Finding a new incredibly well made grower Champagne is hard.Finding one that is also stunningly delicious is even harder.
Finding one that is incredible distinctive and will be a star is almost impossible.
Well, I hit the trifecta with Caillez-Lemaire.
Mark my words - this winery will be joining the firmament of top, rare Grower Champagne superstars that includes Georges Laval and David Léclapart and Jerome Prevost. It's that special and that good.
I had a bottle of this with someone at a store with one of the best Champagne collections in the States and we were both blown away. I mistakenly said that it cost $50 and they remarked that it was quite a bargain. Honestly, I would happily sell it at $50. It's a perfect combination of geeky aromatic basket with crazy complexity and delicious but balanced fruit. After an hour open, this wine is completely whack.
These wines are incredibly hard to find - I only see one other store in the world (France) that has them in stock.
As Virginie and Laurent of Caillez-Lemaire came to NYC in April they also had a few samples for me and I finally got around to tasting them. Today will be the third Caillez-Lemaire champagne that I have offered and it is an incredible example of the value that is at play at Fass Selections. First of all I have always wanted to sell an inexpensive Pinot Meunièr dominated blend but was not able to find one. Today the NV Caillez-Lemaire Reflets Brut can be had for the stupid price of $32.99 a bottle. Think $50+ through 3 tiers. $32.99 for a bottle of this is stupid. Yes, stupid. The wine is 50% Pinot Meunièr, 35% Pinot Noir and 15% Chardonnay majorly from from he Valle de Marne. Terrific and very complex nose. Yeasty, toasty, some green tea and some spice. A hint of almond. After a bit, some Puffeney on the nose. Very, very, very aromatic with nuances that change every 15 minutes. Great stuff. Palate is delicious with great freshness and concentration. Loads of red fruit flavors and such nice precision and delineation. The overall palate impact is like a great Grosses Gewachs in that it has fruit, balancing acidity and minerality but there is not a hair out of place. Plus, crazy secondary and tertiary flavors. Quite sophisticated. The finish is extraordinarily mineral and long. Drinks like $50+.
It is mostly argo-calcaire soil and is fermented 92% INOX and 8% in wood which is a departure from the Jadis I offered which was 100% in wood. It is aged 2 years in bottle and dosed with 7.25 grams of cane sugar. Then it is aged for 2 more years in barrel. It's amazing what goes into Champagne and even more amazing that it can be here for $33.99 a bottle. It is their most well known cuvee and also a historic cuvee in that Virginie's grandparents only had Meunier so that is all they could make. It is a somewhat honor bottling to remember their roots. Reflets is the name of the cuvee as it is the reflection of their terroir which is influenced by the River Marne.
The wine is stunning and is surely my favorite geeky under $35 Champagne we have sold. Caillez-Lemaire has 7 hectares of vines and 4 of them are in Damery whilst the remaining 3 are in Cumieres. Pinot Meunier is 50% of the estates plantings with the rest being Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The terroir is perfectly suited for the low yielding Meunier and when Meunier is great in this area there is nothing like it.
NV Caillez-Lemaire Reflets NV - $35.99 ($135.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)
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