Negociants Australia Champagne Masterclass With Pol Roger

Me, with Laurent d'Harcourt of
Pol Roger

I don't go in for Justin Bieber, Rhianna or Lada Gaga. The rock stars of my world are very different to all of that.

They are the people behind the bubbly stuff; the crafts men and women (growers and wine makers), poets (wine writers), ambassadors and enthusiasts (the unsung heros) of the champagne world. They are the stars that rock the champagne world. 

Earlier in the week I was privileged to have front row seats at my very own champagne concert; a champagne masterclass orchestrated by Negociants Australia in Adelaide. The stars of the show were Laurent d'Harcourt (Export Manager and Member of the Board of Directors for one of my favourite houses Pol Roger), Nick Ryan (wine writer for Gourmet Traveller and Men's Style magazines), Tyson Stelzer (of The Champagne Guide fame), Natalie Fryer (wine maker at Jansz) and David Brookes (contributing writer to Wine Companion magazine). Many thanks to Nick Ryan and Tim Evans (from Negociants Australia) for organising my invitation.

Elegance And Expression - R de Ruinart Brut Non-Vintage

I am having a love affair with Ruinart right now. Over the past two weeks I have sipped, enjoyed and learned about their R de Ruinart Brut Non-Vintage and their Ruinart Brut Rosé Non-Vintage. Every taste, every smell has been a wonderful experience.

It's been my first foray into the world of Ruinart, brought on by preparation plans for our trip to Champagne in September this year. Our trip includes a tasting at Ruinart. At 140 Euros, it doesn't come cheap; but I did my research and France's oldest champagne house seems like one not to miss.

Ruinart produces an incredibly expressive style of champagne; so in researching for my blog this week I wanted to understand why it is so aromatic and floral on the nose and why the flavours are so fresh and intense.

The finesse, elegance, and minerality of chardonnay is the golden thread that runs through all of their cuvées. And whilst the R de Ruinart Brut Non-Vintage and Ruinart Brut Rosé Non-Vintage are not dominated by chardonnay in the blend, the chardonnay is carefully used to restrain the berry forward flavours of pinot noir.

 

Which brings me to my next point; Ruinart’s cuvées are very well balanced. There is a truly wonderful and clever act happening in the background between all elements of the champagne; no one element dominates another. It’s more of a happy, complementary and exciting marriage.

The Rewards Of Time And Patience - Pol Roger Brut Rosé Vintage 2000

"In this world where most champagne businesses are owned by large companies we have this extra dimension of being a family owned company. It brings a lot of pleasure, consistency and long-term view to the running of our business. We are not in a hurry...."

This statement by Pol Roger's Hubert de Billy, in an article by Smith and Taylor, does well to capture the values of 'excellence and independence' embraced by the house and in doing so, the sentiment applied to their vintages. 

Since their first vintage in 1874, Pol Roger has lovingly and patiently been the custodians of time, waiting eight years and applying highly meticulous production processes to allow its vintage champagnes to not only be good upon release, but to have excellent ageing potential.  I discuss what makes Pol Roger's production processes special in more detail in my post from 18 June.

A Rosé Of Great Style And Finesse - Louis Roederer Vintage Brut Rosé 2004

Since last week when I blogged my tasting notes on Louis Roederer's Vintage Blanc de Blancs 2004, there has been a significant development with this champagne house.

Decanter magazine announced that Louis Roederer had increased its vineyard ownership from 214 hectares to 230 hectares all whilst becoming Champagne's largest biodynamic producer, following the purchase of Champagne Leclerc Briant.

The purchase comes after the passing of Pascal Leclerc Briant in 2010, leaving his three daughters to gradually sell off the 30 hectare estate which mostly takes in highly coveted Premier Cru territory.

Louis Roederer purchased two hectares in October 2011 and its owners, the Rouzaud family, has paid an estimated €40M to buy the remaining estate which includes the Leclerc Briant brand itself. These remaining parcels of land are located in the Premier Cru areas of Hautvilliers, Cumières and Damery.