Jerome Prevost Rose $115 (extremely rare and limited)
NV Jerome Prevost Brut La Closerie (2007) $72 or $68 by the case.

If you by any chance you have purchased wines from me prior to January 16th 2010, I no longer have your email or contact information. The computer that stored your email, shipping addresses, and/or phone number was stolen. Please be advised that NO credit card information was stored on the computer. Please repond to my last email or send me an email at info@garrisonsfinewines.com so that I have your information to send you information the next time Thomas, Matello, Cameron, Cedric Bouchard, Vouette et Sorbee, Jerome Prevost, Cayuse, Beaux Freres, Evesham Wood, Betz, Quilceda Creek, is released.

Usually the small growers that are mentioned here and sold via pre-sell are all north of $40 a bottle and carry names of Cedric Bouchard, Vouette et Sorbee, or Marie Noelle Ledru.  Yet, this is one of the joys of the Grower Champange bottlings.  You can find a great NV Champagne, that is family owned and is not produced in quantities of a million bottles.  The family owns less than 16 acres and produces a total of 2000 cases of wines a year (all of their wines combined, not just this NV release).  The wine is majority Pinot Noir (70%) and is rounded out with 20% Pinot Meunier and 10% Chardonnay.

Here you have the 3 star, number 1 Champagne, from the NY Times’ Best Champagne for $40 or less.  This beat out the big boys of Louis Roederer (maker of Cristal), Taittinger, and Pol Roger to name a few.  NY Times says the wine is “Fresh, lively and elegant with flavors of flowers, minerals, citrus and anise.”

The price is $40 a bottle.

Special Club Champagne Releases

Each year about this time we see the releases from new Champagne houses.  Even though we have huge success with our Champagne future program, there are still some wines that arrive in limited quantities that are here for a limited time.  This year I wanted to announce the release of two special releases from A. Margaine and Henri Goutorbe, both 2002 vintage Champagne.

These wines are the special club bottling from two highly sought after producers.  The Special club cohort was created in 1971 and includes 26 grower-producers.  These wines might be considered the epitome of the grower movement in Champagne.  They are meant to be the best examples of what a grower can produce.  They are vintage wines that all come in the same bottle, but show their particular label.  A special club bottling is not released each year, for example in 2003 no one made a Special Club Bottling.  In particular, both of these wines are from the 2002 vintage.  They represent the highest quality from the region and will also age very well.  The wines themselves go through a series of approvals, from the still wine to the final product.  Lastly, the two wines I have chosen to focus on represent two different types of wine.  The Margaine is 100% Chardonnay, whereas the Goutorbe is primarily Pinot Noir.  Please also see this link for more details.  http://www.clubtresorsdechampagne.com/

2002 A. Margaine Special Club $65

Stephen Tanzer’s IWC 92 points “Light, bright gold with a frothy mousse. Intensely perfumed bouquet displays honeysuckle, green apple, pear and quinine, with a strong mineral overtone. Spicy orchard fruit flavors are given depth by notes of sweet butter and anise and gain power with air. Impressively focused, with strong mineral cut and lingering spiciness.”

2002 Henri Goutorbe Special Club $70

Terry Theise Selections “This is glorious Champagne by any standards: a coeur de cuvée from old vines. That indicates free-run juice, from which the first and last few hundred liters are removed.  60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir. Wonderful flower and vanilla-pudding aromas; this is iridescently alive and almost brashly vital, a super-reality of flavor, crackling and mineral and snappy, coiled and starched—for now. Disgorged 2/08 and certainly not showing all its cards.”

2002 Jose Michel Special Club $65 (Extremely limited)

Please note that all pre-sell and pricing noted in the Champagne Blog is now closed.  Some wines are still available in limited quantities and different prices.  Please inquire with specific questions.

