Working With Wine Seminar 2 2024: Going deep on Champagne w/ loads of Pol Roger, Gimmonet etc

This is part 2 of my wrap up of the 2024 Negociants Working With Wine seminar series. The attention drifts from Piedmont to Champagne and sparkling wine now (and you really need to start with part 1 here for full context).

Laurent d’Harcourt (Pol Roger), Jennifer Doyle (Jansz), Kate Laurie (Deviation Road), Arnaud Gimonnet (Pierre Gimonnet & Fils), and Nick Ryan (the one and only) were on the panel for this fizzfest. Nick handled the French/Australian panel for this edition typically well, with Laurent spending plenty of time on the microphone (saying a lot but not saying much) and Kate giving some of the very best insights.

A fair embarrassment of Champagne riches here, especially the last bracket, and yet the wines I most wanted to drink were the ridiculously good Pierre Gimonnet Special Club releases (and Krug). I’m wearing my colours as a Blanc de Blancs fanboy, but hot damn, there was grand Champagne after grand Champagne wearing Gimmonet colours (and they’re not expensive). I came home and ordered some shortly after.

Conversely, this was a Pol Roger flat day for me, except for the vintage. Blunt flavours and the wines seemed sweeter, broader, and less refined. Maybe it’s me.

Oh, and RRPs are a flat formula off cost price, so take them purely as a guide. Extra ramblings/context are in italics, and the notes are as written on the day, so they’re unapologetically rough...

Flight 1: Dosage

For this first bracket, Kate Laurie had three different versions of her Loftia Brut at varying levels of dosage (the sweet liqueur used to fill up a bottle of fermented sparkling wine after disgorgement). It was pretty obvious that it went from zero to hero, so no dosage guessing games, but a fascinating look at how sugar makes a difference. As Kate explains, this is 90% Adelaide Hills Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, built in ‘more of a Blanc de Blancs style to give more creaminess’. For Laurie, the role of the dosage is to ‘give fluidity from front to back of the palate’, noting that she ‘doesn’t like to taste sweetness, but doesn’t like to taste sour’.

What’s even more fascinating about the whole dosage discussion is age-ability. Kate said, “I have made some zero dosage wines before to age, and I don’t think they lasted as well as the wines with a dose”. Arnaud said the same thing nothing that “at Gimmonet we have an extra brut, and the same blend with 5-6g/L(dosage). We make some wines ‘for the kids’ that has up to 15g/L. It doesn’t taste so good to start, but we think over time it will be more harmonious.”

All of the talk about dosage is redundant when you realise just how much base acidity can vary too, let alone how lees ageing, dissolved carbon dioxide and oak treatment can affect the perception of sweetness. I didn’t score these wines, but the middle one would probably be the most appealing in the long run (even if I liked the zero dosage), and that’s the finished wine.

Deviation Road Loftia Vintage Brut 2020 Dosage 1 0g

Very correct nose—aftershave, a little red apple fruit but more marzipan and cream. The palate looks a little cutting and appley but also lovely freshness. Clearly, the zero is my pick, but you can see the slightly herbaceous hints and green notes. I still wouldn’t pick this as having just 10% Pinot. I can really see the red apple Pinot fruit.

Deviation Road Loftia Vintage Brut 2020 Dosage 2 5g – $52

A creamier wine – it’s a bit more rounded as Kate mentions. This dosage here is wine and sugar (a Chardonnay liqueur), and the extra sulphur binds up aromas a bit more. This feels more conventional and less refined, but it is probably a more attractive wine overall for most (but I prefer the first one).

Deviation Road Loftia Vintage Brut 2020 Dosage 3 8g

Unquestionably the higher dosage, you can see the little sherbet hints on the nose and palate – it’s a softer, gentle experience, mouthfilling, but the sweetness feels like an edifice and obscures the purity.

Flight 2: The commitment to consistency – the importance of NV

Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Cuvée Cuis 1er Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs NV – $92

‘An expression of the Côte des Blancs’ according to Arnaud. It’s all from a north facing plot (in the Cuis cru) that gives lots of freshness. This cuvee is 60% of the production.

