The choices of Gambero

AUBE – CÔTE DES BAR

Champagne Fleur de l’Europe

Nature – Fleury (TeaTro del Vino)

Since 1989 the company has worked in biodynamics and elaborated cuvées focused above all on the great red grape variety. The Fleur de l'Europe (85% pinot noir) has backbone and structure, it is dry and offers a textbook complexity of taste and aroma. 60 months of permanence on the lees.

Champagne Brut Nature

Sans Soufre – Drappier (parTesa)

Located in Urville, a pinot noir area. The Cuvée Sans Soufre focusses 100% on the red variety, no added sulphites, zero dosage and 36 months on the lees for a above sea level and the exposure of the vineyards is often south, south-east facing. We are in the northernmost areas for the production of wine and the weather conditions greatly condition the growth of the grapes. On the one hand there is the oceanic, cold climate, on the other the continental one which brings the ideal constant rain, but thanks to the valleys the water drains well and the exposures allow the sun to "kiss" the grapes and let them ripen to perfection, while always maintaining characteristics that give freshness, finesse, elegance, all peculiarities for which Champagne is famous and known throughout the world. Finally, the soil is calcareous, composed of gypsum formed by grains of calcite of marine origin.

Below we offer about forty Cuvées, tasted during the Modena Champagne Experience.

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by Giuseppe Carrus

Champagne played on tones of yellow apple and medlar, and with a sharp and full-bodied mouth, with a sparkle which manages to balance the sip and progression very well.

Champagne Extra Brut Grande Resérve – Comte de Montaigne (ComTe de monTaigne iTalia)

Sebbene il filosofo Michel de MonAlthough philosopher Michel de Montaigne had vineyards in Bordeaux, Stéphane Revol is inspired by him in the limestone soils of the Aube. Made from pinot noir (70%) and chardonnay, this Extra brut is appreciated for the great elegance of its fruity and citrus aromas, for the fresh, clear acidic vein and the long mineral and fruity finish. (not tasted in modena)

Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Grande Resérve – Comte de Montaigne (ComTe de monTaigne iTalia)

Heir to a long tradition of winemakers, Stéphane Revol with the collaboration of oenologist Philippe Narcy elaborates a careful range of cuvées. Their secret is, in addition to a careful selection of the grapes, the second fermentation with the must of the cuvée and the long maturation on the lees which can reach up to 4 years. Of note is the excellent Blanc de Blancs, creamy in its effervescence, complex on the nose in its floral and ripe white fruit notes, which veer into tones of butter and vanilla. On the palate it is solid, pulpy and taut, and closes long on notes of citrus and minerals. (not tasted in modena)

C Te Des Blancs

Champagne Rosé Assemblage Brut – Bonnaire (VisConTi 43)

We were particularly impressed by the Rosé, the fruit of 60% chardonnay and the remainder of pinot noir (12% of which is red wine). 36 months on the lees and a dosage of 6 grams per litre for a fleshy and enveloping Champagne, tasty and with the delicious aromas of small red fruits.

Champagne Blanc de Blancs Cuis

1er Cru – Pierre Gimonnet & Fils (gruppo meregalli)

Premier Cru fruit for 67% of the 2019 vintage and small percentages of other vintages up to the 2010 vintage. The facet that starts from the nose and reaches an articulated, fine, elegant, refined and very deep mouth is incredible.

Champagne Terre de Vertus Premier

Cru Pas Dosé 2015 – Larmandier

Bernier (TeaTro del Vino)

Champagne of rare finesse and elegance obtained solely from chardonnay. Fruit of the 2015 vintage, it smells of white flowers, has a very delicate spicy touch that anticipates a subtle, deep mouth with a marked sapidity and acidity well integrated with the substance. Zero grams of sugar and 48 months on the lees.

Champagne Unisson Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs – Franck Bonville (philarmoniCa)

Only Grand Cru for this Avize maison. We were impressed by the Unisson which manages to show textbook complexity and a balance and harmony that are not easily forgotten. Nine grams/litre of sugar for a creamy and enveloping mouthfeel.

