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| From Côtes des Bar: Champagne Devaux on Raising the Bar |
| By Team vino india |
| Rad Élan Distributors, a company with business interests in India and Nigeria that has been importing alcoholic beverages since 2007, recently introduced the new champagne in their portfolio to the wine trade in Delhi (NCR Gurgaon) and Mumbai. Veuve A. Devaux is from the Côtes des Bar in the south of Champagne, and is owned by the co-operative Union Auboise. Jean-Noel Girard, Export Manager was in India to introduce the Indian champagne lovers to four cuvées in the Devaux “Collection D” at the Leela Ambience Gurgaon. Prior to this, Jean-Noel was kind enough to spare time for Ravi Joshi to share the Devaux philosophy. |
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| History of the House |
| Devaux was a young widow, who like many of her other peers, took her house to acclaim. The house was founded in the mid 19th century in Épernay, but as Négociants (i.e., they bought grapes from others to make their own Champagne). In 1987, the last heir of the family, Jean-Pol Auguste Devaux who had no son, had two options – either to shut down the business or hand it over to somebody else. Jean-Pol was not enthused by the prospect of the brand, carrying his name, going into oblivion. So, he reposed faith in Laurent Gillet, the President of Union Auboise, a supplier with whom he had had a longstanding association. Gillet accepted the proposal and the thus far family owned Devaux was integrated into the co-operative. |
| Uniqueness of the brand |
| Jean-Noel shared with Ravi Joshi that Devaux is unique. As he put it, Devaux is made in limited volumes (from an earmarked prime 100 hA) by a cooperative that has at its command 1400 hA of member growers, thus it can be seen as "boutique". Today, Devaux produce around 7,00,000 bottles annually, of which 50% exported to around 50 countries. Union Auboise assures Devaux of the supply of the desired quality of grapes – "It’s like having several committed guardians looking after our welfare," remarked Jean-Noel. |
| Pinot Noir of the Côtes des Bar is sought after, and bought by a lot of Négociants in Champagne. But there are few wineries here in comparison to the Champagne hub of Reims and Épernay, hence its labels are hard to come by! Devaux is blended entirely with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, since the Côtes des Bar terroir does not favour Pinot Meunier. The winemaker Michel Parisot, uses only the purest quality Cœur de Cuvée (heart of the first press juice) for the Collection D – the remaining Cuvée and Taille is sold. |
| Devaux has raised the bar on ageing. In Champagne, the minimum ageing stipulation is 15 months for non vintage champagnes. But, Devaux Cuvée D is aged for 5 years adding an extra dimension to the complexity, offering gentle effervescence which come across as powerful yet non aggressive. And, Devaux has also raised the bar on packaging. They designed a sleek feminine bottle for their Collection D, and replaced the labels with muted metallic ones. |
| The India Showcase |
| On the 1st of April, Jean-Noel Girard showed the Devaux Collection D in New Delhi at the Leela Ambience Gurgaon. A deep dive afternoon session was meant to acquaint trade professionals and specialized media with the wines through a passionate presentation by Jean-Noel that was intertwined into the dégustation of 3 labels from the premium Collection D. Flutes were missing from the tables, instead large white wine goblets were used to appreciate the "wine". At the dinner that night, hosted by General Manager Michael Koopman at the private dining room of Spectra, a five course dinner was paired with 4 labels of champagne from the range being showcased, to draw appreciation from wine lovers, some of whom were introduced to the concept of champagne through a meal for the first time. |
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Jean-Noel Girard with Ravi Joshi |
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| The Dégustation |
| Ravi Joshi describes the champagnes presented through the showcase: |
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Cuvée D
Blend: 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay
Dosage: 7 g/litre
Light gold colour with copper tint. Poured with an intense, deliberate mousse. Complex aromas of citrus fruits, stone fruits, mixed berries and white flowers accentuated by autolytic notes. A well structured palate with refreshing yet restrained acidity and a complex fruity feel. Champagne can be served as an aperitif without a blink, but some have the depth of gourmet alliances – Cuvée D is one such example.
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Ultra D
Blend: 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay
Dosage: 2 g/litre
The almost negligible dosage classifies this wine as Extra Brut – a category that cannot be found currently in India. This light gold wine had a refined nose of grapefruit, apricots and a hint of spice. Its autolytic character was less than that of the Cuvée D. On the palate, it was crisp and delicate with flavours of stone fruits and confectionery. After the first wine, it felt austere yet more refined. Between the two, my loyalty stayed with the Cuvée D owing to it’s more luscious and rounded character.
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Rosé D
Blend: 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay
Dosage: 6 g/litre
A fresh Salmon pink colour with an abundant mousse and appetising aromas of raspberries, fresh cherries and green leaves. A super crisp palate with mouth watering acidity. The flavours ranged from citrus fruits to red cherries. I would have preferred a slightly subdued acidity though.
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D Millésimé 2000 (from Magnum)
Blend: 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay
Dosage: 6 g/litre
A vintage offering from Devaux, this was served at dinner from magnum, which we were informed by Jean Noel, are aged for a minimum of two years in excess of a standard bottle to enable the higher volume of wine to evolve properly. But Millésimé D 2000 has been aged for around 14 years which makes it a very complex wine.
D Millésimé 2000 was copper gold in colour with aromas of wild berries, vanilla and toast. The palate was lush with intense flavours of berry compote and cooked apples. Paired with Organic Chicken filled with sundried tomato and Ricotta, potato and asparagus porridge served with classic jus, the wine was a worthy wheel of the cart.
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| Amit Goel, Director of Rad Élan, worked behind the scenes to make this day a success with a large number of trade and hotel professionals joining in. He informed that Cuvée D and Rosé D are already available in Delhi and Mumbai. Ultra Brut will be available shortly after the process of registration is complete. Champagne Devaux has conformed with regulations and the printed in origin labels are FSSAI compliant. The prices for Cuvée D are ₹6010 (6210) and for Rosé D ₹7010 (7210) for Delhi (Mumbai). |
| Ravi Joshi and Rajiv Singhal were invited by Amit Goel of Rad Élan to the India Showcase Tasting and Dinner of Veuve A. Devaux in Delhi (NCR Gurgaon). Please share any feedback with vino india info@vinoindia.in |
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