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Champagne Roger Barnier, “Brut Sélection”

Champagne, France MV (750mL)
Regular price$39.00
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Champagne Roger Barnier, “Brut Sélection”

Delivering quality matched only by a few in their respective price range has been our unwavering goal here at SommSelect—and it’s time-consuming work: Even after preselecting wines to taste, by eliminating those that aren’t sustainable/organic/biodynamic, we estimate that less than 20% of the wines we taste make the cut. I say all this because on rare occasions, gems are delivered on a silver platter, without us doing any of the grueling legwork. That’s how Champagne Roger Barnier came into our life. By way of an unsolicited sample from a small-scale artisanal importer, we tasted today’s Brut Sélection—based on the 2014 vintage with a healthy percentage of older, barrel-matured reserve wines—and lost our minds when the price was revealed.


How is it that a long-aged champagne of luxurious nature and limited US presence (only 45 cases brought over) can exist at $39? Obscurity. We’re deep in the Coteaux de du Morin, directly southwest of the fabled Côte des Blancs, a small valley region made famous by the one and only Ulysses Colin—among my favorite producers. But there are others here, too, offering wines for fractions less, like Roger Barnier. That’s why today’s stunning offer is for those of us who love champagne the wine more than champagne the image: It’s affordable enough to enjoy regularly and good enough (think rich, hearty, full-flavored champagne) to make you look brilliant for finding it. Quantities are extremely limited!


The crème de la crème of Champagne vineyards fall in three major sub-regions: the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne, and the Côte des Blancs. If you’re a tourist in Champagne, or on a weekend trip from Paris, you’re most likely staying close to the city of Reims or Épernay (the eastern mark of the Marne Valley and the gateway to the Côtes des Blancs). But for the adventurer, there are other emerging zones that have diverted some of the brightness of the fiercely shining spotlight. There’s the sprawling Aube, certainly, but also Montgueux, Côte de Sézanne, Vitryat, and today’s area of focus: Coteaux du Morin, or Val du Petit Morin. 



That’s where you’ll find third-generation vigneron, Frederic Berthelot, who oversees just eight hectares of vines that were inherited by his grandfather Roger Barnier in the 1920s. Only a handful of cuvées are produced here and focusing on sustainability when farming is one of their working philosophies. Today’s classic “house” cuvée is a fusion of all three noble grapes (Chardonnay, Meunier, Pinot Noir), 60% of which came from the 2014 vintage. The other 40% is a blend of older reserve wines that mature in stainless steel and large neutral barrels. The art of blending in older “reserve” wines ensures a more consistent style year in and year out. Afterward, the wine was bottled and matured on lees for nearly three years before disgorgement and a five-gram dosage. This batch was allowed additional rest until its arrival in America several months ago. 



I’m a simple man: I find a $39 champagne pulsing with hedonism and energy, I buy all I can. Contrary to popular belief, it’s easier to find multi-hundred dollar luxury champagnes than a respectable, richly layered bottle at this price. Don’t get me wrong—there are droves of $30-something champagne out there, but finding one of this caliber is like discovering a pot of gold. It pours an energetic mousse in the glass and instantly emits rich, high-toned notes of quince, apricot, peach, pineapple, yellow apples, acacia, honeysuckle, hazelnut, nougat, buttered bread, lees, and crushed stones. You must remember that this (1) holds 40% older, barrel-matured reserve wine, (2) aged three years on lees, and (3) aged two more in bottle, resulting in a more mellow, rich champagne. And yet, despite its luxurious qualities, there is beautiful precision and refreshing lift in each sip. It’s an amazing feat for $39, one that will keep delivering intense pleasure over the next 2-3 years. Enjoy cooler, around 45-50 degrees, in all-purpose stems. Cheers!
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France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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