Champagne Blanc de Noirs

Brut Réserve – Boizel (piCo maCCario)

Classic assembly, eight grams per litre of sugar and 36 months on the lees for a respectable Cuvée, which smells of medlar and pastry on the nose; in the mouth it has the right freshness and flavour to support an enveloping and creamy body.

Champagne Brut Réserve –Leclerc Briant (agb selezione)

Leclerc-Briant has been experimenting with biodynamics since the middle of the last century. As often happens, the greatness of a maison can be seen from the simplest label: Brut Réserve, the result of a classic assembly, is the Champagne we would always like to have with us: fresh, elegant, deep and very sapid.

Champagne Monographie Grand Cru – Pierre Legras (première)

Monographie is elaborated in different labels according to the dosages, this is the classic; 100% chardonnay and 72 months on the lees, it expresses an out of the ordinary quality: aromas ranging from white flowers to sweet spices, there is no lack of fruit and hints of bread crust and pastry. Sumptuous and elegant mouth.

Champagne Clos Cazals 2013 –

Claude Cazals (apoTeCa)

Clos Cazals is a very good example of terroir Champagne. It is a small plot of chardonnay "closed" by walls, no residual sugar and 120 months on the lees for a wine of great complexity, with an important acidic backbone and a very long finish.

Champagne Hommage

– R&L Legras (Vino & design)

Today the company is run by the Barbier family who elaborate Cuvées of great finesse: Hommage is what won us over. Long permanence on the lees for an incredible wine for complexity, olfactory taste and depth.

Champagne Brut Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs – Champagne Encry

Veuve Blanche Estelle (proposTa Vini) t is one of the few Champagne companies that belongs to an Italian, Enrico Baldin and his wife Nadia. Their Blanc de Blancs (single chardonnay, 5 grams per litre of sugar and 42 months on the lees) has depth and plays on tones of yellow flowers, pastry and sweet spices and for a soft and fragrant palate.

Champagne Téthis.19 Extra Brut Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs – Guiborat (pellegrini)

Guiborat is the brand of the Fouquet family. This label comes from grapes grown in the Grand Crus: it is an extremely pure Champagne, it remains on the lees for 24 months, has a very low dosage and is all played on minerality, verticality and a nice acidic shoulder.

Champagne Les 7 Crus Extra brut – Agrapart (pellegrini)

It is the fruit of the various proprietary crus. 90% chardonnay, it is complex and multifaceted. The 6 grams of residual sugar offer a soft and well-balanced substance with a sharp acidity and a nice shoulder of excellent flavour in the finish.

Reims Mountains

Champagne Shaman 18 Grand Cru – Marguet (les CaVes de pyrene)

The maison has ancient origins and also rents out vineyards in Krug. Shaman 18 is a Grand Cru (pinot noir 67% and chardonnay): no residual sugar for a sharp and flowing drink, where the acidity is well integrated with the substance and the bubbles give elegance and finesse.

Champagne Brut Privilège 1er Cru – Monmarthe (Cuzziol)

An assembly of equal parts pinot noir and chardonnay, it is a very classic cuvée, both in the scent and in the sip, it is characterised by a dosage of 8 grams per litre which gives an enveloping and soft substance, well contrasted by acidity and sapidity.

Champagne Brut Réserve Grand Cru – Paul Bara (bolis disTribuzione)

Power and aromatic richness are the peculiarities of the maison, as demonstrated by the Brut Réserve which comes from Grand Cru vineyards (pinot noir 80%): 7 grams per litre of residue and 48 months on the lees for a satisfying, creamy, enveloping sip and a fragrance maintained to the end.

Vall E De La Marne

Champagne Brut Tradition

– H. Blin (TanniCo)

The strong point is the pinot meunier which is the protagonist of 80% of this cuvée: 7 grams of residual sugar for a classic bubble, played on tones of yellow fruit and pastry and with a soft palate where carbonation is well integrated.

Champagne Zéro Brut Nature

– Tarlant (TeaTro del Vino)

Flavour, acidic freshness, finesse and the desire to bring out the territory as much as possible is the will of the owners and this is clearly evident from this label: the three main grapes in equal parts, zero residue and 72 months on the lees for a Cuvée among the best we tasted.

