It's turned into one rainy old week here in Brisbane, but that won't slow our plans for some Friday and Saturday indulgence!
We have just about the most ideal cozy rainy weather drinkers being popped open come tomorrow afternoon (Friday 23rd), with head winemaker Scott Rogash from Forage Supply Co here to spread his knowledge and warmth once again, pouring the newest vintages of the Baby Face and Breaker red blends, Semillon/Viognier/Roussanne speckled Riptide blend, the zippy Whole Lotta Rosé, and for the first time, showing off their Chardy Party Chardonnay, equal parts tropical and creamy. Come on by between 4:30 and 7pm, and make Scott feel welcome!
And for Saturday (24th October), we've taken inspiration from one of our most well-received tasting themes from this past year, when we presented a row of great grower Champagne names back in June! Many weekends heading into the festive season will of course be filled with some of Champagne's biggest and brightest icons, so we loved the idea of bringing some of the region's lesser-known talents to the spotlight once more before the year is out. Between 12 and 2pm, corks will fly from bottles like Vincent Couche's zero-dosage Rosé NV, André Robert'sGrand Cru fruited 'Les Horizons' and 'Jardins du Mesnil' Blanc de Blancs, Pierre Gimonnet's Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs and last week's Champagne Monday choice with the chiselled Meunier-dominant Emmanuel Brochet Extra Brut. Newcomer labels to the shelves like Girard-Bonnet, Helene Charbautand Champagne Chavost will make for intriguing crispy counterparts to these more powerful options, too! We can't wait to see which ones take your fancy.
'Riptide' White Blend 2026
$27 on special this week ($30 RRP)
"Riptide brings together Sémillon, Viognier and Roussanne in a fresh and vibrant Barossa Valley white blend. Showing lifted stone fruit and citrus characters, the palate is textured and balanced with a clean, bright finish. A modern expression of Barossa white wine, crafted to showcase freshness, varietal character and regional expression." - Winemaker Notes
'Chardy Party' Chardonnay 2026
$27 on special this week ($30 RRP)
"A Barossa Valley Chardonnay sourced from the Hallett Valley, showing tropical fruit, lemon pith and citrus characteristics. Pale straw in colour, with vibrant peach and white nectarine flavours supported by a fresh, balanced palate. A modern Barossa Chardonnay with a clean, approachable style, well suited to seafood, poultry and lighter dishes." - Winemaker Notes
Whole Lotta Rosé 2025
$27 on special this week ($30 RRP)
"Turkish delight, rose petal and guava aromas. Mouth watering mineralogy, Granny Smith apple, zippy palette structure. Bone dry rose, with a hint of pomegranate fruit and fairy floss. Match it with Beetroot, walnut & rocket salad or tamed wild caught rainbow trout." - Winemaker Notes
'Baby Face' Red Field Blend 2025
$27 on special this week ($30 RRP)
"This lively field blend of Grenache, Carignan, and Montepulciano is bright, juicy, and a little bit cheeky - just like its name. Vibrant red fruits, soft spice, and a splash of youthful mischief make this wine all bounce and no bruise. Expect aromas of bubblegum, Turkish delight, and musk lollies, followed by a silky palate of raspberry, cherry, and a touch of savoury earth. A nostalgic nod to carefree days, all balanced by the sweet relief of an all-clear from the doc." - Winemaker Notes
Breaker Blend 2025
$27 on special this week ($30 RRP)
"Nothing like riding a tuna in a big swell. This fresh and vibrant 2025 Grenache + Shiraz blend rides the line between playful and poised. It opens with a lifted bouquet of lavender florals, hints of candy, and Forage chocolate, leading into a burst of primary red fruits. The palate is silky and elegant, finishing with soft and moreish tannins." -Winemaker Notes
Pierre Gimonnet Cuis 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs NV
$95 on special this week ($109 RRP)
// 100% Chardonnay from the Premier Cru of Cuis (Côte des Blancs)
2022 base vintage (72%) + 28% reserve wines from 2010 to 2021
6g/L dosage
