About this WINE
Champagne Janisson Baradon
The latest addition to our artisan champagne offering is Janisson-Baradon, a small grower from the Montagne de Reims established in 1922 by George Baradon (a remueur) and his son-in-law (a cooper).
Five generations later, and now directed by Richard Janisson, and his sons Maxence (principal winemaker) and Cyril Janisson, they have 9ha of vineyards which encircle Epernay (Champagne’s capital) to the west, in the Massif St. Thierry, and with the remainder in Chouilly (this latter forming the base for a Grand Cru Chardonnay which they produce).
For several years they have been practising lutte raisonnée, basically using the bare minimum of chemicals in their vineyards and grassing over between vine rows, for example, to maintain soil integrity as much as possible, a practise that has becoming increasingly common in Champagne.
Vinification is a mix of steel and wood with malolactic fermentation for the non-vintage cuvées and 100% wood (old Burgundy barrels, 3-18 years old) with no malolactic performed for the vintages. They are also experimenting with cement egg fermentation, of which they have two.
All the wines are characterised by long lees ageing and 6 months minimum resting period between disgorgement and release. The vintage cuvées are striking in their presentation as they don’t have printed labels, rather, the cuvée name is stencilled in white (actually, it looks like it’s been Tippex-ed!) on the dark bottle.
We have taken on two cuvées, the non-vintage Non-Dosé and the vintage Chemin des Conges.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
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Description
As with their Conges cuvée, this celebrates the unusual in Champagne. From vines originating in Savoie and planted in 1947, this is 100% Chardonnay with around 80% of this coming from the Musqué variant of this variety. This variant adds a subtle baked apricot note on the palate giving a little richness to the yellow fruit more characteristic of Chardonnay and much evidenced here. As with Conges, freshness is all belying the 7 years lees ageing, with the light oak giving supple support to the fruit.
Edwin Dublin, Champagne Specialist
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