Champagne Cuvée 745 Extra Brut

– Jacquesson (pellegrini)

A historic maison that certainly needs no introduction. 28 hectares of vineyards, most in the Vallée de la Marne, while 111 hectares are in Avize, in the heart of the Côte des Blancs. The Cuvée 745 seemed more opulent than usual to us, despite the dosage that is close to zero. However, the fullness and enveloping are very well dampened by sapidity, acidic freshness, a perfect sparkle and a textbook silhouette that pushes the sip into a beautiful finish.

Champagne Murgiers 2019 – Francis Boulard (ViTe & Vini)

Only 3 hectares for the company run by Francis Boulard who some time ago decided to leave the family maison to make wine from his own grapes that come from a vineyard of about 35 years. Murgiers, fruit of the 2019 vintage, is the Cuvée that most impressed us, thanks to a textbook saline part that makes the sip perky and energetic and a freshness that well enhances the characteristics of the meunier used for 94%.

Champagne Special Cuvée – Bollinger (gruppo meregalli)

It is one of the prestigious Champagne houses, capable over the years of proposing prestigious Cuvées that are identified by a very precise style that sees its strengths in the ageing in wood and in the long refinements. We offer you the Special Cuvée, a classic blend dominated by pinot noir and a balance of chardonnay and meunier. Scents of white flowers, vanilla and a touch of small berries, for a very classy mouthfeel.

Champagne Hommage Au Pinot Noir – Henri Giraud (ghilardi selezioni)

The company was founded in 1625 and developed in 1900 thanks to the union between Madeleine Hémart and Henri Giraud. The current heir is Claude Giraud, winemaker and great connoisseur of pinot noir. Hommage wants to express the best of the great red grapes of the area, it does it very well thanks to a complex nose that ranges from rose to currant, from black pepper to vanilla pod. Mouth that manages to harmonise well the enveloping silkiness with a nice grit that comes from the acidic shoulder.

Champagne Extra Brut Entre Ciel & Terre – Françoise Bedel (sarzi amadè) Artisan workmanship, biodynamic viticulture, drinkability and flavour and sure charm in the Cuvées that Françoise Bedel elaborates. Just over eight hectares where meunier is the protagonist, although the label we offer you has 50% between chardonnay and pinot noir. Yellow flowers, sweet spices, touches of candied citrus and pastry dominate the nose, while the mouth plays on flavour and volume, where effervescence plays a key role in terms of drinkability.

Classic Maisons

Champagne Brut Selection – Pannier (ps wine)

Maison born in 1899 and over the years has become a reference in Champagne. Different, very many, the elaborate Cuvées, of which we present the simplest, most immediate which however is a litmus test of the production. Almost equal parts between the varieties used (small predominance of chardonnay) and 8 grams of residue for a very classic, inviting and precise nose and a mouth that offers beautiful harmony between acidity, sapidity and softness.

Champagne Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru – Bruno Paillard (Cuzziol)

It is one of the most fascinating Cuvées tasted for harmony and balance, but also for an elegance that only the great Blanc de Blancs are able to express. Chardonnay that comes from the Grand Cru vineyards of the Côte des Blancs, with a low dosage of sugar and a long stay on the lees (over 50 months). Floral nose, slightly spicy, scented with lime and very fine, graceful, deep and energetic mouth.

Champagne Extra Réserve – Palmer & Co (Vino & design)

Palmer was founded in 1947 by 7 partners, all small vignerons. Over the years the company has grown a lot and can now count on about 200 hectares of vineyards, located in the different areas of Champagne. We offer you the Extra Réserve, a cuvée obtained from 3 classic grape varieties, 50% is chardonnay, then pinot noir and 10% meunier. Less than 5 grams of sugar and a long stay on the lees (72 months) offer a nose of rare complexity that starts from white flowers, veers towards citrus to then offer sensations of vanilla, candied fruit and cinnamon that anticipate a fresh mouth, proper softness, vibrant acidity and savoury enough.

Champagne Brut Rosé – Thiènot (balan)

A young company, if compared to most of the classic maisons, which in thirty years has established itself on the market thanks to a modern style that does not distort the "champagne" soul thanks to fine and highly elegant products. Rosé is a good example. All three grapes are represented, although 50% is chardonnay, the pinot noir (40%) is there alright: small berries, rose, strawberry, then a touch of spice to arrive at a soft, enveloping mouth, with an important body, but never too imposing.