Lovely aromas – there is a lot going on here. A rather taut wine with pretty white fruit, angles, a slight green note, just ripe white fruit, and a rather crisp and taut finish. Proper aperitif stuff and excellent detail. Maybe not complex per se, but detail. A bargain, really. 17.7/20, 92/100.

Pol Roger Brut Réserve NV $119

Equal parts Chardonnay/Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier. 25% reserve wine. Disgorged one year ago. 70% of the Pol Roger production.

A more golden, richer wine initially, with a little whisper of whipped butter on bread in the green fruit. This feels like a big house wine, but maybe with more reserve wine richness. There’s this slight chub through the middle, which feels less congruent, but that also translates into flavour body. A pretty classic NV, if a lot less detailed after the excellent Gimmonet. 17/20, 90/100.

Pol Roger Pure Extra Brut NV $142

Disgorged two years ago. No dosage, but it doesn’t look like a ‘ZD’. Interestingly, Pol Roger now has the traceability of every bottle, including blend, dosage, disgorgement, etc.

That same golden butter hint through the middle, but a more taut wine after the above. Clearly more defined and taut than the Brut Réserve and definitely more refined. There’s just a slight shortness to this, which is a bit unexpected. That golden mid-palate richness is going to win more hearts and minds compared to other wines in this bracket, though. 17.5/20, 91/100.

Leclerc Briant Brut Réserve NV $107

Aside from Kate, there wasn’t much love on the panel for these Leclerc Briant wines, and I can see why. From a biodynamic ‘zealot’, with fermentation in eggs, glass spheres, 24k gold barrels, amphora etc. It’s been ages since I’ve had a Leclerc Briant and the style now looks even more divergent. Oxidative, wild, and proudly lofi; they’re not exactly aperitif styles but shitloads of charisma (and a few wine faults). This is one of the less divisive wines.

A little more colour here, and I’m presuming a bit more Pinot. Has a golden oxidative style, but underneath it’s still rather linear – sure it’s nutty and wild, but the palate is very dry and even a bit tangy/phenolic. It’s still a slightly muddled wine, all leesy weirdness and bruised yellow fruit, but interesting. 17.5/20, 91/100.

Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Cuvée Rosé de Blancs 1er Cru Brut NV $113

‘How to make a rose when you are a 100% Chardonnay maker’. That’s the dilemma for Gimmonet. 93-95% Chardonnay and then Pinot Noir from Bouzy which gives a ‘red berry flavour’.

Lots of Fuji apples over the top here. It’s maybe a little too much, too appley, but it has depth of flavour. There’s a pink fruit character here I can’t put my finger on – like a sour apple thing. Interesting, great detail, and unquestionably the best behind the Cuis. 17.7/20, 92/100

Flight 3: Declaration of vintage

Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Fleuron 1er Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs 2017 $124

73% Grand Cru fruit. Full malo but no oak. 100% Chardonnay. From a very tough frost vintage. High disease pressure. ‘The key to quality in Champagne is avoiding oxidation’ according to Arnaud, and it’s especially true when you’re a Chardonnay producer making pure styles. This is a bargain.

There is a lot going on here. Lots of marzipan, toasty nutty autolysis, these layers of peach yellowness, and then a lovely creamy palate. Lemon brioche and overt deliciousness. I like this a lot. It’s an obviously more vinous wine, more waxy, and with this absolutely delightful purity to it. Is it a little lean on the finish? Wow. 18.5/20, 94/100.

Pol Roger Brut Vintage 2018 $163

Pinot Noir Chardonnay blend, no Meunier in the vintage.

Very refined chalk nose. White pebbles, white fruit, it could be Chablis. Super tight, oyster shell palate is all white flavours, like a veil of white purity. It’s very linear, gentle, tight and refined. Maybe even sullen. Lovely though. Feels like a Blanc de blancs! Very good. 18/20, 93/100.