"In these days of sharply rising prices, this family-run house offers great value thanks to its magnificent chardonnay vineyards. This is Gimmonet's entry point wine, the bouquet of white flowers/apple blossom, the palate with elegance and balance, fruit finish fresh thanks to the modest dosage" -
94 Points, James Halliday
"A toasty style with slightly nutty, singed-bread aromas plus very intense white flowers reminiscent of linden trees. Light-bodied with crisp acidity, medium-sized bubbles and a leaner finish that’s elegant and floral. Drink now." - 92 Points, James Suckling
André Robert 'Les Horizons' Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs NV
$120 on special this week ($135 RRP)
// 2020 base vintage (26% Étréchy 1st Cru, 8% Cuis 1st Cru, 26% Lisse en Champagne, 40% Reserve Solera)
3g/L dosage
"The cuvée “Les Horizons” is predominantly crafted from our Grand Cru and Premier Cru terroirs of the Côte des Blancs. Each year, the blend is composed in proportions directly resulting from our tastings, our sensitivity, and the influences of the current year. The wine is primarily composed of the terroirs of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Vertus, Cuis, and Etrechy, as well as Chardonnays from Vitryat. This cuvée is representative of the diversity of our terroirs, the profile of our soils, and subsoils (and thus of each of its horizons)." - House Notes
"The NV Champagne Blanc De Blancs Les Horizons Extra Brut is a blend of Grand Cru and Premier Cru fruit. It has a soft floral tone, with notes of hay and savory herbs, and a long finish. The palate is juicy with ripe fruit, has pure clarity, and is really tasty. I love this one as well." - 92 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
Girard-Bonnet Au Bout du Chenin 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs NV
$129 on special this week ($145 RRP)
// 100% Organic & Biodynamic Chardonnay from Vertus & Voipreux
2022 base vintage + reserve wines
Disgorged March 2025
2g/L dosage
"Vinification is done in 30% oak barrels, 70% stainless steel tanks. The grapes from lieux-dits or specific terroirs are pressed separately. Their juice is then settled naturally and placed in different containers, before going through the natural fermentation process. The wines are aged on lees for at least 10 months, then drawn, without fining or filtration, and placed in the cellar to undergo the second fermentation for a period that varies according to the cuvée." - Importer Notes
"The NV (2022) Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Au Bout du Chemin is 100% Chardonnay from Vertus and Voipreux. Readers will find a potent Blanc de Blancs that shows the more savory and phenolic side of Chardonnay. Dried herbs, chamomile, tangerine peel, mint, slate and chalk literally stain the palate. There's real depth and resonance here." - 93 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Helene Charbaut 'Le Charbauterie' 1er Cru Extra Brut NV
$139 on special this week ($155 RRP)
// 45% Pinot Noir, 43% Chardonnay and 12% Meunier
2022 base vintage
Disgorged November 2024
"The introduction to Hélène's world: a blend bringing together the three principal Champagne varieties, energetic and immediately expressive while retaining the depth and texture that runs through the range. Coming from a base of 2022. Sourced from her parcels across the villages of Bisseuil, Mareuil-sur-Ay and Avenay Val d'Or. This is much more than just a 'standard' Brut Sans Année, with the parcels having an average vine age of 52 years. The wine was raised entirely in barrel, having blended in 35% reserve wines, which was also aged in barrel & foudre. Finished without dosage." - Importer Notes
Champagne Chavost Paradoxe NV
$140 on special this week ($159 RRP)
// 60% Chardonnay, 40% Meunier from the '19, '20, '21, '22 and '23 harvests
12 Months on lees + 27 months in bottle
"50% in 4,000-liter barrels and casks, 50% thermo-regulated stainless steel, all without added sulfite. 0 g/L sugar added to disgorgement. Powerful on the aromas of Bakery and Pastry, on the ripe pear, very refreshing. Very delicate on the sweetness, then more structured and rich on the finish with slight notes of bitterness at the end." - Importer Notes
