Home Archive Subscribe About Contact     2016 Début with Champagne By Ravi Joshi An enthusiastic beginning or a glorious conclusion, the first wine that comes to mind is Champagne. It was no different for vino india – we began our 2016 wine journey by joining Champagne Flights on behalf of Comité Champagne by Rajiv Singhal, Ambassador of Champagne in India (also Chief Executive, vino india) for a group of wine professionals – sommeliers and wine ‘experts’ all with a common quotient of wine passion – in Delhi. Chef Sabyasachi Gorai (Saby) was very kind to offer his new restaurant, Lavaash by Saby, as the venue. A long table was set up in the balcony for the guests to take in perhaps the last enjoyable days in a hitherto truant Delhi winter. A selection of champagne had been laid out to help the vinos appreciate the different types and styles of champagne – from brut non-vintage to zero dosage to demi sec to blanc de noirs to rosé to vintage to prestige cuvée. The tasting mat showing the landscapes of champagne and demarcating the space for each flute had the 14 guests drooling over the 9 champagnes that they would be tasting their way through. The afternoon promised to be quite an exciting one, but Rajiv had planned for each of the professionals to earn their flute!   Ice Imperial served on “The ROCK”   The magic of champagne had all invitees join at the appointed hour braving the ‘odd-even’ restrictions and others… Rajiv introduced the tasting as an opportunity to dip into the expertise around the table and each one had been nominated to present a chosen champagne. They rose to the occasion, just like the luxuriant mousse in their flutes, to present the champagne with unrivalled passion (some of them armed with very well researched notes).   The Champagne line-up   The Champagnes tasted (with the views of the individual presenters) Besserat de Bellafon Cuvée des Moines Brut Presented by: Arjun Sachar, Wine MBA from Inseec Bordeaux In the thirties, Victor Besserat took up the challenge to make a delicate and lightly effervescent Champagne to accompany an entire meal. This range was called Cuvée des Moines (Cuvee of the Monks) – a tribute to the Benedictine monks. Besserat de Bellefon Brut is very refined on both the nose and the palate. It is ideal to be enjoyed as an aperitif but pairs as easily with food. A lower pressure of 4.5 (commonly 6 atmospheres) provides a silky feel. Veuve A Devaux Ultra D Presented by: Judith Jantine Sciarone, Sommelière, The Claridges, New Delhi Family owned till 1987, when the last of the Devaux family integrated the company with the co-operative Union Auboise – their long standing Pinot Noir supplier in the Côtes des Bar. A terroir closer to Chablis than to Epernay, the Kimmeridgian Marl soil infuses the wines with both density and liveliness. Devaux practices plot selection and favours stainless steel over oak and oak vats over oak barrels. Combined with zero dosage on the ‘Ultra D’ results in a lush nose reminiscent of a wet flower garden followed by a crisp and clean mouth. Louis Roederer Brut Premier Presented by: Sagar Nath, Marketing Manager, Brindco Sales Limited The House saw a lot of upheaval, particularly during the wars, and is still family owned. A tradition of maintaining several vintages of reserve wines helps consistency. A very large vineyard holding rests control with the chef de cave who indulges in oak cask maturation for a smaller part of wines. Brut Premier displays its full texture and integrated characteristics of maturity (coming from 3 years in the cellar) associated with fruitier and more refreshing notes. It is a full, complex wine that is both modern and powerful, whilst remaining a great classic. Moët et Chandon Ice Imperial Demi Sec Presented by: Charles Donnadieu, Corporate Sommelier, The Lalit New Delhi Commerically, the most important house in Champagne with an enviable location on Avenue du Champagne in Epernay. A cuvee of 35-50 grams per litre residual sugar is dressed in white, and was created to be enjoyed on ice – this did not go well with the purists. Charles compared it to Vietnamese Café Da (a robusta coffee concentrate with liquid sugar). Ice Imperial was served cold (on The ROCK ice sphere) and lingers on the palate as pleasant and refreshing with concentrated fruitiness and crispy notes. Nice when enjoyed sur la plage in summer! Drappier Carte d’Or Brut Presented by: Isabel Beau de