Fass Selections 1st Vintage Champagne - Stunningly Complex and Aromatic Under $40

What if I told you, you could buy a vintage champagne that had amazing complexity,was an aromatic

rockstar, had the depth and power to age 15-20 years.........and you could have it for 36.99? By now many of you, as witnessed by my Delctable, FB and other social media tags, are loving the Marie Demets Champagnes. Precise, linear, complex beautiful wines from the Aube, in southern Champagne. I like to call Phillipe Brugnon my Marie Demets of the north. His Champagnes are complex, tightly packed wines that provide just incredible value. I cannot wait to get these wines over here as they are priced similarly to Demets yet are completely different in style. More mineral driven than the luscious fruit-driven pouty style of Demets.

The complexity is what I kept coming back to as I was sipping the 2009 Phillipe Brugnon Brut which can be had for as little as $36.99 on a 4-pack and $34.99 on a 12 pack. I am offering a case price on this as I think it is that worthy to be bought by the case given the quality and ageworthiness. It is 60% Chardonnay from Rilly and 40% Pinot Noir from Ecueil. The complexity/delicacy fine line that killer champagne creates a wine that not many regions can match. And for VINTAGE champagne to be $36.99 this is too good to be true.

I had to choke back glee when I first looked at Phillipe's prices. I usually taste first and find out what the wines costs later if I can help it. I made a mistake when I saw this price and thought I would have to sell for 65-70 a bottle through my model. But Phillipe corrected me quickly and after that I realized I had a ridiculous value here. I mean I have tasted a lot of Champagne since I visited Champagne for the first time. Many people in the know drink Champagne all the time. It is an emotional wine in general and because of the quality level of so many growers there many can be undervalued. Phillipe is one of the most undervalued estates in my book. By far. I don't know how he does it but the wines should be more expensive. Champagne is not cheap to make as there is all this insane specialized equipment you need. A Champagne winemaking facility and cellar is one of the more unique things to visit. Some of these machines look like Arthur C. Clarke came up with them in the 60's.

I was very excited to visit Phillipe Brugnon in Rilly La Montagne as one of the most highly regarded wine stores in France carries this and Selosse in their store and no other Champagnes. Phillipe Brugnon is making incredibly elegant, complex Champagne.  Don't be fooled by the price - these are 1er cru from Montagne but from lesser known villages and in the hands of a terrific winemaker, they are incredibly good and ridiculous values.  These are good enough to serve to wine geeks but inexpensive enough to drink every day (or at a party).  Stock up!

These wines are the complete polar opposite of the Marie Demets cuvees.  Marie Demets, being from the South, are more germanic, crystalline and pure while Brugnon is all about palate complexity.  As grower champagne becomes more important, wine buyers are enjoying learning about differences in terroir and how it impacts the the taste of the wines. A Demets/Brugnon blind tasting down the road sounds like an intriguing proposition.

Phillipe Brugnon is a an older gentleman and distinctly old school. We took a tour of the winemaking facilities and saw all that wacky sparkling wine equipment. I must recommend a visit through any Champagne producer's cellar as the equipment can be very wacky. We looked through his private cellar and I oohed and aahed over choice bottles of Grand Cru Burgundy and 1st Growth Bordeaux. Then we went to taste in the tasting room. Now this is where things went a bit off kilter. Phillipe is a member of a very old Champagne sabering society that has members all around the world. Apparently sabering is a sacred ceremony and there is so much more to it than I originally thought. My traveling companion and I both popped our sabering cherries with the guidance of Phillipe Brugnon, who is by far, the best saberer I have ever seen.

Now some brief history. There are two families behind this label. One from Rilly-la-Montagne where they have been vignerons for 4 generations. Phillipe's grandfather had 16 ha but through the wonder of French inheritance laws Phillipe now only has 3ha. The other family vineyard is based in Ecueil where Phillipe's father controlled the family domaine and he has another 5ha. Rilly is very desolate and not one of the more popular villages in the North. Not as sexy as Oger, Ambonnay or Cramant but still a lovely small village that, if Brugnon is proof, makes very compelling Champagnes. Most of what is planted in Rilly is Chardonnay and used in the blend for the vintage wine and the cuvee elegance being offered today. The rest is Chardonnay and a tiny bit of Meunier.

For the money these are about as exciting a Champagne I have ever come across.

2009 Phillipe Brugnon Brut - $39.99 ($147.96 4-pack, $419.88 12-pack)