Leclerc Briant Millésime Extra Brut 2018 $153

50% Pinot Noir/35% Chardonnay/15% Pinot Meunier. 9 months in barrel. 1.3g/L dosage.

Full tilt oxidative style. Bruised apples, golden oxidative notes, oak tannins, and a rough edge. Preserved lemon, honey, hessian, mandarin. It’s interesting but also all over the place, sweet and sour and so oxidative. Complexity plus, but it’s also bitter and phenolic. There’s a bit of a train wreck about this ultimately – it just comes across as a winemaker’s plaything of oxidation and a fault-a-palooza. Selosse/Roger Coulon it’s not. 16/20, 87/100.

Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Spécial Club Cuis 1er Cru 2018 $163

Spécial Club (aka Club Trésors) is a special group of Champagne growers/producers with unique bottlings. All wines must be tasted by a panel and be representative of place and style. I’ve had a smattering of ‘Spécial Club’ wines before and feel like I need more in my life.

Another delightful wine. just the right amount of golden yellow richness, but a less powerful wine than the Fleuron. Maybe less obvious? Great front-to-back purity here – there’s a next level mineral whipped cream freshness a light and breezy wine. Again, Chablisienne. A taut wine – I find this very pretty, but not as expansive as the 2017. Is it a better wine? Probably not yet. 18/20, 93/100.

Pol Roger Rosé Vintage 2018 $187

It’s not just pink, it’s red. There’s a red hues to this than just being pink/orange. A nose that goes missing, and there’s just a bit of candy on the palate. This feels a huge step behind in balance – too much red wine. It’s formative, vinous, and tannin obscure the fruit just a little. A bit simple and unformed/gummy, although underneath, it’s pure class. Not quite there, but time will help. 17.5/20, 91/100+

Flight 4: Blanc de Blancs

Leclerc Briant ‘Le Clos des Trois Clochers Millésime’ 2017 $377

From the Montagne de Reims.

A much less wild wine for Leclerc Briant. Golden straw, some oxidative yellow fruit, but much more contained and fresh. A little bruised apple, lemon, yellow apple, lots of marzipan, more preserved lemon, a flor like mothball edge, it’s definitely volatile too. Much better compared to the other Leclerc wines, but still a natural winemakers wine. Just a little of the bruised apple and has some genuine fruit underneath. Every sip is different, at times cheesy and overt, others taut and mineral. Really rather good, but definitely ‘of a style’. 17.7/20, 92/100.

Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Spécial Club Choully Grand Cru 2015 $185

“A very soft and elegant wine” for the Côte des Blancs. ‘Silky’ was used more than once by Arnaud.

Light golden yellow. This is a real powerhouse—intense, grippy, and cutting. It’s chewy, less aromatic, and more just power-packed than pretty. Excellent power, though. There are these pillowy softer bits in all that slightly sour acidity—ripe but firm, all at once. Length is superb. High-class and delicious. 18.5/20, 94/100.

Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Spécial Club Oger Grand Cru 2015 $185

“At this south of the Côte des Blancs, wines are more intense, with a smoky minerality. A more masculine wine” according to Gimmonet.

A little more openness and sunshine in this release, trading in waxed lemons and a little honey nut cornflake lees character. It’s a little sweaty, but that’s part of the mode. A complete Champagne, offering up late complexity, but still so linear and tight. Powerful. Excellent, in a powerfully linear mode. 18.7/20, 95/100.

Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Spécial Club Cramant Grand Cru 2015 $194

A ‘mono terroir’ according to Gimmonet, but several plots. “15 was a warm year in Champagne with a good yield”. A “chunky texture” and this is a ‘really really top wine for us’.

Another excellent wine. The Cramant might be the best of the lot, as the acidity feels less forceful, which makes the finish feel a bit more buxom. Lovely lilting white flower prettiness, a cascade of marzipan and gentle white fruit. Better than the Oger? Dunno. 18.7/20, 95/100.