NV Roses de Jeanne Les Ursules Blanc de Noirs (2007) Regular Price $90 Special price $72 Fall Arrival

NV Georges Laval Cumieres Brut Nature Regular Price $85 Pre-Sell Over, inquire

2004 Georges Laval Les Chenes Brut Nature Regular Price $170 Pre-Sell Over Les Chenes is a single vineyard wine that is 100% Chardonnay.  The most number of bottles yielded in any vintage is 1700, with a the least of 400 (first release).

NV Marie-Noelle Ledru Extra Brut Regular $60 Special Price $50 Fall Arrival

2004 Marie-Noelle Ledru Brut Regular Price $63 Special Price $52 Fall Arrival

NV Marie-Noelle Ledru Brut Rose Regular Price $65 Special Price $55 Fall Arrival

1998 RH Coutier Brut Millesime Regular Price $58 Pre-Sell Over, inquire

 There are a few things that are imported directly into the Northwest that are important enough to deserve their own post.  At the start of the year, I was able to offer the 2005 Les Ursules from Cedric Bouchard at an insane price.  For those lucky enough to try those wines, you should also know that he will be attending the IPNC this year at the end of July.  That in its self will exponentially grow the demand for his wines.  The problem is that some of them arrive in quantities as small as 36 bottles or even 12 if you count his first magnum offer.  At first I was not going to even write an email pertaining to any of the Champagnes below, because they will sell out without any solicitation.  But I am worried that some of the Champagne-freaks, like me, would miss out if they did not know about them before they arrived.  In addition to the Cedric Bouchard Champagnes, we are also receiving a small amount of Vouette et Sorbee, Jerome Prevost, and possibly Selosse.  As for the middle two, I have not tried them. 

Below you will see information for the Champagne that is arriving in a month.  I will forward my order to the distributor and wait for confirmation.  There is a chance that not every order will be fulfilled and I will record them in the order they arrive.  Once I have confirmation I will email everyone who responded.  Payment will be required when the wines are delivered to Garrison’s Fine (Like when Thomas Pinot Noir is released).  Remember I offer free storage in my temperature controlled cellar in the store and at Portland Wine Storage for free until the weather  allows shipping.  The prices below are discounted from the regular retail markup.  All wines are NET priced (no further discount).

Summary of wines being offered:

NV Bouchard Inflorescence Val Vilaine Brut Blanc de Noirs  Regular Price $65 Pre-Sell Over, Inquire

2002 Bouchard Inflorescence La Parcelle Brut Blanc de Noirs  Regular Price $100 Special Price $85, Fall Arrival

2005 Bouchard Roses de Jeanne La Haute Lemblée Blanc de Blancs  Regular Price $115 Pre-Sell Over, Inquire

2005 Bouchard Roses de Jeanne La Bolorée Blanc de Blancs  Regular Price $150 Pre-Sell Over, Inquire

2005 Roses de Jeanne Les Ursules Blanc de Noirs Magnum  Regular Price $325 Pre-Sell Over, Inquire

NV Jérôme Prévost Brut La Closerie (2006)  Regular Price $75 Pre-Sell Over, Inquire

Vouette et Sorbee Extra Brut Cuvee Fidele NV  Regular Price $60 (low W-S $75.95) Pre-Sell Over, Inquire

Vouette et Sorbee Cuvee Blanc d’Argile NV  Regular Price $63 (low W-S $98.95)   Pre-Sell Over, Inquire

Vouette et Sorbee Cuvee Saignee de Sorbee NV Regular Price $80 (low W-S $103.95) Pre-Sell Over, Inquire

Roses de Jeanne and Inflorescence by Cedric Bouchard

 http://www.champagne-rosesdejeanne.com/

Cedric Bouchard  produces Champagne from two different vineyards.  One owned by his father which he labels under Inflorescence and another labeled Roses de Jeanne, made from fruit off his own fruit.  All of his wines are single vineyard, single vintage, and single varietal.

NV Bouchard Inflorescence Val Vilaine Brut Blanc de Noirs Regular Price $65 Special Price $55

100% Pinot Noir from the 1.5 ha Val Vilaine vineyard.  Elevage takes place in stainless steel.  The wine ages for about 28 months before release.

