Champagne Eric Rodez, Blanc de Noirs, Grand Cru, Brut

Champagne Eric Rodez, Blanc de Noirs, Grand Cru, Brut

Product: 10008033163
 
Champagne Eric Rodez, Blanc de Noirs, Grand Cru, Brut

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Champagne Eric Rodez

Champagne Eric Rodez

Eric and Martine Rodez are the eighth generation (and now with their son Mickael, the ninth generation) of winemakers who first started in 1757 in the great Grand Cru that is Ambonnay. This is a prime site for Pinot Noir due to favourable altitudes (130m average) and S/SE-facing slopes which decrease risk to frost exposure, and the all-important chalk, limestone and clay-limestone that enable production of powerful but elegant Pinot Noir fruit (Rodez don't grow Pinot Meunier but they do have Chardonnay).
 
In addition to his experience in the family business, he has worked elsewhere in Champagne, including as oenologist at Krug, where the blending of small parcels and multi-vintages going back many years, as well as their work with oak barrels, is perhaps most clearly evidenced in his Cuvée des Grands Vintages. Since the mid-1980's and after a particularly difficult harvest in 1984, he travelled and gathered experience in various wine regions including Alsace where he took special note of organic vineyard practices, which he brought back to his 6ha domaine. This he felt was needed to bring out the special characteristics of Ambonnay and the champagnes that the region can produce. 
 
To really bring out the minerality and almost sensuality, or as he says, the musicality of the wines, he felt that he needed to go further and so for the past eight years has moved into biodynamic production. In a marginal climate area such as Champagne this is a potentially risky route to take, but one taken by several of the growers whose champagne we stock. As part of this, they have also embraced aromatherapy essential oils in the fight against diseases such as mildew. Eric's aim to be as nature-friendly as possible was recognised by his receipt in 2012 of the Haute Valeur Environnmentale (HVE) certificate which covers not just organic farming but also biodiversity and water management on farms. And if that wasn't enough, in addition to his work as chief oenologist and vineyard manager, his dedication to the region is such that he is also the Mayor of Ambonnay!
Edwin Dublin, Champagne Specialist

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Blanc de Noirs

Blanc de Noirs

Blanc de Noirs describes a wine produced entirely from black grapes. In Champagne, Blanc de Noirs cuvée can be made from the two black grapes permitted within the appellation, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Bollinger's prestige cuvée Vieilles Vignes Françaises, from ungrafted, old Pinot Noir vines, has set the yardstick in a style that is now produced by a number of other Champagne houses.

A typical Blanc de Noirs cuvée has a deep golden colour, and can be more intensely flavoured than the classic non-vintage, multi-grape blend.

Recommended Producers: Cedric Bouchard, Bollinger

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Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.

The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.

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