Lomenie, Consultant and Barsac Estate co-owner Founded in 1808, Drappier is family owned in the 7th generation. Drappier was recognised as the first zero carbon emission Champagne estate on 1st January 2016. Drappier not only works with traditional grapes, but the ‘others’ – Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier and Arbanne. Use of sulphur is minimum – he is allergic. True to its name, Carte d'Or is pale gold with elegant bubbles. A pinot rich blend – vinous, powerful with a hint of spice. Laurent Perrier Brut Rosé Presented by: Rakesh Awagadhe, Sommelier, The Oberoi Gurgaon Rakesh highlighted the rosé as being made by the artisanal Saignée method (macerating the grapes with skin). Laurent Perrier Rosé is a Blanc de Noirs – 100% pinot noir. Intense fruity aromas, rich and uplifting yeast driven scents, insistent bubbles, followed by a refined and balanced finish. This one has a beauty to stand alone. Taittinger Brut Réserve NV Presented by: Ravi Joshi, Managing Editor, vino india I have a personal connect with Champagne Taittinger, which I visited as part of my scholarship trip to Champagne. The erstwhile military postroom Château de la Marquetterie, that was acquired by their founder Pierre Taittinger (a former cavalry man), fascinated me. Brut Réserve is a blend of 40% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir and 25% Pinot Meunier sourced from different harvests and more than 35 different crus. The straw yellow wine has an expressive nose of stone fruits, white flowers and a distinctive toastiness that leads to a lingering, refined and complex palate. Taittinger Millésimé Brut 2005 Presented by: Radhika Puar, Le Cordon Bleu Wine Expert Adding to the introduction of Taittinger, Radhika traced the roots of the house to Forest-Forneaux in 1734, making Taittinger the third-oldest house of Champagne. Millésimé 2005 is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. A first nose of light floral notes followed by aromas of white fruit, wild berries, toast and yeast. The palate appeared hindered to some, but it was fattier in texture in comparison to the other wines. Krug Grande Cuvée Presented by: Ankur Chawla, Director of Beverages, JW Marriott Aerocity New Delhi Founded in 1843. The sixth generation, Olivier Krug, manages the fabled house under the larger umbrella of the French luxury giant LVMH. A blend of over 120 wines coming from ten or more different vintages – some up to fifteen years in age – and the three grapes. Over twenty years are needed to create a bottle of Krug Grande Cuvée, including the minimum of six years of the bottle lying in the cellars. A deep golden colour and fine bubbles. As the tasting drew to its conclusion, the group soaked-in the magnificent surroundings of Lavaash by Saby, which is set in the historic precincts of the Qutab Minar. A panoramic view of the monument with lush greenery all around offered the ‘right’ ambience for this tasting. The simians noisily prancing in the trees around us seemed to endorse this.   The vinos   The preferences Name I II III Ankur Chawla Krug Grande Cuvée Laurent Perrier Brut Rosé Drappier Carte d’Or Arjun Sachar Krug Grande Cuvée Taittinger Brut Réserve Besserat de Bellefon Cuvée des Moines  Atul Tiwari Krug Grande Cuvée Laurent Perrier Brut Rosé Taittinger Millésimé 2005 Charles Donnadieu Krug Grande Cuvée Louis Roederer Brut Premier Devaux Ultra D Isabel Beau de Lomenie Taittinger Brut Réserve Krug Grande Cuvée Drappier Carte d’Or Judith Jantine Sciarone Devaux Ultra D Drappier Carte d’Or Krug Grande Cuvée Neeraj Kapri Krug Grande Cuvée Drappier Carte d’Or Laurent Perrier Brut Rosé Prateek Arora Louis Roederer Brut Premier Taittinger Brut Réserve Besserat de Bellefon Cuvée des Moines Radhika Puar Krug Grande Cuvée Laurent Perrier Brut Rosé Taittinger Brut Réserve Rakesh Awaghade Besserat de Bellefon Cuvée des Moines Devaux Ultra D Laurent Perrier Brut Rosé Ravi Joshi Taittinger Brut Réserve Laurent Perrier Brut Rosé Krug Grande Cuvée Sagar Nath Krug Grande Cuvée Taittinger Millésimé 2005 Devaux Ultra D Ankur Chawla Krug Grande Cuvée Laurent Perrier Brut Rosé Drappier Carte d’Or On behalf of Comite Champagne, Rajiv Singhal (who is also Chief Executive of vino india) hosted this tasting. An excellent beginning to 2016. O T H E R     S T O R I E S Give Australian Wine a fair go! A Tradition of Italian Excellence The Lalit’s Private Collection And Who's Where