Wine & Spirits - December 2013 - (Page 50)

YEAR'S BEST CHAMPAGNE Our blind panels tasted 294 new-release Champagnes over the past 12 months. Joshua Greene, our critic for Champagne, rated 87 as exceptional (90+) and 30 as Best Buys. We present the wines by house, accompanied here with short profiles by Caitlin Griffith, Stephanie Johnson and Tara Q. Thomas. Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com. L. AUBRY FILS Brothers Philippe and Pierre Aubry trace their family's winegrowing roots to 1790. They farm 42 acres of premier cru vineyards in Montagne de Reims, including a hefty 40 percent of pinot meunier. They also grow varieties rare in contemporary Champagne vineyards, including arbanne, fromenteau and petite meslier, long abandoned by most producers. They encourage malolactic conversion in all of the cuvées and keep dosages low, resulting in rich and precise wines. § Terry Theise Selections/Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY 192596 91 | L. Aubry Fils $43 Champagne Brut 1er Cru (Best Buy) ^ This is not your typical non-vintage Brut. The Aubry brothers include ancient indigenous varieties, which make up five percent of the blend; pinot meunier accounts for 45 percent, the balance in equal parts pinot noir and chardonnay. Nearly half of the blend is reserve wine, half of that coming from a solera made up of vintages going back to 1998. If all that seems complicated, the wine is not. Instead, it tastes like an essential Champagne, with scents of chalk, oyster mushroom, pear skin and lemon pulp creating a bold surroundsound of flavor. There's purity to the expression and a healthy weight to the wine. Pour it with sea bass roasted with chanterelles. 192595 90 | L. Aubry Fils $60 Champagne Brut Rosé 1er Cru ^ A delicate woodland berry scent introduces this strawberry-pink rosé. The texture is silken and the finish completely dry, glowing red through the bubbles. A dark and earthy rosé, this comes entirely from the 2010 vintage. A YA L A Established in 1860 in Aÿ by Edmond de Ayala, this house was one of the founding members of the group of Grandes Marques in 1882. Now owned by the Bollinger family, Ayala has a style marked by low dosage and a focus on chardonnay. Cellar master Caroline Latrive crafts the wines from the house's 35 acres in the grand cru of Aÿ and blends 50 WINE & SPIRITS DECEMBER 2013 them with grapes from vineyards throughout the Montagne de Reims. She believes in acidity, producing nervous wines, confident in style, and versatile with food. § Vintus, Pleasantville, NY 192666 95 | Ayala $165 2002 Champagne Brut Cuvée Perle d'Ayala ^ Ah, 2002. Where else but in Champagne can you buy a 12-year-old wine with this freshness of fruit, immediately brisk with scents of lemon and orange, generously layering in flavors of golden plums? At first, all that fruit seems heady, but air brings out the rootier depths, acidity ghosting the finish with the sort of masculine power that will make great 2002s riveting wines for decades. If you open this now, decant it and have a platter of shellfish on hand, especially cracked crab claws. 192667 92 | Ayala $70 91 | Ayala $90 Champagne Brut Rosé Majeur ^ A lovely fresh pinot noir, this is focused on the herbal, spicy imprint of the soil. Its red berry scents and pink peppercorn spice frame the earthiness, while nervous acidity brightens the flavors and carries them through a long finish. Serve it with thinly sliced magret de canard, seared rare. 192664 2005 Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs ^ A zaftig 2005, this has the robust fullness of the vintage and a relatively gentle structure in the context of Ayala's other wines. It's robust with scents of pale lees and lemon, as well as more delicate apple blossoms. Ready to drink with creamy seafood dishes. 192665 90 | Ayala $50 Champagne Brut Majeur (Best Buy) ^ Luscious ripeness lends this wine a quince-like flavor, feeling round and generous against the chalky briskness of Champagne. For all its fruitiness, this is dry, firm and grounded, a clean aperitif or a first-course wine for a rabbit terrine. BARONS DE ROTHSCHILD A joint venture between three branches of the Rothschild family-Benjamin of Château Clarke, Eric of Château Lafite and Philippine and her son, Philippe, of Château Mouton- these Champagnes are tight yet full-bodied, with plenty of acidity to carry the weight. § Pasternak Wine Imports, Harrison, NY 192868 90 | Barons de Rothschild $99 Champagne Brut ^ Made with a majority of chardonnay from Côte des Blancs grand cru sites, fleshed out with 40 percent reserve wines and aged at least three years before release, this balances a fresh nectarine richness with more oxidative almond notes. Citrus acidity juices up the flavor, holding it tight and savory as it races through a tense, mouthwatering finish, directing its richness toward seared arctic char. BESSERAT DE BELLEFON Founded in 1843 by Edmund Besserat in Aÿ, the house took on its current form in 1927 when grandson Edmund Besserat married Yvonne de Méric de Bellefon. Cellar master Cédric Thiébault crafts the wines in Epernay, vinifying them from grapes pulled from the winery's 62 acres (mostly Marne Valley) in addition to purchased fruit. Winesellers, Niles, IL 192970 91 | Besserat de Bellefon $70 88 | Besserat de Bellefon $50 2002 Champagne Brut Cuvée des Moines (Best Buy) ^ With 31 percent pinot meunier and 54 percent chardonnay in the blend, this 2002 is mature and luxurious, more accessible than many in the vintage. It focuses on nutty scents of pistachio and walnut, with vanilla and beeswax adding to the generosity of its flavors. Heady, succulent and rich, this is ready to drink with a seafood terrine. 192971 Champagne Brut Cuvée des Moines (Best Buy) ^ This wine's green apple and mineral scents have an oxidative tone, bringing to mind Fino Sherry. It's rich and smoky, solidly built, balanced by touches of bitterness. For smoked salmon and crème fraîche. http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - December 2013

Wine & Spirits - December 2013
Editor’s Note
Happenings
Contents
Fined & Filtered
Acid Trips
The Great Whiskey Shortage of 2013
Spirits
Gadgets and Gi
New Destinations
Where to Eat & Drink in Seattle
Turning Champagne into Wine
Barolo & Formaggio
Douro, No Apologies
Walla Walla Cabernet
The Best for $10 or Less
Overview
Champagne
US Sparkling Wine
US Cabernet Sauvignon
Alsace
German Riesling
2011 Vintage Port
Barolo & Barbaresco
Rioja
US New Releases
International New Releases
Wine & Spirits Top 100

Wine & Spirits - December 2013