Begin 2023 on a high note with these sparkling wines
Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2015
The arrival of La Grande Dame 2015 has caused quite a stir. Veuve Clicquot teams with Paola Paronetto, an artist of the paper clay technique, to interpret the shapes and values expressed by Cuvée La Grande Dame. Choosing the texture of her Cartocci collection and a range of colours from her extensive palette, Paola crafted a collection of six eco-conscious gift boxes that showcase her unique palette, igniting a wave of emotional optimism. Not only do these items radiate a sense of lightness but they also exemplify Veuve Clicquot’s commitment to responsible packaging. The nose is equally expressive with apple and pear notes that upon further aeration, unveil hints of toasted brioche. Soft perlage bursts against a lush and creamy backdrop with lasting flavours of candied fruit, tangential acidity. Generous and fresh, its mineral qualities harmonise best with that of caviar, but of course. Find it only at Le Rogue.
Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon 2009
The Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon 2009 vintage rosé Champagne is Billecart-Salmon’s latest prestige cuvée. Named after Elisabeth Salmon, who founded the Maison with husband Nicolas François Billecart in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ in 1818, it sits on the top tier of the brand’s releases, and was created as a tribute to her elegance and feminine sophistication.
The family-owned Champagne house, now headed by seventh generation Mathieu Roland-Billecart, is renowned for its sparkling salmon-hued rosé, and the 2009 vintage is the perfect expression of the maker’s virtuosity. A precise and meticulous blend of 55 per cent Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Grande Vallée de la Marne, and 45 per cent Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, it was cold fermented to preserve the fresh fruit flavours and aromatics. Patient maturation on lees for a decade then imbued the wine with delicate texture and creaminess.
On the nose, expect a “refreshing yet sultry sensory experience of citrus peel and red and blackberry jelly, with the exquisite sensation of a rich and complex aromatic range (blackcurrants, blackberries and blueberries)”, according to Billecart-Salmon’s chief Winemaker Florent Nys. Flavours of panettone, candied clementines and ginger meld in perfect harmony on the palate, before gently evolving towards a chalky edge and persistent finish of citron zest. To fully appreciate the brut rosé’s unique mineral charm, consider a pairing of poached lobster, or a tartare of sakura leaf, tomato and rhubarb.
Telmont’s Blanc de Blancs Vinotheque 2005
For those who prefer a sweeter finish, Telmont’s Blanc de Blancs Vinotheque 2005 is the perfect wine to pair with your New Year’s feast. Created from an excellent harvest of Chardonnays, it packs a level of maturity and emits a highly rich and refined flavour. Expect notes of pineapple and vanilla, along with a burnt, caramel nose. This wine shines like gold, and finishes so delicately on the tongue. Yours for S$318.
Champagne Vilmart & Cie Emotion 2012
It is easy to hate Champagne, but less so, with a bottle of Champagne Vilmart & Cie. The artisanal producer run by Laurent Champs (he’s fifth generation) has built a loyal following among those in the know, and delicious wines that age better than your dad’s favourite joke. It is what you’d find at Michelin-starred restaurants like 8 1/2 Otto E Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong, and since late 2021, Malt & Wine Asia Singapore. There are seven different kinds to discover, but a favourite would be the Blanc de Blancs 2011 (S$308) and Emotion 2012 (S$178), a Pinot Noir and Chardonnay rosé that lends a complex, elegant floral palate and slightly spicy finish.
Champagne Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Brut 2013
Always a marriage of nature, art and Perrier-Jouët’s signature expression of Chardonnay in Champagne, Belle Epoque comes again this year, with the 2013 vintage, in a gift box created by Austrian designers mischer’traxler to complement the iconic spray of Japanese white anemones created for Maison Perrier-Jouët by Art Nouveau master Emile Gallé in 1902, and associated with Belle Epoque after its debut in 1964. The wine is exuberantly fresh and vibrant, opening with delicate honeysuckle and jasmine combined with white peach, pear and a spritz of lemon. The first sip offers a burst of sweet fruit – more peach, with nectarine and hints of lime and grapefruit – on a highly expressive palate, mouth-watering with bright acidity. Yours for S$225.
Roederer Estate L’Ermitage 2015 Brut Anderson Valley
The tête de cuvee from Roederer’s Mendocino outpost is made only in good years, and this vibrant 2015 (about half and half Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), with its signature tiny, lively bubbles, makes a tasty case for what was a very dry year. Fresh and earthy at the same time, the nose is layered with white blossoms, a touch of brioche, spiced apple, a little almond and lemon blossoms for good measure. Great acidity gives the wine structure and weight, while a core of tart, creamy lemon and grapefruit mix with apricot and white nectarine – bright and refreshing. Yours for US$59.99 (S$81).
Nyetimber 2013 Tillington Single Vineyard England
A blend of 76 per cent Pinot Noir and 24 per cent Chardonnay, this special bottling from Nyetimber – only made in good years – comes from West Sussex, a part of southeast England that boasts an extension of the chalk-rich soils of Champagne. Aromas of fresh-baked bread open, along with rich citrus (a touch of orange peel) and hints of red berries, hazelnuts and a salty ocean breeze. The palate is powerful and long, layered with clementine fruit, raspberry and rhubarb delivered with elegant, creamy bubbles. Yours for S$298.
Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal 2013
This classic vintage of Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal – 60 per cent Pinot Noir and 40 per cent Chardonnay – is both elegant and energetic. The nose is rich and earthy, with wet-stone and oyster-shell minerality and a slight nuttiness wrapped in delicate white blossom aromas layered with juicy apple, pear and creamy lemon. A complex core of fruit, from white nectarine to golden plum and pear, carries a palate that manages freshness and purity in the face of that complexity. Beautiful length reveals the energy and texture of the vintage. Yours for S$338.
Champagne Christophe Baron Les Hautes Blanches Vignes 2016 Charly-Sur-Marne
Available only in magnum (which can only be a good thing) and unique among its peers in being made exclusively from Pinot Meunier, this powerful, rosy-tinted bubbly comes from one of the vineyards that Christophe Baron – a legend on the West Coast for his Walla Walla Valley wines – owns with his family in Champagne. It opens with candied citrus peel, honeyed stone fruit, tree fruits, dried herbs and a whiff of fresh bread – a sweet-seeming nose belied by a strikingly dry and robust palate (there’s zero dosage here). Lemon-lime flavours build to spiced apricot and pear with red berry notes at the edge and mineral on the end. A vibrant mousse adds to the wine’s power and presence. Yours for US$300 (S$406).
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Inman Family 2015 Extra Brut Luxe Cuvée Russian River Valley
This serious sparkler from Kathleen Inman is the first she’s made that’s not from 100 per cent estate Pinot Noir, but the 72 per cent Pinot, 28 per cent Chardonnay deserves a shout out for its daring lack of added sugar (just a miniscule 0.081 per cent residual). Dry is trending, yes, but this one manages an exceptionally rich mouth-feel and complexity of fruit for the style. Earth clings to just-picked apples and pears on the nose, with hints of red berries and almond blossom around the edges. Spiced cherries and strawberries belie the dryness of the palate, layered with exotic citrus and the finish lingers with lovely weight. Spring for a magnum of this one! Yours for US$165 (S$224).
Editor’s note: This product only ships within the USA.
Champagne Ayala Le Blanc de Blancs 2015
Here’s a vivid, pure expression of Chardonnay from Ayala, a house (part of the Champagne Bollinger family) that excels with the white side of Champagne. Opening with a sexy swirl of golden apple, high-toned florals, honeycomb and puff pastry, the wine builds, with a super-fine bead, into layers of citrus – lemon curd, orange peel – and fresh white stone fruit around a core of beautiful minerality that lingers on a long, lovely finish. Yours for €48 (S$73.50).
Frank Family Vineyards 2016 Brut Rosé Carneros, Napa Valley
Lovely red-fruit character marks this rosé from Frank Family. Cherry, raspberry and red apple skin aromas open on the nose, wrapped up in jasmine, white peach and a hint of walnut. Spiced cranberry and bright cherry flavours are layered with – and balanced by – orange peel and savoury minerality on the finish. Yours for US$55 (S$75).
Editor’s note: This product only ships within the USA.
Ram’s Gate 2015 Blanc de Noirs Carneros
This vivid bubbly, from the oldest plantings of Pinot Noir in Ram’s Gate’s estate vineyard, is vibrant and bright for all its intensity. The nose is a deep well of aromas: dusty berries, preserved orange peel and crisp apple with hints of tropical blossoms and hazelnuts. Red berry fruit on the palate gives way to red apple skin and a little peach, finishing with lovely wet-stone minerality. Yours for US$68 (S$92).
Editor’s note: This product only ships within the USA.
Agustí Torelló Mata 2013 Kripta Gran Reserva Cava Brut Nature
This rich and savoury Spanish bubbly from Agustí Torelló Mata might use Cava’s three main traditional grapes – Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada – but it makes a striking statement in every other way, from its seven years on the lees (yes, good Cava can age!), its €49.95 (S$77) price tag and, above all, its avant-garde, torpedo-shaped bottle (sans base). The wine itself is beautiful, with hints of telltale petrol wafting around rising bread dough, spiced green apple and honeysuckle aromas. An almond peel quality edges ripe white stone fruit and puckery grapefruit on the palate, with a creaminess born of age. Yours for €49.95 (S$77).
Telmont Blanc de Blancs 2012
The Blanc de Blancs 2012 is an exceptional representative of the Telmont style. For the benefit of the non-oenophiles, 2012 was a significant year of interest. It was a difficult one for vineyards, marked by extreme climate, though thankfully not of the levels seen in the disaster movie of the same name. The punchline: the movie itself was a disaster.
However, the particularly harsh winter, wet spring and battles with mildew combined with an unexpected blockbuster of a hot summer, resulting in an exceptional harvest marked by its unusual levels of acidity and sweetness. To no one’s surprise, the critics enjoyed Telmont’s Blanc de Blancs 2012: 89 points from La Revue des Vins de France (2021), a gold medal from Mundus Vini (2021) and fifth place in Tastingbook’s Top 10 Vintage Blanc de Blancs (2021).
Our own positive experience was somewhat similar, and the 2012 vintage stood out from an already impressive lineup of, albeit limited, Telmont offerings that are available locally. Its distinct buttery character is what strikes you first, followed by a faint sweet fruity nectar and a hint of nuttiness. With Blanc de Blancs, haste is waste – take your time to let the Champagne open up. The richness of its body is accentuated by delicate floral notes as well as peaches and other citrus fruits. The minerality and salinity add a savoury dimension to the Champagne, which simply is, as the young ones like to say, the chef’s kiss. Yours for S$118.
This story was adapted from Robb Report USA