2002 Bouchard Inflorescence La Parcelle Brut Blanc de Noirs  Regular Price $100 Special Price $85

This wine is 100% Pinot Noir from the small La Parcelle Vineyard that encompasses .5 ha (about 5,000 m²).  This wine is aged about 80 months before its release.  The previous release from 2001 (which was a sub-par vintage and the worse in memory) received 94 points from the Wine Advocate.  2002 is an awesome vintage; the vintage itself has a rating of 90 versus an 83 the 2001 vintage carries.  This was my favorite wine of last year’s releases.  Perfect pairing with triple cream cheese.

2005 Bouchard Roses de Jeanne La Haute Lemblée Blanc de Blancs Regular Price $115 Special Price $100

36 bottles imported

There are 500-800 bottles made per year.  This wine is 100% Chardonnay from La Haute Lemblee which totals .118 ha in size.  This is the first release of this wine in the United States.  The 2004 La Haute Lemblee received 97 points from the Wine Advocate, which just makes me wonder how great the 2005 vintage will be since it is far superior to 2004.

2005 Bouchard Roses de Jeanne La Bolorée Blanc de Blancs Regular Price $150 Special Price $130

36 bottles imported

100% Pinot Blanc.  100% Pinot Blanc from a .2107 hectare parcel planted at a density of 8000 vines and only a 1000 bottles were produced.  Yes, Pinot Blanc.  Officially there are some other varietals that are allowed in the Champagne that are usually not spoken of and used to make up small percentages of certain wines.  L. Aubry is the most obvious of the growers and produces wines that include not only Pinot Blanc, but Arbanne and Petit Meslier.  Outside of blogs that I found only in French, I haven’t seen anything else about this wine.  To say this is a rare wine would be an understatement. 

2005 Roses de Jeanne Les Ursules Blanc de Noirs 1.5 Liter (Magnum)  Regular Price $325 Special Price $260

12 bottles imported

This is the first time Cedric Bouchard has ever released magnums into the United States.  This wine is different from the previous release offered, which was the 2006 vintage.  Yet, if you have followed comments about the different vintages, you will know that 2005 was very good.  The price point reflects only the greatness of the wine, but the rarity.

Jerome Prevost

http://www.peterliem.com/2008/06/jrme-prvost-gueux.html

In short, Jerome was influenced to make wine by his friend Anselme Selosse (Jacques Selosse Champagne).  Similar to Cedric Bouchard his wines are single varietal, single vintage, and single vineyard.  The wines are aged in 450-600 liter barrels.  He uses indigenous yeast and the wines are disgorged about 18 months after bottling.  Therefore, his wines have the vintage listed in parentheses because they do not meet the minimal aging requirements of vintage Champagne.

NV Jérôme Prévost Brut La Closerie (2006) Regular Price $75 Special Price $65

100% Pinot Meunier.  He ferments with indigenous yeasts, with minimal sulfur, no dosage, no fining, and no filtering.  Single vineyard wine from 48 year vines.

Wine Advocate #180 “A recent bottle of the 1999 La Closerie Les Beguines was breathtaking. Prevost’s La Closerie Les Beguines (2006) offers up hazelnuts, honey, autumn leaves, dried apricots, and smoke in a beautifully-delineated expression of this site. Later, notes of mint, flowers and spices develop in the glass, adding additional layers of aromas and flavors. An expansive, textured wine, the La Closerie Les Beguines possesses awesome length, density and a sublime, classy finish. Today the wine is still very primary and it will take some time for the full array of flavors to develop, so a year or two of cellaring at a minimum seems prudent if readers are to experience the full breadth of this superb Champagne. This bottle was disgorged in October 2008. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2018.”

