CHAMPAGNE PIPER-HEIDSIECK ~ Lunch with Chef de Cave REGIS CAMUS

People who know me have heard me say, "If I could drink Champagne all day long, every day, I would." So it should be no surprise that when I had the chance to dine with Piper-Heidsieck's award-winning Chef de Cave Régis Camus, I jumped. On a balmy November day, I joined him and a few other Wineaux at Koi Soho for an incredible lunch, paired with an array of Piper Champagnes.

We began with the ubiquitous red-labelled Piper-Heidsieck Brut NV: notes of brioche and lemon, clean, with a sublime mousse, bright yet rich. 100% malolactic fermentation but still so fresh. ~$45. Lifting his glass, M. Camus said, "The first glass is the best of the day." So true.

Champagne lovers know that a NV wine isn't a "second runner-up" to the vintage-declared bottlings. A NV blend represents the identity of the Champagne house, as it is crafted year to year to achieve the house style using reserve wines and different percentages of the three permitted varietals (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier,) from a base vintage. When I asked M. Camus if he had favorite reserve wines that he was perhaps reluctant to use up, he said, a tad derisively, "Others want to hold, like museum. The Chef's job is to keep using wines." I took another sip, savoring the generous history in my glass.

Blending also occurs with a vintage wine, but with different varietals and vineyards, not years. The Piper-Heidsieck Brut Vintage 2006 (49% Pinot Noir, 51% Chardonnay) was sourced from 16 Grand and Premier Crus (rated vineyards) during a "challenging yet rewarding" year marked by a wide range of weather. It had a yeasty nose with a strong tangerine element, and was rich and floral with an incredible length of fruit. Vivid, generous, gorgeous minerality, balanced acidity, strong mousse. ~$80. M. Camus called this "The Diplomat," and with a little prodding, I discovered he has nicknames for all of his vintage-designated Champagnes — 2008 was "The Diamond," 2004 was "The Marathoner." Love it! Toasting with the 2006, M. Camus said, "The second glass... is the best of the day." Agreed.

A Champagne house's Tête de Cuvée, or Cuvée Prestige, is its jewel in the crown. For Piper, that is the Rare, and they have only released EIGHT vintages of Rare sine its debut in 1976. As winemaker, M. Camus can take the gloves off and use complete creative freedom to craft a spectacular wine. The Piper-Heidsieck Rare Millesime 2002 (70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir) has a bold nose of baked lemon and brioche. It is luxe beyond belief, with a creamy mandarin curd finish. Disgorged in 2012, this spent 9 years on its lees, and has the oomph to be cellared for another 20. ~$180. As we raised our glasses, I said, "Let me guess: the third glass…" and we all chorused: "is the best of the day!"

Most of the courses at Koi Soho have an Asian flair, and it doesn't take a Master Somm to pair Champagne with sushi... but how about red meat? Well, for a winter lamb chop, look no further than the Piper-Heidsieck Rosé Sauvage NV (55-60% Pinot Noir, 20-25% Pinot Meunier, 10-15% Chardonnay, with some "vin de couleur," or still Pinot Noir, in the mix.) This was a deep, vibrant pink, with very fragrant strawberry notes, candied cherries, grapefruit, and roses, with a subtle mousse. Like the NV Brut, the rosé is blended from a base wine (in this case, 2010,) and a large number of reserve wines. M. Camus implied this rosé is one of his toughest wines to make; the color should be consistent from year to year, Pinot Noir could overwhelm the blend but shouldn't, and some vintages, crops of Pinot Noir don't pass muster for the rosé. But it's worth it; the Piper Heidsieck Rosé is another very striking, yet elegant, wine. ~$60.

Finally, we headed into dessert with the Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Sublime. (55-60% Pinot Noir, 20-25% Pinot Meunier, 10-15% Chardonnay.) This is a Demi-Sec, which means it has a higher dosage (added sugar) and will exhibit apparent sweetness. But make no mistake, this is not a syrupy, cloying dessert wine. Think of it more like a voluptuous bombshell pin-up! Notes of marzipan, pineapple, vanilla cupcake. Delicious fruit, extremely well-balanced. (My notes have "delicious" again.) It certainly paired well with the dessert course, but would be a heady experience on its own. ~$50.

Although M. Camus has been named "Champagne Winemaker of the Year" by the International Wine Challenge eight times, Piper-Heidsieck doesn't command consumers' attention the way Perrier-Jouët or Möet & Chandon do. What does that mean for you Wineaux? Simple: incredible Champagnes at comparatively bargain prices. Perhaps Piper-Heidsieck doesn't have the reputation of other large houses, but it is a mistake to pass over these incredible wines. The cultivation of the vintage offerings and the high percentage of reserve wine in the NV bottlings belies the price points. In general, the Piper style is bold yet elegant, and who doesn't want that in a Champagne! So go seek some out, and let me know if you agree.

