Despite keeping a close eye on Champagne at all times, Sanger was a new discovery for me. Only a minuscule amount of their wine reaches our shores, and while I’m not in love with the label, I know better than to judge a book by its cover. Wines are like people—it’s what’s inside that counts—and what’s inside this bottle is a rich and complex blanc de blancs that completely transcends its price point.
It is aged longer than most non-vintage Champagnes—60 months when only 15 are required—and it delivers a rich, layered mouthfeel followed by a bone-dry, mineral finish (its dosage is low enough for it to be designated Extra-Brut rather than Brut). After it was revealed that I could offer this to you for a mere $45, I pounced. This is exactly what I look for in high-quality blanc de blancs, I just expect it to cost twice as much. Whether you want it as an apéritif, alongside a main dish, or simply by itself on your back porch, this Champagne will perfectly fit the occasion. It’s versatile, round, refreshing, and, best of all, gives you a pure expression of Côte de Blancs’ top sites at a rock bottom-price. If you’re a lover of bubbles, this is one to load up on.
If you look at the front label you’ll see in small font: “Héritier et Avenir de la Champagne” which translates into “the heritage and future of Champagne.” In 1919, after the combined devastation of phylloxera and World War I, the Puisards—a wealthy merchant couple with no heirs—decided to hand over their estate on one condition: The construction of a winemaking school in Avize. Their demand was met and the government officially recognized the school in 1927 as ‘Avize Viti Campus.’ Today, it acts as a fully-functioning society. Since 1952, the students, led by teachers, winemakers, and cellarmasters, have helped craft Champagne Sanger. In many instances, students eventually become the teachers (and winemakers) and many of their grapes come from farmers that are alumni. It’s a close-knit group of dedicated professionals that express the true identity of Champagne’s terroir. Truly, Champagne made by Champenois.
Champagne Sanger is the first cooperative-manipulant (look for ‘CM’ on the label) Champagne we’ve offered. A band of growers combine their grapes at a co-op, then vinify and ultimately bottle these Champagnes under various labels. Value is typically not the first word in Champagne conversation, but for cooperatives, it certainly can be. So why do we rarely offer these types of bottlings? Bluntly speaking, many can be flabby expressions of sparkling wine, weighed down by mass production and sporadic grape quality. Sanger’s “Terroir Natal” is a notable exception—it’s one of the finest ‘CM’ Champagnes I’ve tasted.
With its roots in Grand Cru Avize, the heart of Côte de Blancs, “Terroir Natal” (native land) is a blend of grapes coming from various sites within three Grand Cru (Cramant, Oger, and Avize). Many of these plots are owned by previous students of the school. The base vintage for this bottling of “Terroir Natal” is 2010 and 20% reserve wines from 2008 and 2009 were also blended in to add further complexities. The wine underwent partial malolactic fermentation which lends to the rounded, yet fresh and clean mouthfeel. It was then transferred from stainless steel to bottle where it aged a staggering 60 months on its lees. After disgorgement, a light dosage of six grams/liter was added.
In the glass, “Terroir Natal” shows a bright, deep yellow core with silver and light green hues at the rim. The bubbles are lively, rising quickly with a fine, persisting bead, and there’s a great deal of elegance on the nose, giving off a crisp and clean feel despite its lengthy aging regimen. The wine greets you with yellow apple, white peach, citrus blossoms, meyer lemon, dried pineapple, toasted hazelnut, lees, white mushroom, and crushed chalk. On the palate, it backs up a medium body with impressive texture and density, thanks in large part to the abundant minerality and fresh yellow fruits. Overall this is one of the finest Blanc des Blancs you can find in this price range—it oozes first-rate and has the pizazz of pricier brand name Champagnes. The aging on this wine has been done for you; simply pop and pour around 55 degrees in all-purpose white stems and enjoy over 1-2 hours. It’s a refreshing and rewarding experience that embraces air gracefully—track its ever-changing evolution as you drink it alongside a delicate seafood dish like the one attached. Cheers!