"In the glass, initially clearly marked by autolysis: yeast, bread, a hint of dough, present but not heavy. At the same time, the wine still seems surprisingly young. This freshness after dégorgement is noticeable. The mousse still somewhat angular, the structure taut, the aromas more linear than fully developed. Less depth, more energy. Still, it remains uncompromising: no sulfur, no dosage intervention, everything is direct, honest, and unadorned. Chardonnay and Meunier carry the wine without polishing it smooth." - Champagne-Guy.com
Vincent Couche 'Rosé Desir' Brut Nature NV
$140 on special this week ($159 RRP)
// 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay (Biodynamic)
0g/L dosage
"How good is rosé Champagne? It’s all things pretty and pink. The perfume has an orange lift, ruby grapefruit, strawberries and cream. Flavours are packed with ruby grapefruit pith, wild berries, bitter herbs and pink ginger finishing with a lovely lingering oyster shell aftertaste. Refreshingly light but full-flavoured, sweet but umami. What a delight. Rosé Champagne all day." - 94 Points, Kasia Sobiesiak, The Wine Front
André Robert 'Les Jardins du Mesnil' Grand Cru NV
$150 on special this week ($169 RRP)
// 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay (51% of fruit vinified in small oak barrels)
2020 base vintage (68%) and reserve wines from solera method (32%)
Aged on lees for 10 months before disgorged in November 2025
3g/L dosage
"This is a beautifully sculptured blanc de blancs from the exquisite Grand Cru vineyard of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. One of the finest vineyards in the whole region, and it is a privilege to drink champagne from this village. There is great structure, with crushed oyster shell and mineral streaks, shining through a palate of grapefruit, lemon, lime, and pomelo. It is interspersed with touches of monstera deliciosa and saline characters. I always recognize this village by its ‘apple snow’ character – grated green apple folded through with whipped raw egg white. It shines in this champagne! There is beautiful oak use, which adds richness & complexity, giving a spicy layer. There is a film of chalky powder sprinkled over the whole palate – reflecting the beautiful Grand Cru vineyard. Some macadamia nuts and nougat are flicked through the wine, which adds to its vibrance. Base year of this champagne is 2020 – which is part of the great trio of '18, '19 and '20, which blessed the region. The dosage is about 3 grams per litre, giving the wine a wonderful length and dryness and allowing the chardonnay to shine superbly. Indeed, this a champagne I highly recommend – and you will be impressed!" - Bernadette O'Shea, Champagne Consultant, The Wine Emporium
Emmanuel Brochet Selected Extra Brut NV
$185 on special this week ($215 RRP)
// 100% Pinot Meunier (Massif de St Thierry, north-west of Reims)
2021 base vintage, with ~65% reserve wines (disgorged in 2025)
Certified organic
3g/L dosage
It'll always be a great day in the shop when boxes with Emmanuel's name on them come through the door, such is their rare shelf-scarce nature, and what a tasty expression he has brought forth from Champagne's northernmost area (Massif de Saint-Thierry). The total Meunier dominance is something we don't see nearly enough of, completely shining here alongside the fresh 2021 base vintage with opening notes of ripe orange skin zest, chalk, dried stonefruits and ocean breeze. The area's generous soils of sand, marl and clay show in ample style come the mid-palate, with chiselled bursts of saline acidity, white peach and almond, as well as hints of some earthen spice and red berry pleasure. Its finish is slightly toasted, granting one very well-balanced bottle of bubbles, holding complexity that could go alongside some fine fish carpaccio, tartare or sushi, as well as the levity that would make for a crispy apéritif on a hot summer's day. Drink this one soon, and with unperturbed pleasure - Our Notes
If you wish to purchase any of these wines, please use the links above
Otherwise, if you have any questions, please contact us on (07)32521117 or email sales@thewineemporium.com.au
// Special prices valid until Thursday the 29th of October