Here it is, our final Champagne Friday of the year! And we couldn’t dream up a better bottle to close things out with than Guy Charlemagne’s Grand Cru Blanc des Blancs Brut “Réserve.” This wine just sums up everything we love about grower Champagne and sharing it with you. It hails from two Grand Cru villages, undoubtedly some of the greatest Chardonnay terroir in the world; it comes in at a price far below most other similarly performing Blanc des Blancs; and, of course, it’s profound, complex, and outrageously delicious. Every year, it gets harder to find Champagne so laden with chalky and powerful Côte des Blancs goodness–made with such artisanal precision–that doesn’t cross the triple-digit threshold. But the joy of offering a new Champagne every single week is that it forces us to uncover hidden gems like Guy Charlemagne’s Blanc des Blancs. Go deep on this fantastic wine and start a new year of Champagne off on the right foot!
Champagne nuts will take one look at a bottle of Charlemagne’s Blanc des Blancs, see the words “Mesnil sur Oger,” and know they’re in for a treat. It means the Chardonnay for this bottling comes entirely from Mesnil-sur-Oger and its neighbor Oger. The naming is a little confusing, but the upshot is simple: these are both Grand Cru villages famed for the concentration and chalky presence they bring to a wine. The limestone soils the villages share aren’t unlike those of Puligny-Montrachet or Chablis, and wines from here sing with similar stony richness. Indeed, it’s where some of the most famous Champagne houses turn for their best (and most expensive) Chardonnay-based bottlings. Krug and Salon both zero in on Mesnil for elite cuvées. And Guy Charlemagne is dedicated almost exclusively to Chardonnay grown in these sites.
The Charlemagne family has worked vines in Mesnil since 1892. Current proprietor Phillippe is now the fifth generation to run the estate, and Chardonnay is undeniably his main focus. He farms 15 hectares of vines, almost 90% of which is Chardonnay in Mesnil and Oger. Every step he takes is to serve and underscore the mineral presence innate to these special villages. Fruit is handpicked at optimal ripeness, then pressed in one of the family’s very large and very old traditional basket presses. Primary fermentation proceeds slowly in stainless steel tanks and, once bottled, ages for years in the family’s dark, cold chalk cellars.
Phillippe’s Blanc des Blancs Brut “Réserve” is typically a blend of three vintages, balancing richer years with cooler ones for maximum complexity. After primary fermentation, Philippe ages the wine for three years sur latte and then adds a restrained 8 grams dosage. The result is all about finessed complexity. As always, serve in all-purpose glasses to fully appreciate the aromas of crushed chalk, seaspray, oyster shell, lemon zest, yellow apple flesh, white peach skin, and a faintly nutty and creamy savory tone. The palate is zippy, ripe and generous but never too rich, emphasizing refreshment above all else. It’s perfect as an aperitif, but has loads of complexity you can watch unfold throughout the course of an evening. Pop a bottle of Guy Charlemagne and you’ll be guaranteed to start the new year right!
