STOLPMAN - Brown Derby International Wine Center

The Vineyard, September/October, 2007
G rOWer chamPaGne
carOline milan, PrOPrieTOr
Pierre GimOnneT, PrOPrieTOr
OF Pierre GimOnneT
FrancOiS PeTerS, PrOPrieTOr OF
Pierre PeTerS
Jean-BaPTiSTe GeOFFrOy, PrO-
PrieTOr OF renÉ GeOFFrOy
laurenT chamPS,
PrOPrieTOr OF VilmarT & cie
marc hÉBrarT, PrOPrieTOr OF
mark heBrarT
Jean lallemenT
Jean-Luc Lallement makes only three wines, one
of which-the rosé- he just inaugurated last year (he
releases only about 1,700 cases annually). Most of
this Montagne de Reims estate is in Verzenay, with
the rest in Verzy; 80 percent of the vines are Pinot
Noir, 20 percent Chardonnay. Lallement keeps the dosage low, usually at extra brut
levels; his wines are rich and minerally, combining strength and finesse.
N/V Brut ____________________________________________ 54.99
Jean milan
The first Champagne bottle to bear the Milan name was
produced in 1864 by Charles Milan. Today, Caroline
and Jean-Charles Milan are the fifth generation to
manage the family’s 15 acres in the grand cru Oger.
Milan’s wines are classic Oger in profile, with the flowery delicacy of Côte des Blancs
Chardonnay but not he austerity of Le Mesnil. At their best, the are as charming as
Chardonnay gets.
2002 Selection Terres de Noël Brut __________________________ 99.99
N/V Charles de la Milaniere Rosé ____________________________ 62.99
marc hÉBrarT
Marc Hébrart founded this estate in 1962, and his
son, Jean-Paul, took over in 1997. He farms 32
acres -in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and Aÿ in the Vallée de
la Marne, and in Chouilly and Oiry in the Côte
des Blancs. Most of the vineyards are Pinot Noir
(70 percent); the balance is Chardonnay. These are rich wines that emphasize place over
fruit, showing their origins with precise detail. Try them if you want to become familiar
with the terroir around Mareuil-sur Aÿ and Aÿ.
N/V Cuvée Réserve Brut _________________________________ half 29.99
N/V Selection Brut ______________________________________ 49.99
a. marGaine
Gaston Margaine founded this 16-acre estate in
Villers-Marmery early in the 20th century, today
run by his great-grandsons, Bernard and Arnaud
Margaine.
The premier cru commune of Villers-Marmery is unusual in the Montagne de
Reims, as it is dominated by Chardonnay rather than Pinot Noir. Margaine’s vineyards
are 90 percent Chardonnay and 10 percent Pinot , all in Villers-Marmery. Chardonnay
gives their wines elegance and finesse, but the soil signature is completely different from
the Côte des Blancs, with an earthier, fuller-bodied richness.
N/V Cuvée Traditionelle ___________________________________ 39.99
N/V Cuvée Traditionelle _________________________________ half 24.99
N/V Rosé _____________________________________________ 49.99
Pierre GimOnneT
There have been Gimonnets growing vines in Cuis since
1750. Pierre Gimonnet began bottling estate wines in the
1930s, and today Olivier and Didier Gimonnet, Pierre’s
grandsons, carry on the family tradition. Their 64 acres of vines are all planted to
Chardonnay, in the communes of Cuis, Cramant and Chouilly; 70 percent of the vines
are older than 35 years, with the oldest vines more than 80 years old.
Gimmonet wines are refined, chalky and intense, balancing the rich complexity of
the grands crus Cramant and Chouilly with the racy austerity of the premier cru Cuis.
Old-vine depth and concentration is often evident in these wines.
2002 Cuvée Gastonome __________________________________ 54.99
N/V 1er Cru Brut _______________________________________ 49.99
N/V 1er Cru Brut _____________________________________ half 29.99
1999 Special Club ______________________________________ 69.99
Pierre PeTerS
The Peters family had been growers in Champagne for
more than a century when Pierre Peters founded this
house in 1940. François Peters now heads this 43-acre
estate, regarded as one of the best in Le Mesnil. The most
significant holdings-30 acres-are in the grand cru of Le
Mesnil-sur-Oger. The rest are spread around Oger, Avize, Cramant and Vertus.
The wines are sleek and racy, emphasizing finesse over body. They always undergo
malolactic but never taste like it. If you can find the Cuvée Spéciale, it’s made from a
single plot of 70-year old vines in Le Mesnil.
N/V Cuvee de Reserve Brut _________________________________ 54.99
1999 Cuvee Speciale Brut __________________________________ 84.99
renÉ GeOFFrOy
N/V Expression ________________________ 44.99
N/V Empreinte ________________________ 54.99
VilmarT & cie.
“Vilmart’s wines have been called ‘poor man’s Krug’ for
their combination of power and style-at half the cost of real
Krug.” Food & Wine
Based in Rilly-la-Montagne de Reims, Champagne Vilmart
was founded by Désiré Vilmart in 1890. His grandson, Renan Vilmart, took over the
company in 1930 and later handed it over to his son-in-law, René Champs, in 1962.
Since 1990 René’s son, Laurent, has been in charge of the estate. He farms 27 acres with
organic methods; 60 percent of the vines are Chardonnay, 40 percent Pinot Noir.
Vilmart’s wines are rich and complex, with a depth and resonance unusual in
Champagne. All are fermented in wood, either in large oak casks or in small barrels;
Champ’s careful attention to viticulture produces wines of concentration and vinosity.
Note that the Grand Cellier is to their basic Brut NV, but rather a special selection
falling between the Brut and the three prestige cuvées.¡
N/V Cuvee Grand Cellier ___________________________________ 64.99
N/V Cuvee Rubis ________________________________________ 69.99
1998 Cuvee Creation _____________________________________ 109.99
PG. 4 | Phone 1-800-41-3438 • local 417-883-4066 • FaX 417-881-0036