Many thanks to M. Camus and to my friends at Terlato Wines for a delicious luncheon and the unique opportunity to drink gorgeous Champagnes with their Chef beside me. I look forward to tasting with M. Camus again someday (and perhaps inspire a nickname for a future vintage —"The Minx"?!)

Cheers!

ODE TO BUBBLY: The Sparkling Wines of Gruet

If I had my druthers, I'd drink Champagne all day long, every day. Well, druthers AND a large pocketbook, as Champagne can be a very expensive habit. Lucky for me, there are a large number of American producers who make delicious sparkling wine in the Mèthode Traditionelle—aka the Champagne method—and their wares encompass the range of Champagne styles and brilliance quite well while being kinder on the wallet.

A particular personal favorite is Gruet—their NV Brut made one of my very first "Top 20 Under $20" lists. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico (wait, what, NEW MEXICO?!) this family-run winery has been producing award-winning sparklers since their first release in 1989. You may still be trying to wrap your brain around the concept of quality wine from New Mexico, but the American Southwest has many characteristics of fine-wine growing regions, namely good soils and high-elevation vineyards which cool greatly overnight so the grapes don't ripen too much. (Check out my roundup of nearby Arizona wineries here and you'll get an idea of what the area has to offer.)

While I've found the Gruet Brut and the Gruet Rosé in wine shops all around the country, some of their other offerings are less widely distributed, so when I got an opportunity to purchase a mixed case, I jumped on it. I invited some friends over to taste the array with me, and we had an eye-opening experience getting acquainted with some of the styles of Gruet bubblies.

As kind of a "baseline," we began with the NV Gruet Brut. Everyone agreed it was a solid offering, with notes of green apple, a little yeastiness, and lemon/grapefruit citrus. A blend of 75% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir, it remains a fave go-to sparkler. ~$16.

Next up was the NV Gruet Rosé. 100% Pinot Noir, with a beautiful salmon color. Lots of strawberry on the nose, with raspberry in the mouth, and some herbs and florals to round it out. There is 2% still Pinot Noir added to the bottle, I imagine to add a little depth of flavor… whatever the reason, it works, and suddenly it seemed everyone had a new favorite go-to. A little cheekier, a little sexier, for ~$18.

Our third bottle was the NV Gruet Sauvage, which is 100% Chardonnay, and made in the driest, Brut Nature style. We all agreed there was a kind of dryer sheet/mineral soap-iness character which took some getting used to. Definitely steely and crisp, with mountain florals and lemon peel. Maybe not the universal favorite of the eve, but people kept coming back to it, intrigued. ~$20.

Our first vintage offering was the 2010 Gruet Blanc de Blancs, also 100% Chardonnay ("Blanc de Blancs" basically means "white from whites," so only white grapes are used, i.e., our old friend Chard.) This wine spent three years on the lees, and the subsequent richness and roundness shone through in the notes of Gala apple, toastiness, and its creamy expression. We started to go a little bonkers for this one, no lie. When you realize a vintage Champagne is going to run you generally around $80-100, this baby is even MORE attractive at ~$25. Boo-yah.

Now, the dosage levels of Champagne are varied and confusing, with the wide ranges of allowed residual sugar and the nomenclature, so we'll just leave it that Extra Dry is smack in the middle, with higher residual sugar than a Brut, but not necessarily sweet-tasting. You'll sense the ripeness of the fruit, and a higher viscosity, but as Champagne's acidity is so bright, it can be balanced in a glorious way. And so it follows that a couple of minds were blown by the NV Gruet Extra Dry. Again 100% Chardonnay, and bottle aged a minimum of 18 months, it had notes of marzipan, white peach, rose petals and honeysuckle. ~$16. (I really wish I could've gotten my hands on the Gruet Demi-Sec, which would have had still more residual sugar, but this was certainly an eye-opener for those in the group who would usually shy away from a "sweeter" offering.)

Finally, the Tête de Cuvée, the 2007 Gruet Gilbert Gruet Grand Reserve. Named after the winery's founder, this is a 100% Chardonnay from the property's oldest vines. They use free-run juice, and age the still wine after its first fermentation in French oak barrels. It spent six years aging on the lees, and only 600 cases were made. And it was everything you'd hope from a jewel in the crown: toasty brioche, beautifully yeasty, notes of vanilla, taffy, baked yellow apple, lemon, and mountain florals. Complex and hedonistic. So amazing, I want a whole case all to myself (to drink all day long, every day.) And get this… it's only $43. What the what?!?!

This tasting only confirmed what I'd long thought about Gruet: very high quality across the board, a consistent Brut "house style," and vintage offerings that were elevated and nuanced. Kinda like a good Champagne… at a fraction of the price. As I said, the Brut and the Rosé have wide availability, and stores that carry them may be able to get you some of the rest of the portfolio. But you can also purchase through the winery's website here. I hope to get the chance to visit New Mexico in the near future and see the Gruet operations first-hand, but until then I remain very, very thankful that I still have a few bottles left in my case!

Cheers.