SHOP LOCAL, GLOBALLY Reims
Champagne’s Artisan Families By Sylvia Jansen, DipWSET, CSW, Sommelier Arnaud Moreau Épernay
Pinot-Chevauchet
Reims
Reims
Guillaume Marteaux Arnaud Moreau Épernay
Épernay
Pinot-Chevauchet
to Paris Guillaume Marteaux Guillaume Marteaux
to Paris
of these producers more than double the required ageing—5 to 8 years or longer. Each wine shows its unique personality and enchanting depth of character, worth drinking every day.
to Alsace Arnaud Moreau
Pinot-Chevauchet
to Alsace
to Alsace
Cham pagne
to Paris
Troyes Troyes
Troyes
Reims
Arnaud Moreau Rosé Grand Cru (Bouzy) (nv/$85.99); Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Érynne (2016/$143.99); Tradition Grand Cru (Bouzy) (nv/$73.99)
Épernay Paris
Louise Brison
Louise Brison
Troyes
Louise Brison
Lyon
Welcome to Champagne, the wine region northeast of Paris where you can drink Champagne every day, and no one gives you a second glance. Champagne is often imitated but at its best, never duplicated. Champagne’s wine market is dominated by a few big-name houses, yet there are more than 350 small houses and some 16,000 vine growers, many of whom also make their own Champagnes. These families operate on tight budgets in a highly regulated region. Last winter, our long-time buyer Gary Hewitt took a virtual tour with a number of growers to find a few new Champagnes. He was able to assemble a staff tasting 38 Order online: JonesWines.com/shop
session with more than 20 wines, after which we agreed to bring in nine new Champagnes from four small estates: Arneau Moreau, Guillaume Marteaux, Pinot-Chevauchet, and Louise Brison. Like others in our Champagne collection, these are families committed to quality. They all practice sustainable or organic vineyard practices. Their winemaking is artisanal and unhurried: they all far exceed the rules in Champagne for second fermentation and lees ageing (time in bottle for creating bubbles and the depth of character for which these wines are famous). Whereas rules require a minimum of 15 months in bottle before release (3 years for vintage), many
Champagne Arnaud Moreau: This tiny 4-hectare estate in the Grand Cru village of Bouzy (south side of the Montagne de Reims) produces fewer than 20,000 bottles a year. Arnaud Moreau returned to the estate when his father passed away in 2007. While he had started a successful career as a computer expert, including software, sales, and teaching, his return to the family business has meant launching a new chapter. Today, his Champagnes are offered in Michelinstar restaurants, intimate wine bars, and a few discriminating wine retailers that pass muster. In conversation with Arnaud, we discovered that in addition to being a producer of beautiful Champagnes in high demand and short supply, he also has a serious interest in hockey. The Reims hockey team Phénix proudly hit the ice with Arnaud Moreau jerseys—something we in Canada can appreciate. We are privileged to partner with Arnaud Moreau to bring you three beautiful cuvées.