Pol Roger Blanc des Blancs 2015 $199

Rather reductive. Once you get past that, this feels toasty and nutty and full – I’d have called this a barrel-fermented style. It’s definitely powerful and nutty, and the palate has width, but it feels a bit lumpy. I’m calling that as part of the reduction? Structurally great. The longer it sat the better it looked. 17.7/20, 92/100.

Flight 5: Prestige Cuvée

Krug Grand Cuvée 171eme $586

47% Pinot, built on the 2015 vintage, but with a high percentage (40%) of reserve wines from 2000 to 2015. I am such a sucker for Krug, so you can choose to take that into account with the bias meter. Regardless, this was a level above the rest of the bracket.

As Krug as ever. Custard powder, toasted brioche oak and less, so inviting (and very typical). A little Chardonnay chalky cream, and then after that nose it’s such a surprise packet – very fresh, still driven by that fresh buttered damper flavour, acidity that feels just right. Magnificent richness – this will always be right up my alley. Is it a little bit sweeter? So mouthfilling. 19/20, 96/100.

Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2015 $469

The 21st vintage. There was a very longwinded backstory behind this wine, but its basically a homage to the wines that Churchill enjoyed. There is no 17, but an 18, 19 and a 20, there is a 22, no 23 vintage.

Again, with the reduction. It’s a breezy wine, with lifted white flower freshness, a light beauty to it that feels waxy, light and effortless, then it dips into something that’s almost condensed milk (a leesy character?). Much closer to the lovely vintage wine than the weird BdB. But is it profound? I’d probably rather the even more pure Gimmonet. No doubting that it has power, but this doesn’t strike me as balanced like the other, more even wines in the lineup. 18/20, 93/100.

Bollinger La Grande Année 2015 $313

60% Pinot Noir 40% Chardonnay 100% barrel fermented. 8g/L dosage.

Hello Bollinger! Oak, vinousness, it feels even a little oxidative too. It’s so vinous; you can see a hint of herbs, a little pyrazine and yet ripe fruit. A winemaker’s wine with this chewy palate and big-time power. The creamy oak drives the whole way through the palate – it’s such a powerhouse. Maybe a bit too vinous and firm? Definitely a more powerful winey wine (rather than a delicate fizz), and I really enjoy this style as a ‘meal Champagne’, but I wonder if it’s a bit too bulky and phenolic to be great. 18.5/20, 94/100

Leclerc Briant ‘Chateau d’Avize’ Blanc des Blancs Grand Cru 2013 $553

All Chardonnay from the Cote des Blancs. Zero dosage. There is a pecular back story to this wine, where it was effectively made at Chateau d’Avize and then finished at Leclerc Briant. I might be skipping over the detail, but it felt like a wholly different wine compared to the other Leclerc Briant releases.

Finally, a clean and brisk Leclerc Briant! Washed rind cheese, a real riot of different aromas, lemon, yoghurt, nutty beeswax oxidative notes, a core of ripe fruit too. I rather enjoy this – it’s a big mouthful beyond the nose – white pretty Chardonnay hints but then wonderful cheesy richness. I would probably drink plenty of this if I had a chance. Excellent – a contender for wine of the bracket alongside the Krug. 18.7/20, 95/100.

Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Spécial Club Millésime de Collection Vieilles Vignes de Chardonnay 2009 $377 (en magnum).

Disgorged in 2022. From a special selection of old vines matured for ten years on lees before disgorging. Importantly, all parts of the maturation happen in magnum, which is very rare. ‘We want to show the purity and the chalky finish’. Ridiculously well-priced and sold out not long after, I think.

Remarkably fresh, it could be 2015. Lifted, fluffy autolysis – not cheesy, it’s a very fine whipped butter. Very pretty. lightness, but riveted by golden beautiful Chardonnay fruit. Delightful. You wouldn’t necessarily want to keep it any longer – I wonder if it might start decaying – but a sublime BdB expression. 18.7/20, 95/100.