CHAMPAGNE Champagne DoyardMahé VERTUS

In Champagne, the recent increase of growers wines provides the variety and the excitement to complement the blending skill and consistency that the top brands deliver. Due to the nature of business, nearly all the larger houses buy a significant percentage of their needs from the independent growers. The growers’ Champagne, like those of our two suppliers, are the wines crafted by some of those growers (“RM” for “récoltant-manipulant” on the label) from their own grapes, with much clearer stamp of the terroir and the vintage.

Carole Doyard is the fourth generation of her family crafting the Champagne Doyard-Mahé wines. The vineyards are in a Premier Cru-designated village of Vertus, south of Épernay, in the Côte des Blancs area famed for its Chardonnay. Not surprisingly, all the wines carry the village and Premier Cru designation, and all are Chardonnay based, with some Pinot Noir in rosé. Her team’s commitment to sustainable and environmentally friendly practises were recognized in 2020 by Viticulture Durable Champagne (VDC) and Haute Valeur Environnemental (HVE) designations.

This Opimian Member favourite is made from 2020 Chardonnay supplemented with reserves from previous harvests. The fruit was grown in the prestigious Premier Cru vineyard of Vertus located in the Côte de Blancs region of Champagne. The bouquet references an appealing balance of lemon, lime and bread dough aromas while the body expresses notes of apple, honey and brioche. A wellbalanced wine with a pleasing length. 2023-2027– lw

12.5%

Lemon, lime, bread dough

Apple, honey, brioche, [9.00]

Sushi

4100

Chardonnay

$ 78 $ 468

12.5%

Lifted, floral, quince, lemon, brioche

Lemon, quince, brioche, hazelnut, intense but graceful, [4.00]

Herb-roasted chicken with lemon and white-wine cream sauce

DM VIEILLES VIGNES 70 ANS, MILLÉSIME 2017, CHARDONNAY BRUT NATURE, VERTUS PREMIER CRU, 2017

Chardonnay

$ 176 $ 352

This is a cool bottling of old vines and Brut Nature indicates that no dosage was added. A youthful pale yellow, it opens with lifted notes of yellow flowers, followed by hazelnut and hazelnut milk, thistle and oatmeal – there is a great deal of complexity here. The palate is dry, with fine lazy mousse, medium acidity and medium-framed, with good length and fruit intensity displaying lemon peel, nuts, yellow flowers notes and elements of brioche toast to a long finish. 2023-2027–ir

12.5%

Lifted, yellow flowers, hazelnut milk, nutty, thistle, oatmeal

Lemon peel, nutty, yellow flowers, toast, [0.00]

Duck à l'Orange

Light lemon yellow. It opens with an attractively lifted, floral attack with notes of fresh quince, lemon and brioche. The palate is dry and nicely structured with medium acidity, lazy fine mousse, medium extract and texture, medium body, good length and wellarticulated flavours of lemon, quince, brioche and hazelnut. Nicely intense, yet graceful. Based on 2019 vintage with half of the blend from old vines with full malolactic conversion. 2023-2030– ir

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir

$ 75 $ 450

12.5%

A bit sharpish, beetroot, red plum compote, rye bread

Red fruit compote, beetroot notes, dark toast, nutty, [9.00]

As an apéritif or with salmon carpaccio

This cuvée has 13% Pinot Noir also from Vertus. A lovely, medium-plus cranberry rose robe. It starts a tad sharpish on the nose with beetroot, red plum compote and rye bread elements to follow. The wine comes across dry with medium acidity, superfine mousse, medium extract, texture and body, with medium length and flavour intensity of the red fruit compote, beetroot, dark toast and nutty note to medium finish. Drink now.–ir