHIZE’
EXTRA BRUT
Avize, Champagne, France MV
The story of Champagne de Sousa in the heart of Côte des Blancs actually began in Braga, Portugal. Manuel de Sousa came to France to fight for the Allied army during World War I. After the war he returned to settle down in Avize with his wife and new son Antoine.
Antoine later married Zoémie the daughter of grape growers and eventually founded the De Sousa estate. Their son Erick has been managing the property since 1986. Erick is dedicated to quality and taking a delicate hand in his winemaking approach, following biodynamic farming practices. Every champagne here is fermented using Indigenous yeasts and experiences full malolactic fermentation. Many stages of the winemaking process are still done by hand, whether it’s grape harvesting, or riddling in the cellars.
The name refers to “Mycorrhizae” fungi that grow near the roots of the vines showcasing a healthy soil environment due their Biodynamic practices.
A powered up vibrant start with a luxurious rollercoaster of flavor that whips and whirls to a delightfully dense finish. Meyer lemon biscuits with a market ripe grapefruit nose that keeps your nose locked to the glass. Minerality is an intense constant, and it would need to be in order to get noticed at all with a wine this expressive.
Uncommon for Champagne, there is a lot of spice throughout the wine, from ginger to cardamom. Thought provoking texture and richness abounds, but there is much more to it than the weight. The acidity is equally powerful and it demands a good food pairing, certainly a bit more substantial than the ubiquitous pigeonhole of an ‘aperitif.’
100% Chardonnay from a 60 year old Lieu Dit vineyard, Les Hauts Nemery in Avize. Vinified in 225L large oak barrels, 3 grams per liter dosage. Aged 3 years in bottle before disgorgement – Disgorged 12/19