View 2013 Champagne Catalog - Michael Skurnik Wines

I had hoped at one point to see the estate grow. I
was told that a contract to deliver grapes to a négoce was
expiring. But here’s what happened. Jean-Luc wanted to
reclaim just two parcels for his own production. Just two!
It was about 15% of what he was selling the Big Boy. But
the negoç did what they’re trained to do, and leveraged
like a punk. “If we can’t have those grapes then you can
just keep all your grapes.”
And this is one of the négoce we actually approve of
– one of the good guys. But this sort of behavior is hardwired
in them. Still, it would seem to be child’s play to
either call their bluff or just sell your grapes any old where.
It’s not like there’s a soft market for Verzenay Pinot Noir.
But I didn’t feel it was my place to ask. There was no way
to phrase the question that didn’t amount to “No juevos,
huh?” But there was one thing I could do, and I did it.
“Jean-Luc,” I said, “If you kept your entire production,
and are concerned there’s no one to buy all the additional
wine, I’ll buy it. We can never get enough Champagne
from you as it is.” This seemed to register.
Of course there’s more to it than that. To vinify
another 800 cases would entail a large investment in space
and equipment, not to mention a radical change in cashflow
and quality of life. Still, I hate to let the bully win.
Jean Lallement Brut, N.V. j j KLT-1
We sometimes call it “the green label,” but whatever we call it, it’s the finest and most distinctive NV in all of Champagne.
First notice its exceptional polish and detail. Then take an amazingly distinct expression of terroir, redolent and atmospheric.
It’s my personal favorite, but apart from that, its innate virtues speak well for themselves; signature flavors of apple-cellar,
mead, heirloom honey, brewer’s yeast, sometimes with lemon-balm and sorrel, other times with walnuts and herb oils.
It’s the same cuvée as last year, just more recently disgorged—November 2012 in fact. If anything it showed leesier and
chalkier than usual, and I had the sense there was more Verzy showing through. But really, this silvery crystalline being is
just absurd, one of the treasures of the wine world.
80-20 `09-`08 and 80-20 PN-CH.
Jean Lallement “Réserve” Brut, N.V. j ( j ) KLT-2
The blue-label, and our “Old Blue” is a good ol’ dawg. Thank you for your response to my statement of last year that this
was THE BEST VALUE IN THE PORTFOLIO. It is again. It probably always will be.
It reverses the vintages of the above, so it’s 80-20 ‘08-‘09. Different parcels go into it, giving stronger juice, and the
signatures here are berries, orchids, violets; this one is seriously smoky and a very strong edition of this wine; it wants
another year on the cork; the finish isn’t quite as suave, barkier and crustier, more salt and at first more brash. Then watch
as it gets all caramelized, like the “candy” of the brown-bits you scrape from the pan.
As usual this is more adamant, less still and lunar. It needs more time to get over disgorgement (Nov. 2012), and for the
first time ever, I thought the 4g/l RS might have been a teeny bit higher. Yet the tertiary finish is remarkable, and all this
needs is a year or two on the cork.
(NOTE: we’re still awaiting the next vintage, 2008. He’s in no great hurry to release it, and I’m barely willing to wait. But wait
I shall, however impatiently.)
Jean Lallement
Montagne de Reims
Jean Lallement Rosé Brut, N.V. j KLT-3
If there’s a more singular Rosé in Champagne, someone open it for me. Aubry has the blackberry but not the mint, nor
is this as iodé, even as dry as it is; it’s about flowers and even green-tea. It’s 100% 2009 and entirely Verzenay Pinot Noir.
There seems to be more fruit and less berry here—that’s ‘09—it’s explosively fruty in fact. Lavish silky texture, helplessly
delicious and absurdly long.
That’s what I wrote last year, adding that it was the best bottling to date. I bought that wine for the home cellar, have
drunk it many times, and never had reason to eat those words. But it was an odd showing on-the-day, and disgorgement
wasn’t the culprit; July 2012 should be enough time for a wine with this much substance to recover. It was snowing all day
that day, the atmospheric pressure was very low, and the first bottle Jean-Luc brought out was ice cold. And stubbornly
reduced. The bottle was all torn to pieces, entirely different from any I’d opened. So I asked for another bottle, at cellar
temp, and this one was immediately fruitier and more consolidated. It seemed sleeker, less “pulpy” than it tasted before,
but it was a weird day. I report in the interest of full disclosure, but full disclosure entails telling you that a bottle I opened
three nights ago was freakin’ amazing. So you figure it out, smart guy.
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