As always, it has been our absolute privilege and pleasure in hosting you all at our weekend tastings throughout 2023 - we always endeavour to make them as eclectic, educational, and above all as entertaining as possible! Now, with another year coming to a close, we want to see things out in style this Saturday (16th) from 12 to 2pm as we pour some of our favourite unique Champagne expressions, several of which being from top grower houses!
Step out of the weekend heat, and enjoy some glasses filled with the magic of Veuve Fourny Blanc de Blancs, our very own Gaston Burtin NV in magnum formats, as well as four great grower names in De Venoge and their Brut from 2012, new disgorgements from Henri Giraud and Frederic Savart, and finally depth and complexity from the acclaimed Egly-Ouriet!
And for all the beer fans in the room, our final Friday tasting for the year will be this week (Fri 15th from 4pm to 6pm), looking at the great local goodies coming from Northgate-based Aether Brewing! Pop by and grab a glass from host Sam, taking you through what's new and neat from one of Brisbane's best ?
Grower Champagne
Free Tasting Lineup - Saturday 16th of December
Running from 12 to 2pm
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Veuve Fourny Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru NV - $89 on offer ; $99 RRP
// 100% Chardonnay (age of the vines 40 years old)
"White juice from white grapes (Chardonnay) harvested by hand, this wine reveals all the know-how of the Veuve Fourny house blended from different plots, and from different harvests: purity, finesse and elegance. An ideal companion for your aperitifs, it is a Champagne for pleasure that combines creaminess and sharpness with a saline finish. It will bring out the best in Sushi and sashimi." - House Notes
"A personal favourite of mine. Its foundation is three consecutive vintages, with 20% of reserve wines. Extensive use of French oak during maturation. Dosage only 5g/l when disgorged in March 2023. The bouquet is flowery, the palate gently filled with honey and brioche." - 95 Points, James Halliday's Top 100 for 2023
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Gaston Burtin Brut Champagne NV MAGNUM - $115 on offer ; $130 RRP
// 22% Pinot Noir, 52% Pinot Meunier and 26% Chardonnay
Dosage - 8g/L
Base vintage 2016, with 43% reserve wines
"This is a delightful champagne from a House established in 1933. It has great structure and fruitiness with a round texture and lots of freshness. Composed of the 3 classic grapes – the Pinot Noir reflects black and red berries, while the Chardonnay shines with ripe lemons, mandarins, apricots, hints of melon, pineapple and glazed fruits. A layer of fine pastry appears with French patisserie shining through the palate – and honeyed nuts making a statement in the mouth. All of this with spicy undertones and a splendid lingering finish. A most refreshing and delicious non-vintage champagne for the most amazing price! Try some – you will not be disappointed." - Bernadette O'Shea, Champagne Consultant, TWE
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Champagne de Venoge Brut Vintage 2012 - $125 on offer ; $139 RRP
"Layered with baked apples, cloves, salted lemons, hazelnuts and croissants. Creamy and delicious with an almost buttery note, but no malolactic here. Salty undertones. Very fine, soft bubbles. Gourmand finish. 70% pinot noir and 30% chardonnay from premier and grand cru villages. Disgorged 2018 with 7g/L dosage. 5,000 bottles, only in best vintages. Disgorged November 2018. Drink now or hold." - 93 Points, James Suckling
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Henri Giraud Esprit Nature Brut NV - $150 on offer ; $169 RRP
“The greatest Champagne you’ve never heard of” - Robert Parker
"Sparkling with beautiful mineral bitterness, The Esprit Nature Brut pushes the door of the great wines of Champagne, while its incomparable fruit invites shared pleasure. On the eyes, a beautiful golden and blond reflections. On the nose, notes of stone fruits (pear, peach), vanilla and spices (white pepper) on a base of candied lemon which gives it freshness. Then come maturity and gluttony. The attack is fresh and then discreet and lets the overall vinosity express itself. The body, the very fullness make the structure of this wine. Minerality and light tannins contribute to a long, vinous, warm and silky astringent final structure with bitter almond and biscuit aromas." - House Notes
"A juicy and flavorful Champagne with phenolics and a brightness and energy. Full with lots of flavors like sliced pineapple, dried peach and stone, yet it is fresh and vibrant. New label and bottle. Henri Giraud DNA in this. About 80% pinot noir and 20% chardonnay.’’ - 95 Points, James Suckling
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Egly-Ouriet Brut Les Prémices - $169 on offer ; $189 RRP
// Base 2019, Disgorged July 2023
"This is just the second release. Reflecting what is planted in the vineyards, Les Prémices is an equal blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier. The vines are, on average, 40 years old and are rooted in clay and sandstone over a chalk bedrock—a soil typical of the Massif de Saint-Thierry area. As always, the classic Egly manifesto applies here—old vines, low yields, hand harvesting of fully ripe fruit, no inoculation, long lees aging, no fining or filtration, low dosage and meticulous attention to detail. One difference here is that the wine is fermented and aged exclusively in tank. The current release is the first blend to include three vintages, and the wine is even better for it. The dosage for this release was just one gram per litre. We were very impressed with the last release, but this is significantly next level. It’s a super mineral, pure-fruited wine with more depth and complexity than the previous release, yet with the same incredible precision and a long, perfumed, salty close. It's very hard to drink slowly!" - Bibendum, Importer Notes
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Frederic Savart L'Ouverture Premier Cru - $205 on offer ; $230 RRP
// 100% Pinot Noir (base 2021)
"This is Fred Savart's entry level Champagne but it is far from one-dimensional. It is 100% Pinot Noir all from the village of Ecueil, half of which was fermented in mostly neutral barrel with the other half is fermented in stainless steel. The wine only sees partial malolactic fermentation. Fred doesn't guide the malolactic fermentation, instead it is the inclusion of reserve wine that goes through malolactic fermentation because it has gone through more temperature swings. The wine is in equal parts a blend of three successive vintages and aged under cork, not crown cap. Dosage is 4 g/L." - House Notes
"A bright, exuberant Champagne. Crushed rocks mint, white flowers, apricot, tangerine peel and citrus confit all race out of the glass. Bright and finely cut, this steely, delineated Champagne has a ton to offer. Time in the glass brings out burnished Pinot character and a good bit of breadth, but there’s a ton of Chardonnay-like vibrancy here too." - 93 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous
If you wish to buy any of these champagnes, please use the links above ? Alternatively, email us at sales@thewineemporium.com.au, or contact us on (07)32521117 if you have any questions // Prices valid until Wednesday the 20th of December