This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on July 13, 2017
Resorts World Genting to offer exceptional champagnes for Grand Cru connoisseur
Lovers of bubbly will know the familiar names associated with champagne, but over and beyond Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot et all are a select group of growers whose champagnes are stellar expressions of terroir and a tribute to the art of champagne making. In keeping with its reputation for having one of the best cellars in Malaysia, Resorts World Genting has embarked on an exercise which will see the crème de la crème of limited-production champagnes being offered at the mountain resort.
Personally sourced and curated, these champagnes will be the vanguard vintages in a stellar wine programme which has already been lauded by Wine Spectator. The Perfect Ten of champagnes will include selections from Agrapart & Fils, Paul Bara, Jacques Selosse and Pierre Péters, which have been selected specifically for their character, limited availability and signature style.
Through exclusive partnerships and mutual cooperation with each individual house, Resorts World Genting is able to procure the lion’s share of these fine champagnes, making its champagne list one of the most enviable and attention-worthy in the country.
Agrapart & Fils
Region: Côte des Blancs, Champagne
Village: Avize
Grape varieties: Chardonnay
Vineyard area: 10ha
Founded in 1894, this has become one of the finest grower estates in the Côte des Blancs under its current proprietor, Pascal Agrapart, who has been making wines here since 1984. His 10ha of vines lie largely in the grand cru villages of Avize, Cramant, Oiry and Oger, and while he’s uninterested in being labelled organic or biodynamic, he works according to natural rhythms and sensibilities, without any chemical pesticides or herbicides. Agrapart always ferments his wines with indigenous yeasts, which he feels is crucial to the expression of terroir, and a portion of the wines are aged in old, 600-litre oak casks.
His non-vintage cuvées are of uncommonly excellent quality, while his three vintage-dated champagnes — Minéral, L’Avizoise and Vénus — all come from specific terroirs in Avize and Cramant, sourced from the same parcels each year. Each has its own individual personality, offering a terrifically detailed and refined expression of site.
Wines to try: Agrapart ‘Terroirs’ Brut Blanc de Blancs NV and Les 7 crus NV
The Terroirs is a blend of fruit sourced from Avize, Oger, Cramant and Oiry, equal parts 2007 and 2008 vintages. This is rich in depth yet sleek in structure, showing an elegantly refined texture.
Agrapart’s NV 7 Crus is surprisingly open for a young Agrapart Champagne, a change that has taken place recently with the addition of 10% Pinot Noir to a wine that was previously 100% Chardonnay. Lightly honeyed and floral notes meld into apricot pit, spice and mint nuances on the creamy, expressive finish. This release is equal parts 2011 and 2010 vintages, 70% from Grand Cru villages.
Address: 57, Avenue Jean Jaurès, 51190 Avize, France
Website: www.champagne-agrapart.com
Paul Bara
Region: Montagne de Reims, Champagne
Village: Bouzy
Grape varieties: Mainly Pinot Noir and small parts of Chardonnay
Vineyard area: 11ha
Established in 1833, La Maison Bara has built a reputation as the great ambassador for the champagne village of Bouzy. Over the decades, the champagne house Paul Bara has preserved its artisanal character, while improving on the technical level to perfect its vinification and always improve the quality of its production: Installation of a press, a thermoregulated cellar and extension of the cellar. Chantale Bara, the seventh generation, has now taken over from the legendary Paul, her father. All the wines are sourced from its 100% Grand Cru vineyards.
“Bara epitomises all that is wonderful about old-world, handcrafted champagne. Their vineyards are all rated 100% Grand Cru; the bottles are all processed one at a time, using techniques developed over 100 years ago; the wines are seamless, at once delicate, and at the same time powerful. There’s simply nothing to compare them to.”
Paul Bara Special Club 2005
Blend: 66% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay
Paul Bara was invited to become a member of the Club Trésors de Champagne (formally known as Club des Viticulteurs), but was initially little interested in creating a Spécial Club — he already produced a prestige cuvée called “Comtesse Marie de France”. He later reconsidered and began offering his Spécial Club, a blend of two-thirds Pinot Noir and one-third Chardonnay. “It is currently the most delicate of our cuvées. It is the least typical of our terroir,” says Chantale Bara, referring to the high percentage of Chardonnay, “but it is also the most elegant.”
Jacques Selosse
Region: Côte des Blancs, Champagne
Village: Avizy
Grape varieties: Chardonnay
Vineyard area: 7.5ha
Anselme Selosse, variously described as eccentric, obsessed, charismatic and messianic, depending on one’s point of view, is one of the most fascinating vignerons at work in Champagne today. His philosophy is conspicuously Burgundian in the winery, where all of his 35 Chardonnay plots from seven different villages are vinified separately in small Burgundian barrels that have been bought in from Domaine Leflaive.
Selosse features some of the lowest-yielding vines in the region — leading to the region’s ripest, most expressive fruit. In the winery, he defies convention, using only indigenous yeasts for fermentations and minimising the use of sulphur dioxide. Malolatic fermentation is free to occur [or not] as each individual lot evolves. Wines aged in wood barrels (16% new) for one year. And because, as Anselme says: “great champagne needs no make-up; dosage is kept to an absolute minimum.”
This magic man from Avize has swiftly become Champagne’s No 1 cult grower, after having been chosen as France’s top winemaker in all categories by the Gault Millau magazine in 1994.
