Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  7/16/2007 (link)

  (NV DUMENIL Rosé) Holiday Champagne Dear Friends, If you can even allow yourself in July to ponder holiday Champagne, this is pretty significant and a jump on the rest of the market. Fresh off of two Gold Medals (MDO) at the recent 2007 CVI among France’s toughest competition, and an accolade in France that is as high an honor as can be bestowed to a relatively unknown house (see below), it is apparent that Dumenil’s time has arrived. Like Baron-Fuente that we profiled a week or two ago, this is one of the more talked about houses at the moment but the difference between them and Baron-Fuente? This is a Department 51 house with major 1er holdings on the Montagne de Reims. What does that mean for you and I? Very good things. Champagne has been governed by corporate producers and US importers for so long that it seems 6-10 major names dominate the entire market. This is a shame as so many artisanal, small houses exist but they find it very difficult to enter the US market with few importers willing to take a chance on a category that has a two week window for most of the US every year (between Christmas and New Year’s). While the consumption of Champagne has increased in the US, it is still far from a beverage that most would go to on a daily basis. All of that may change with the recent studies on Alzheimers and Champagne’s affect on the brain. For more information, please see: http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Features/0,1197,3789,00.html ....back to Dumenil. As the ultimate honor, (mentioned in the first paragraph), the Revue des Vins de France rated Dumenil as the single best QPR in Champagne against basically every other house and grower (the RVF tastes almost everything produced in each region of France and they are respected like the Wine Advocate is here). That pretty much emptied the shelves of all things Dumenil and one of the only places you can still get it is at the winery (although it is last year’s stock). That brings us to today’s offer: Their two top award winners, labeled and shipped on your behalf at the end of this month (from the new stock about to be released) with the utmost level of freshness and vigor. Both of these represent one of the highest quality to price ratios available in 1er and Grand Cru Champagne. Both are VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and come not only with my backing but from my sommelier friends in France as well (Dumenil is something they drink at home but wish to keep secret, or they did before the RVF came out): NV Dumenil Champagne Brut Rose (old-vine Pinot Meunier) (MDO/CVI 2007) LIMITED 6/person This is a special cuvee and not a generic Rose. The fruit is from Chigny, Rilly and Ludes with a base of 30-40% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and the remainder Pinot Meunier but a parcel of the Meunier is among the oldest in Champagne. This is a downright great buy in what has become one of the most expensive categories in France - Rose’ Champagne. A beautiful salmon color and cutting bead give this wine real presence in the mouth. Small red griotte come to life rolled in ground spice and a lasting freshness on the palate stay with the taster. Ample structure and weight round out the wine which make it a NV Rose that has the chance to age. Excellent for the price and quite rare. 2000 Dumenil Champagne Brut (MDO/CVI 2007) LIMITED 6/person (the 1999 also won the MDO at last year’s 2006 CVI which makes you believe this is no fluke) With six full years sur lattes, this Chardonnay-heavy vintage cuvee (with equal doses of Pinot Noir and Meunier) will knock you out. This wine is finesse personified with a glorious equilibrium to the graceful bead and creamed mousse. From the Millennium vintage, this is an affordable Champagne with staying power worthy of wines much more expensive. Delicate toast, white fruits and nuts conjure images of certain years of Dom Perignon as the masculine side of Champagne was definitely left to Bollinger and not here. The full package - one wonders how long Dumenil can keep their prices at this level when their competitors charge much more. Very hard to find. ONE SHIPMENT ONLY of both, labeled and shipped expressly on your behalf with perfect provenance - both will arrive for the fall shipping season to enjoy this holiday season. Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Champ8400 Champ8300