(NV Jacques Picard Brut Selection) Jacques Picard Dear Friends, As you will undoubtedly receive a dearth of offers from a plethora of sources in the next few days for Champagne (spurred by the Burghound reviews), here is something that I think is truly a cut above and the wines are very hard to find - I could barely find any in France. There is nothing like timing - I chose this set of wines a few weeks ago after my trip as I though they had some of the best potential of any of the artisan producers I tasted. These are full of personality, breed and reserve and the compact nature of the fruit is just waiting for a few additional years in the cellar. Burghound reviewed them yesterday and I’m glad we grabbed them when we did as unknown Champagne of this quality is one of the toughest things to find. This is another example (like Carre-Guebels) where it’s impossible for me to pick between the two top wines, the Brut Selection and Blanc de Noir, both are ever so interesting and while I usually opt for some Pinot Mugnier or a dash of Chardonnay in the blend, in this case the 100% Pinot Noir of the Blanc de Noir is not only rare but equally as captivating (and it is a showcase of just how strong the 2002 vintage is going to be in Champagne). Both of these are two more reasons to have hope for the small-production philosophy of the new regime in Champagne. The only problem with producers like Picard is availability - Champagne is quite labor intensive to produce and it requires arguably the most attention to detail of any wine. Quantities produced are like small-batch Burgundies and both are quite limited. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for their respective genre’s with outstanding potential for development NV Jacques Picard Brut “Selection” (Berru) STRICT LIMIT 3/person (this is the “Selection” not a generic Brut) 2002 Jacques Picard Brut “Blanc de Noir” 1er (Berru) EXTREMELY LIMITED - VERY RARE Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Champ7800 Champ7900
By Jon Rimmerman
(NV Jacques Picard Brut Selection) Jacques Picard Dear Friends, As you will undoubtedly receive a dearth of offers from a plethora of sources in the next few days for Champagne (spurred by the Burghound reviews), here is something that I think is truly a cut above and the wines are very hard to find - I could barely find any in France. There is nothing like timing - I chose this set of wines a few weeks ago after my trip as I though they had some of the best potential of any of the artisan producers I tasted. These are full of personality, breed and reserve and the compact nature of the fruit is just waiting for a few additional years in the cellar. Burghound reviewed them yesterday and I’m glad we grabbed them when we did as unknown Champagne of this quality is one of the toughest things to find. This is another example (like Carre-Guebels) where it’s impossible for me to pick between the two top wines, the Brut Selection and Blanc de Noir, both are ever so interesting and while I usually opt for some Pinot Mugnier or a dash of Chardonnay in the blend, in this case the 100% Pinot Noir of the Blanc de Noir is not only rare but equally as captivating (and it is a showcase of just how strong the 2002 vintage is going to be in Champagne). Both of these are two more reasons to have hope for the small-production philosophy of the new regime in Champagne. The only problem with producers like Picard is availability - Champagne is quite labor intensive to produce and it requires arguably the most attention to detail of any wine. Quantities produced are like small-batch Burgundies and both are quite limited. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for their respective genre’s with outstanding potential for development NV Jacques Picard Brut “Selection” (Berru) STRICT LIMIT 3/person (this is the “Selection” not a generic Brut) 2002 Jacques Picard Brut “Blanc de Noir” 1er (Berru) EXTREMELY LIMITED - VERY RARE Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Champ7800 Champ790010/11/2007, (See more on Garagiste...)