Jacques Selosse Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Version Originale NV
This champagne is a blend of three vintages of Chardonnay, from the three villages — Avize, Oger and Cramant — from hillside sites and is aged 42 months before degorgement. It is bottled with little or no dosage to create an Extra Brut style. The average production of this multi-vintage champagne is around 300 cases.
Note: Many commentators have called Selosse’s wines “Burgundy with bubbles”, and, like Burgundy, the wines benefit from extended cellaring and/or aeration before serving, and they should not be served too cold.
Address: Selosse Anselme, 59, Rue de Cramant, 51190 Avize, France
Pierre Péters
Region: Côte des Blancs, Champagne
Village: Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
Grape varieties: Chardonnay
Vineyard area: 19ha
The Pierre Péters estate, situated in the heart of the Côte des Blancs in the village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, has been a family house for six generations and has produced Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Champagnes since 1919. Currently, the vines are 30 years old in average.
Péters vinifies all his wines in stainless steel tanks, as he believes that this better retains the original purity and character of the fruit. His champagnes demonstrate the fine acidity and prominent chalkiness typical of the Côte des Blancs, focusing more prominently on refinement and harmony than on overt concentration. While they are delicious in their youth, they are also excellent candidates for long ageing, developing a wonderful complexity and depth over time.
Pierre Peters Cuvée de Reserve Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru NV
This 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay non-vintage champagne has an inherent complexity on the palate, thanks to the addition of at least 40% reserve wine to the blend. The perpetual reserve of wines, started in 1988, is inspired by the Soléra method and is enriched with more than 20 different vintage years. The dosage of this Brut champagne is kept at six to seven grammes per litre.
“Fragrant, with floral and mineral accents, this vibrant blanc de blancs shows tropical hints of passion fruit and guava layered with salted almond and honey notes — finely knit, featuring a lasting, delicate finish.” — Wine Spectator
Address: 26, Rue des Lombards, 51190 Le Mesnil sur Oger, France
Website: www.champagne-peters.com
Guy Charlemagne
Region: Côte des Blancs, Champagne
Village: Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
Grape varieties: Mainly Chardonnay
Vineyard area: 15ha
Champagne is situated in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, in the small village of Mesnil-sur-Oger. As father to son winegrowers since 1892, they only harvest and vinify grapes from their own vineyards. Annual production is around 130,000 bottles with 70% being exported abroad.
“Quality is my truth” is their motto, constantly driving them forward.
“As a family business where tradition finds its path, we wish to share with you the values of our prestigious terroir by highlighting quality, authencity and our dream.” — Winery
Guy Charlemagne Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Réserve Brut
This brut cuvée comes from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger, made solely with Chardonnay that is 100% Grand Cru. The wine went through 100% malolactic fermentation, then rested on its lees for 36 months. Finesse plays a lead role here, finished with a light dosage of eight grammes per litre. It possesses an elegance and vivacity that will allow for myriad pairings, but is particularly appreciated as an aperitif.
“Lip-smacking, with a chalky texture and vibrant acidity, this firm blanc de blancs offers tightly knit notes of grainy pear, persimmon, slivered almond, orchard blossom, honey and golden raisin. A hint of smoky minerality keeps singing on the lasting finish. Drink now through 2020. Score — 92.” — Wine Spectator, Nov 15, 2013
Address: 4, Rue de la Brèche d’Oger, 51190 Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, France
Website: http://www.champagne-guy-charlemagne.com
Diebolt Vallois
Region: Côte des Blancs, Champagne
Village: Cramant
Grape varieties: Chardonnay
Vineyard area: 10ha
The estate in its present form dates from 1960, when Jacques Diebolt married Nadia Vallois, bringing a portion of the Vallois family’s holdings into the Diebolt estate. The Diebolt family has lived in Cramant since the end of the 19th century, and the Vallois family has been cultivating vines in Cuis since the 15th century. Following the initial acquisition of the estate in 1978, Jacques Diebolt rang in a new era by installing steel and enamel tanks. He has however since returned to large wooden tuns and used barriques, just as his grandfather did before him.
In 2004, Jacques switched his status from RM to NM in order to allow him to buy grapes from his father-in-law in Cuis, Guy Vallois. This path is growing in popularity over recent years as it allows a vigneron to buy grapes from the same terroir rather than purchase a new vineyard in an entirely different town. The NM classification has in no way affected Diebolt-Vallois’s dedication to running a small, family-run farming operation.
Diebolt Vallois Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Prestige NV
The champagne is made entirely from 100% Chardonnay vines of Grand Crus Côte des Blancs. The fermentation took part in thermostatically controlled vats. This is a blend of three years’ wines and aged in oak casks. It is finished off with a light dosage of six to eight grammes per litre.
“A very young blanc de blancs with exceptional inner-mouth energy. Powerfully lemony, very long finish shows [a] superb perfume and cut,” said Stephen Tanzer from International Wine Cellar
Address: 84, Rue Neuve, 51530 Cramant, France
Website: www.diebolt-vallois.com/en
Kevin Yee, CMS, is Resorts World Genting’s resident sommelier. Yee ensures the Resorts World Genting cellar — one of the biggest Premium & Grand Cru wine cellars in Malaysia — is consistently maintained and updated. He also works with Michelin-starred chefs and celebrity chefs in pairing wine and beverages to their menus to create memorable dining experiences. He is in charge of Resorts World Genting’s wine programme, featuring over 600 labels and selections, including wines dating back to the 1900s.