Vouette et Sorbee (Bertrand Gautherot)

http://www.vouette-et-sorbee.com/

http://saignee.wordpress.com/2009/06/27/day-9-vouette-sorbee-champagne/

Two of the wines will be extremely limited (<5cases imported), while the other will be in decent supply.  Bertrand Gautherot, the owner and winemaker, started making Champagne in 2001.  He was a protégé of Selosse and heads the organization of organic producers of Champagne.  He is an outspoken proponent of Bio-Dynamic farming and is one of the minority in Champagne region to be certified Bio-Dynamic.  Vouette et Sorbee’s vineyards are located in the village of Buxieres sur Arce in the Aube’s Cote des Bar.  This region is closer to Chablis than it is to Reims.  The importance is shown through the soil differentiation; the soils of two vineyards of Vouette et Sorbee are more similar to the Grand Cru Vineyards of Chablis possessing Kimmeridgian marl capped by limestone.  The Sorbee vineyard is one piece of land totally 1 ha planted completely on limestone.  All of the wines are no dosage. 

Vouette et Sorbee Extra Brut Cuvee Fidele NV Regular Price $60 (low W-S $75.95) Special Price $50

This wine is made of 100% Pinot Noir and is vinified in oak barriques.

Vouette et Sorbee Cuvee Blanc d’Argile NV Regular Price $63 (low W-S $98.95)   Special Price $55

60 bottles imported

Blanc de Blanc, 100% Chardonnay. 

Vouette et Sorbee Cuvee Saignee de Sorbee NV Regular Price $80 (low W-S $103.95) Special Price $70

60 bottles imported

Rose of Pinot Noir

Wine Advocate December 2009  “The NV Extra Brut Rose Saignee de Sorbee explodes from the glass with an exciting array of candied strawberries, mountain herbs, roses and sweet spices. This is a dense full-bodied style of wine, with a gorgeous core of perfumed fruit that emerges in the glass. A slightly herbal, green quality adds to the quirkiness of this rose, but this is a beautiful wine loaded with personality and character. It is 100% Pinot Noir fermented with ambient yeasts and aged in oak. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2011…”

Jacques Selosse

Last year’s allocation went to only restaurants because they only received 36 bottles total of all the wines made.  This year, partly due to the economy, a small amount might be released to retailers like myself.  If you have interest in wines from Selosse, please respond to this email.  If I receive an allocation I will email those who have purchased Champagne from me before.  I would expect that the least expensive cuvee from Selosse starts just over $100, whereas the rarest releases could command around $250 a bottle.

Offer valid until 8/01/09

I feel like this completes the trifecta of Champagnes to be released into the American market. First we had Cedric Bouchard, then there was Ulysee Collin, and now we have Jerome Prevost. Why do I say trifecta? Cedric Bouchard gave me Pinot Noir, Ulysee Collin gave us Chardonnay, and Jerome Prevost brings the Pinot Meunier. This is a must have for the Champagne collector, Grower Champagne fanatic, or Champagne freak like myself.

Wine Advocate 93 “A recent bottle of the 1999 La Closerie Les Beguines was breathtaking. Prevost’s La Closerie Les Beguines (2006) offers up hazlenuts, honey, autumn leaves, dried apricots, and smoke in a beautifully-delineated expression of this site. Later, notes of mint, flowers and spices develop in the glass, adding additional layers of aromas and flavors. An expansive, textured wine, the La Closerie Les Beguines possesses awesome length, density and a sublime, classy finish. Today the wine is still very primary and it will take some time for the full array of flavors to develop, so a year or two of cellaring at a minimum seems prudent if readers are to experience the full breadth of this superb Champagne. This bottle was disgorged in October 2008. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2018.

Jerome Prevost is one of the young generation of producers who spent time working under Anselme Selosse, where he also made his first Champagnes. Prevost’s La Closerie Les Beguines is a compelling Champagne made from 100% Pinot Meunier sourced from 48-year old vines in Gueux. Prevost favors Burgundian barrels for vinification and aging. These beautiful wines are made in an unmanipulated, pure style, with natural yeasts, no filtration and no dosage. The style is the ultimate expression of Champagne as wine. Prevost gives his vintage Champagne relatively little time on the lees, but the wines are capable of aging extraordinarily well on the cork.”