Champagne Brut Classic – Deutz (d&C)

Deutz is undoubtedly one of the largest and most renowned Champagne houses, boasting 250 hectares of vineyards and kilometre-long cellars located 30 metres underground. The style of the maison offers very fine, elegant Cuvées, with a subtle drinkability and full of details. The Brut Classic is the simplest, but it is a good example to understand the style: aromas of lime and sweet bread crust, for a nuanced mouth with acidic freshness and a long finish.

Champagne Brut Rosé Réserve – Charles Heidsieck (philarmoniCa)

Historic company founded in the mid1800s by Charles Camille Heidsieck and which has become one of the reference maisons in Champagne. Some cuvées, like this one that we present to you, are elaborated thanks to Reserve wines that offer complexity, persistence and very intriguing facets. This Rosé with an important dosage (11 grams/litre) is made up of 80% vintage wines and 20% reserves of at least 10 years and, lastly, a small percentage of Pinot Noir vinified in red. Incredible nose: it goes from blueberry to paprika, there is no lack of the floral part that anticipates a well-structured mouth, always dampened by balsamic freshness and a savoury part that makes the sip long and captivating.

Champagne Collection 243

– Louis Roederer (sagna)

Company founded in Reims at the end of the 18th century and can now count on more than 240 hectares spread over the best Premier Cru and Grand Cru of the most prestigious production areas. Despite the size of the maison and the important numbers, Roederer almost exclusively vinifies its own grapes for a very high quality for all the Cuvées. Collection (the first version is the 241) is the novelty that happens to the Bru Premier. For the 243 version, the three main grapes and 34% of Riserva wines from 6 different vintages were used. Four years on the lees for a complexity and enveloping aspect that combine well with an acidic, tasty, energetic and vital shoulder.

Champagne Brut Réserve

– Pol Roger (Compagnia del Vino)

Company founded in 1849 and which has become one of the references for Champagne. Just under 100 hectares of vineyards and very classic cuvées for assembly on which the famous Winston Churchill stands out, who was a great admirer of Pol Roger Champagnes. We present the Brut Réserve, a blend of three grapes in equal parts, dosed at 8 grams per litre and aged on the lees for more than 42 months. Aromas of medlar, green apple, custard and cinnamon anticipate a silky and energetic mouthfeel, never slack, rather voluminous and wide.

Champagne Comtes de Champagne

Blanc 2011 – Taittinger (domori)

228 hectares of vineyards add up to the loyal suppliers for decades, for this historic company, one of the oldest in Champagne. The bet has always focused mostly on chardonnay, so much so that their main cuvée is a Blanc de Blancs. The 2011 vintage rests for 120 months on the lees before disgorgement and is a blaze of very fine and delicate aromas, which flow into a sip of rare elegance, with the clearly present acidic freshness that blends perfectly with the structure of the wine..

Champagne Dom Pérignon P2 2004 – Dom Pérignon P2 or deuxième plénitude, which for Dom Pérignon represents the phase of energy. At least 12 years must pass on the lees, in this case - for the 2004 - over 15 years have passed. We are talking about one of the great vintages of this century and the greatness is all found in the glass. Incredible nose for notes of saffron, pan d'épices and iodised tones of orange blossom and helichrysum. Amazing mouth for balance, elegance and gracefulness. The sip seems to never end, the carbonation is amazing because it seems to bind acidity and flavour well. Truly a great Champagne! ( not tasted in modena )

Champagne Grand Vintage 2015 – Moët et Chandon

Classic assembly for the Grand Vintage, with predominantly chardonnay (42%), followed by pinot noir (39%) and balance of pinot meunier. The Grand Vintage represents the flagship of the imposing Champagne house and is made only in the best vintages. In this case the 2015, which was a dry vintage, where the sun was felt in the ripening of the grapes. The result is a Cuvée that manages to perfectly combine richness and body with elegance and freshness, the aromas are reminiscent of white flowers, lime, baked pastries, while the mouth stands out for its energy and enveloping aspect. ( not tasted in modena )