Saint-Chamant Ros Brut NV

92% Chardonnay Grand Cru and 8% Pinot Meunier, both from Chouilly. All 2005 fruit. 5 g/l.

Champagne Saint-Chamant was established in 1930 by Pierre and Hlne Coquillette. Their son, Christian, took over the estate in 1950. Located in Epernay, it’s a very ordinary house with no sign, nothing that would reveal its’ labyrinthine cellar, built in the early 19th century, is a mile long and absolutely packed with Champagne bottles. The charming, moustached, and now elderly Monsieur Christian Coquillette is a firm believer in aging Champagne and it is hard to say how many bottles he has in his cellar, but most likely in the hundreds of thousands! Christian exploits 11.50 ha of vineyards (almost exclusively Chardonnay) in Chouilly, a village classified as Grand Cru in the Cte des Blancs, as well as a small amount in pernay. The vineyards are planted on limestone soil, growing on 10 inches of arable earth and directly on the “roche mre” or mother rock made of chalk descending for tens of meters. The characteristic of the sub-soil adds to the expression of aromas from the fruit and creates a refined wine. Saint-Chamant specializes primarily in Blanc de Blancs. They do make a ros; however Chardonnay is the dominant grape, making up 92% of the blend. The remaining 8% Pinot Meunier gives the champagne its color. Their champagnes are of great quality, very age worthy, with extremely fine bubbles. They are regularly awarded medals by the Concours Gnral Agricole de Paris (a leading competition in France, established in 1870!) as well as the Guide Hachette.