Offer expires 5/15/09

Another great producer to enter the American maket is Olivier Collin, who makes Ulysse Collin Champagne. This is a no dosage, 100% Chardonnay Champagne.

Wine Advocate 93

“The Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs (2005) is a striking wine loaded with a mineral-laced expression of Chardonnay fruit. This taut, focused wine reveals notable inner tension, showing awesome focus and clarity. Notes of salinity on the finish recall a great Chablis. The 2005 version possesses a little more generosity and fat than the 2004. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2012.

Olivier Collin is one of Champagne’s new generation of emerging artisan producers. Over the last few years Collin has begun to bottle wines from fruit he used to sell to Pommery. His first vintage was 2004, and that wine certainly bodes very well for the future. Collin cut his teeth working alongside Anselme Selosse, and while his wines share some similarities with those of his mentor they also clearly have their own unique voice. Collin’s main wine is a Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay) made from 30 year-old vines in the Les Perrieres vineyard in Congy. Collin favors Burgundian barrels for his wines, which spend roughly 10 months in oak prior to being bottled without fining or filtration, and with zero dosage. I tasted two vintages, the 2004 which is in the market at present, and the 2005 which is arriving shortly. Because the wines spend a relatively short period of time on their lees the vintages can’t be officially declared on the labels, so readers should check with their source(s) to confirm the vintages of the wines being offered. Adding disgorgement dates to the labels would make the wines much more consumer-friendly.”

Offer expires 3/1/09

Cedric Bouchard Roses de Jeanne Champagne

Cedric Bouchard produces Champagnes from two different vineyards. One owned by his father which he labels under Inflorescence (which we carried both of and sold out on New Year’s Eve) and another labeled Roses de Jeanne, made from fruit off his own land. The production level of this wine averages less than 300 cases a year and comes from 30 year old vines. All of his wines are single vineyard, single vintage, and single varietal. Since the reviews, the wines are even harder to find, if not impossible. This offer is for the Cedric Bouchard Roses de Jeanne Les Ursules Blanc de Noirs. Currently the lowest price on wine-searcher is $85. Below you will find my pricing which just makes this better and better.

Wine Advocate 95 points “The Roses de Jeanne Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules may very well be one of the finest Pinot Noir wines of Champagne. Stunning aromatics meld into a finessed, layered expression of Pinot fruit, all wrapped into a silky-textured frame of profound beauty. The wine possesses striking clarity and detail, a fine mousse and an eternal finish. This too is 100% 2006 juice that spent 28 months on its lees and was bottled with no dosage. This bottle was disgorged in July, 2008. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2018. The explosive, kaleidoscopic Champagnes of Cedric Bouchard are some of the most compelling wines coming out of the region today. Quite simply, this set of new releases left me speechless and literally shaking my head in awe. Readers should do whatever they can to experience these magnificent wines. Bouchard farms just under three hectares of vineyards. There are two ranges; the Inflorescence wines are made from vineyards owned by Bouchard-s father, while the Roses de Jeanne wines are made from vineyards Bouchard owns himself. The vineyards are cropped to yields that would be considered miniscule in any region in the world, but are shockingly low compared to the average in Champagne, where high yields are prevalent. Because of the low yields, the wines reveal a very fine and subtle mousse. The wines are made from hand harvested fruit, crushed by foot and fermented with natural yeasts. Bouchard prefers stainless steel, as he believes the neutrality of steel allows for the maximum amount of expression of his philosophy, which is single-vineyard,single vintage and single-variety bottlings. The wines are neither fined nor filtered and are disgorged with no dosage.”

1-3 bottles: $70 4-8 bottles: $66 9-12 bottles: $62

The wines are net prices and will not receive any further discount, but count towards a case.

Offer expires 2/14/09