I recently sat on a panel for a seminar that featured some amazing Champagne. The event was open to the public but also attended by food and beverage professionals who make decisions for some of the top restaurants across the state.
About halfway through the class, after waxing poetic on a range of minutiae from winemaking techniques to which way the hills of the vineyards slant with respect to the sun, I was asked a question by a member of the audience: “What do you mean by ‘time on the lees’?”
This is a very basic question, essential to Champagne production, and something I was discussing as if everyone in the audience had as part of their working knowledge.
The friend in the audience who posed the question knew the answer but asked it for the benefit of those who didn’t know the concept, and in essence, helped steer the class back in the right direction.
As someone who prides himself on making wine accessible, it was a great learning experience. How do I educate those who came to learn basics, while also engaging the people further along in their wine journey? I am still figuring it out. Some guests want a story or pomp, while others just need the wine to be opened and poured. Regardless, the main objective is to make everyone feel comfortable and happy. Wine is merely a vehicle used in that pursuit.
This is my preemptive apology for anyone I don’t connect with either because I don’t share any information that is new or relevant to them, or because I am too detailed and geeky in my explanations. The love of sharing great wine and making people feel comfortable and happy will always be my intent. I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!
Champagne J. Lassalle, “Preference”
Autolysis, or the breakdown of the yeast cells by their own enzymes, contributes to the complex creaminess and toasty brioche flavors that is the hallmark of Champagne. The longer time spent on the lees/yeast, the more pronounced this prized characteristic becomes. In Champagne, the minimum time required is 15 months — this bottle spends four years. This family-owned and -run estate is now in its third generation of women winemakers creating delicious, yet focused wines of great depth. The lead grape in this bottling is Meunier, which is often used as an accessory grape alongside the more famous Champagne grapes (pinot noir and chardonnay). The choice of a majority of the aromatic Meunier along with already extended aging offers immediate drinkability. Serve well-chilled in a white wine glass in between servings during Thanksgiving or as an early “warm-up wine” while the turkey is in the oven — just please don’t add orange juice.
Cost: Around $45/bottle.
Tenuta La Pergola, “Il Goccetto”
Although this blend changes every year, it always stars the Brachetto grape, which is mainly used for sparkling dessert wines. This wine features the best qualities of the grape in its dessert form — the juicy strawberries, candied red licorice and rose petals. These aromas, which all hint at sweetness, become dried and even tart on the palate — the reason why it shines so splendidly at the table. Think of it as a cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, used to stimulate the appetite and refresh the palate, but this should be in your fridge year-round.
Cost: Around $15/bottle.
Chris Ramelb is an award-winning master sommelier, and director of education and restaurant sales manager of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Hawaii. Watch him on the “Wine & …” podcast, and follow him on Instagram (@masterisksomm).
