What's Going On in the World of French Wines

On Monday I attended the annual Institute of Masters of Wine Champagne tasting in New York. It has been quite some time since I’ve had the opportunity to taste so many Champagnes all at once and it truly was an amazing experience. While these wines are a bit more expensive than the wines we normally discuss here on the blog, I did find three that I thought were worth a mention for the next time you are looking for a special (and truly delicious) bottle of Champagne.

The first wine that really knocked my socks off was the Ayala Brut Zero Dosage (around $45). This is a Champagne made from a blend of 45% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier. It had a beautiful expression of fruit with a purity and an elegance that made the finish linger in my mouth for quite some time. The wine had a freshness and brightness to it that would make it a wonderful wine to pair with sushi, lobster or scallops. The interesting thing about this wine is that it is a “Zero Dosage” wine. This means that it is a totally dry Champagne and that in the process of making the wine, in the final step, no sugar was added to sweeten the wine. Sometimes “Zero Dosage” wines can be too dry and acidic, but this wine achieves a beautiful balance between tangy acidity and ripe fruit.

The second wine I thoroughly enjoyed was one that I had never tasted prior to Monday. It is the Pehu Simonet Brut Selection Champagne (around $40). This is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. Pehu Simonet is a small grower (they produce just over 3000 cases a year apparently) and the winemaker, David Pehu, is the 5th generation of his family to be in the Champagne business. I found the wine to have a delicious citrusy note with a fairly full mouthfeel and a long finish.

The final wine I want to mention is the Louis Roederer Brut Premier (around $35). The wine is a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier. A small percentage of the wine is aged in oak, so there is a slight toasty, yeasty character to the wine that I thoroughly enjoyed. I thought the wine was nicely balanced and a terrific example of a well-priced Champagne that would be perfect for pairing with a variety of shellfish dishes.

Also keep in mind that some of these, such as the Roederer are available in half bottles, which not only makes them more affordable, but makes them ideal for pairing with a meal for two. And don’t forget that there are a number of affordable and delicious sparkling wines on the Wines of France Top 50 list, so you have a wide variety to choose from depending on your meal, your palate and your budget.