We’re finally unveiling the last of our Charpentier direct import purchases: After one full year of stowing this batch away in the deepest, darkest corner of our temp-controlled warehouse, it’s time to let the dazzling fruit and minerality of authentic Grower Champagne shine.
Genuinely great Champagne rarely gets down to this rock-bottom price because it’s a costly endeavor to churn out a bottle: Not only do they come from some of the world’s most expensive vine real estate, they require years of cellaring before a profit can be turned. But, when you can directly import a grower-producer like Charpentier—an overperforming micro-estate who doesn’t have a marketing team on speed dial—it’s possible to keep the final sticker price pleasingly low. As such, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed their value Champagnes over the last two years, yet all good things must eventually come to an end: We don’t have any more bottles en route! While I’m hoping that changes in 2020, for now, this represents the last batch of Charpentier in our possession. Today’s final offer is their “Réserve,” which sees a judicious blend of Pinot Noir, a healthy mix of older, barrel-aged reserve wine, and multiple years of aging on lees. It tastes nearly identical to a Champagne House’s entry-level bottling, which, when considering the $30-something price tag we’re offering you today, is a mighty high compliment. Take what you can—once it’s gone, you won’t find it anywhere else in America!
The rise of small “grower-producers” in Champagne has been one of the great wine stories of the last 20 years, with ‘new’ estates popping up seemingly out of nowhere with spectacular, handmade wines. Of course, they’re not new to the region, or to wine—they’re just new to us, having elected to stop selling their fruit to large négociants. Instead, they’ve opted to take total control: From bud break to bottling, grower-producers do it all.
The J. Charpentier estate, as currently constructed, represents the convergence of two Champagne wine families—Charpentier and Claisse, both with histories in the region going back generations—when Jacky Charpentier married Claudine Claisse in 1974 and two family farms became one. Based in the village of Villers-sous-Châtillon, about 12 kilometers west of Epernay in the Vallée de la Marne subzone, the Charpentier holdings now span 15 hectares and, more precisely, 38 plots across nine Marne villages. Jacky and Claudine’s son, Jean-Marc, has been at the winemaking controls since 2004, and the family employs organic methods in the vineyards unless an emergency arises—the classic lutte raisonnée (‘reasoned fight’) approach.
The Brut “Réserve” is mostly Pinot Meunier with a healthy 20% addition of Pinot Noir sourced throughout six villages populated along the Marne River. Grapes are handpicked and fermentation (both alcoholic and malolactic) occurs in stainless steel tanks. The key to this specific bottling is in the name: the reserves! The older wines blended into this cuvée age in a combination of steel and neutral French oak, which lends a great deal of complexity and supple texture. After nearly three years of aging on its lees, the wine is disgorged and dosed with nine grams of sugar per liter.
In the glass, Charpentier’s “Réserve” reveals a dazzling straw yellow core with silver reflections. Upon first pour, energetic, vigorous beads of carbonation stream up to the surface and form an abundant mousse that simmers down after a few moments. This is a bright and highly aromatic Champagne that displays pineapple core, ripe yellow apples, acacia, white flowers, honey, white peach, Meyer lemon, brioche, white pear, oyster shell, and a mixture of crushed chalk and stones. The palate is full and fresh, confirming supple, sun-kissed fruits alongside bracing minerality. At its core, this is a delicious sparkler that’s smooth and creamy from start to finish. Because of its generous flavor profile and pure energy, I recommend drinking this over the next several years to experience it at its peak. Serve in all-purpose white stems around 50 degrees and enjoy next to the following halibut recipe. Light, fresh, simple. Downright perfect.
