Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - 51
92 | Val Frison
$63
Champagne Goustan Brut Nature Blanc
de Noirs ^ This is pinot noir from the 2014
vintage in the Côte des Bar. It undergoes a
spontaneous fermentation and malolactic
conversion over the course of six months in
barrel, then moves to bottle without filtration, where it spends another 19 months on
the lees. Bottled without dosage, it's savory,
open and fresh, with a cherry-cider scent
that places it between a rosé and a red wine
in flavor. The notes of bitter herbs and tart
raspberries give it a rustic edge, even as it's
sparkling clean and delicious.
SPARKLING FOCUS:
ENGLAND & USA
Our blind panels tasted 83 new-release sparkling wines from England, California and New
York for this issue. Our critics rated 15 as exceptional (90+) and 5 as Best Buys. Joshua
Greene reviews wines from England and California; Patrick J. Comiskey reviews wines
from New York. Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.
VOUETTE & SORBEE
Négociant-Manipulant in Buxières-sur-Arce
(Aube); founded in 2001; owns 13.5 acres:
70% pinot noir, 25% chardonnay,
5% pinot blanc; average vine age: 25 years;
age of oldest vines: 63 years. Vigneron/
Cellarmaster: Bertrand Gautherot;
2,500 cases produced. Imported by
Avant-Garde Wine & Spirits, NY.
224573
94 | Vouette & Sorbée
$108
Champagne Blanc d'Argile Brut Nature ^
Working in the Côte des Bar, Bertrand
Gautherot has farmed his Demeter-certified
vineyards biodynamically since 1998. Fermented spontaneously in oak barrels, presented without dosage, Blanc d'Argile is a
bare, naked chardonnay that bristles with
energy, then quiets to the warmth of the cool
autumn sun. Crunchy apple and complex
herbal notes add to the wine's stony, mineral power. It's lovely Champagne, elegant
and compellingly drinkable.
226488
94 | Vouette & Sorbée
$120
Champagne Textures Extra Brut ^ This is
pinot blanc, fermented spontaneously in
oak barrels and amphorae before bottling it
for the secondary fermentation and aging.
Its flavors head in a different direction than
a chardonnay-based Champagne, touching
on Asian pear and tart kiwi, along with the
more expected crunchiness of green-apple
skin and fresh almonds. It's a powerful wine
that's mouthwatering in its precision.
224572
91 | Vouette & Sorbée
$87
Champagne Fidèle Brut Nature ^ Light pink
in color, this pinot noir has the meaty, smoky
character of speck. It's vinous and salty, with
some volatility to its floral strawberry notes,
a playful match with duck confit. n
E N GL AND
224551
92 | Digby Fine English
$70
West Sussex Leander Pink ^ Brut Trevor
Clough and Jason Humphries founded Digby
as a négociant brand, setting up purchasing
agreements with vineyards they believe are
producing England's top fruit. This is the first
release of Leander Pink, a collaboration with
the Leander Club, the world's oldest open
rowing club; a portion of the sales goes to
support the Leander Academy to train talented rowers. It's a blend of pinot noir (50
percent), chardonnay and meunier from
the North and South Downs of Kent, Sussex
and Hampshire, where the soils are mostly
chalk and clay. It's a pretty pink wine with
some delicacy to its red-currant flavors, lasting with notes of cardamom and star anise.
Pour it with duck rillettes. § Vine Street Imports,
Mount Laurel, NJ
224224
92 | Ridgeview
$55
2013 England Cavendish Brut ^ The chalk
and clay soils of the South Downs provide a
parallel to Champagne across the channel,
lending this pinot-focused blend its minerality, if not the same line drive to its flavor
depth. And it does have flavor depth under
the notes of honeysuckle, mint and green
peppercorn. It also has some limestone abrasion in its acidity, bringing out intriguing
complexity in the finish. This is 40 percent
pinot meunier, 26 percent pinot noir and 34
percent chardonnay. § Banville & Jones Wine
Merchants, NY
224546
91 | Camel Valley
$50
2014 Cornwall Brut Rosé ^ First planted in
1989, this hillside vineyard is now the largest in Cornwall, in the far western reaches of
England's south coast. The soil here is slate
over sandstone, producing a pinot noir that's
ripe enough to give a little color to its juice at
crush. The wine's sour cherry and raspberry
flavors have a touch of honeyed sweetness.
It's a fresh, juicy pinot noir with bubbles, to
pour with country pâté. § Vine Street Imports,
Mount Laurel, NJ
224557
90 | Bolney Estate
$62
90 | Gusborne
$60
90 | Gusborne
$80
90 | Ridgeview
$55
2013 West Sussex Brut Cuvée Rosé ^ The
Pratt family planted their first three acres of
vines in 1972, and now farm 39 acres in the
sandstone soils of West Sussex. Their Cuvée
Rosé is pinot noir from ten-year-old vines,
the fruit mostly fermented as whole clusters.
It's flinty and reductive, creating a spicy edge
to the tangy red fruit; then it finishes soft and
clean. § Vine Street Imports, Mount Laurel, NJ
224062
2013 Kent Reserve ^ Brut Andrew Weeber
planted his first vines in Appledore in 2004,
and now farms 99 acres in Kent and 54 in
West Sussex, all planted to chardonnay, pinot
noir and meunier. This wine is 55 percent
pinot noir and 27 percent meunier, the balance chardonnay, left on its lees in bottle
for 28 months. It's grapey, honest wine with
buttery poached-pear flavors and an umami
undertone. A sleek aperitif. § Broadbent Selections, San Francisco, CA
224061
2013 Kent Brut Blanc de Blancs ^ This is
chardonnay grown in clay and sandy loam
soils, fermented mostly in stainless steel
with a small amount in neutral oak barrels.
It ages three years in bottle on the lees, creating a rich, honeyed sparkling wine with
notes of vanilla bean and tarragon, a smoky,
tangy blanc de blancs for crispy sweetbreads. §
Broadbent Selections, San Francisco, CA
224225
England Bloomsbury Brut ^ Chardonnay
dominates this blend with pinot noir and
WINE & SPIRITS
DECEMBER 2017
51
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - December 2017
Contents
Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - Cover1
Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - Cover2
Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - 1
Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - 2
Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - 3
Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - 4
Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - Contents
Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - 6
Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - 7
Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - 8
Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - 9
Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - 10
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Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - Cover3
Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - Cover4
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