Monday Night Champagne- NV Chartogne-Taillet Brut

[Vinotas]

What better way to start the week than with a delicious bottle of Champagne and some Vietnamese food? Needing an escape from the stress of another Monday, and with our kitchen still on hold due to the boobs over at the Department of Buildings, we ordered in from a local Viet restaurant and grabbed a bottle of the NV Chartogne-Taillet Brut.

Another great QPR (that's Quality-to-Price Ratio for those of you who don't know) at $30, this wine is from the town of Merfy. Though the town vineyards are only rated at 84% on Champagne's 100% quality scale, this family is managing to make some very good bubblies that are silky and smooth yet spicy. They use all three grapes allowed in Champagne, with a majority of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and a smattering of Pinot Meunier. Even though they only have 12 hectares of total vineyards, they make a variety of labels, of which the Brut is the lowest end. Well, if this is the low end, I'd suggest searching for their higher-end ones ASAP. They only make 6,700 cases, so production is rather limited, defining the term "farmer fizz".

Upon opening, this was a bit hyperactive, the elements needing to settle down a bit, with brioche and toast and hints of cinnamon. As it breathed it seemed to relax slightly and come into its own, with lovely fine bubbles on a dense structure that hinted at oxydation in a good way.

This Champagne was delicious with the various flavors inherent in Vietnamese cooking, matching both our pork and beef dishes as well as the vegetable ravioli with crispy shallots.

You can read more about this domaine on their winemaker's blog, HERE.

Cheers!