Champagne Christophe Baron

I have to admit I never saw this one coming. Why not though as everyone seems to be making bubbles these days. He does up the ante though with 100% Pinot Meunier Grapes from Champagne…price $240 per Magnum. Put in your request for a chance at a random drawing.

Seems like a swing and a miss to me. $240 for a magnum of champagne from a producer with no track record (related to champagne)…easy pass. Good for him that he’s doing what he loves and I’ve certainly enjoyed many of his other wines but this is a bridge too far.

Christophe’s family has a long history in Champagne and the source of the grapes is the family’s vineyards there, so I don’t think it is exactly the case that there is no track record here.

If nothing else, he is a great marketer.

Pretty smart to make the first release very limited, and make lots of us run to sign up for the list, even if we are not really sure we want it!

I might bite if it had been 2 x 750 instead of a magnum, but just really do not like the one and done aspect, especially at the price point.

I’m intrigued enough to attempt to get on the list and buy one. Like mentioned above, he has strong ties to Champagne and, if nothing else, knows how they do it over there and presumably what good Champagne should be.

Same. I don’t buy magnums (I have literally never bought a magnum of anything the entire time I’ve been buying wine), so that right there kills it for me if the price point doesn’t. I’ll be very interested to hear how these are from those who buy, though.

I would be very very interested to try, but have to admit the pricing is pretty aggressive and makes me feel like I would be buying for FOMO more than anything else. I have no doubts it will be good and interesting. Christophe does not half ass anything and it will surely push some boundaries. Just not sure it fits in with my budget in any way shape or form, especially with a ton of good champagne available.

Sure, his family has a long history in Champagne, but that seems irrelevant. Has he ever made Champagne? Has anyone here had Champagne made by his family (do they even make their own wine?) and thought it was worth this kind of price? I hope the wine is great and that buyers keep going back for more. I am very interested to see some tasting notes once it gets released.

That’s fair, Doug. That said, if the guy already produces what I consider to be world class wine, I think the fact that he’s decided to apply that same skill set to producing a product that he and his family grew up around, that would bode well. I’d be less excited if he chose to make, say, a Burgundian-styled Pinot Noir for that same reasoning.

So a top notch winemaker, but with no experience making Champagne is going to make champagne and price it at Krug-ish level…?

[scratch.gif] [stirthepothal.gif] [berserker.gif]

…right

Very easy to say pass but this guy has an amazing pedigree and I’m sure he’s thinking can I hold my own against the greats, I’ll bet on this horse!

Making top notch Champagne is very different from making top notch Syrah.

This

Care to elaborate, Scott and Bill?

Regardless of what his family pedigree is, or his current accomplishments, that does not guarantee future success in making champagne. Like I previously said, I enjoy his wines and am a buyer of some of them. But not this. At this price point and with something completely different, it makes zero sense to me. To each his/her own.

it’s not that hard to understand. Hell, just because he makes killer syrah from Washington doesn’t mean he’d be able to make killer Syrah from Cote-Rotie and it especially doesn’t mean that he’d know how to make a great traditional method Champagne. There’s a ton of process that goes into making champagne that is unique only to making bubbles. He’s also dealing with a method that isn’t always user friendly in the wine making process.

Does any of that mean I’m a buyer? I’d have to see some reviews first from trusted sources or get info from those that I trust before dropping $240 on a maggie of Meunier that doesn’t have any track record.

So, it’s not necessarily the price that annoys you but, rather, that he’s making a totally different style of wine? In other words, the price point he came it at with Hors Categoire didn’t bother you because he’s already “good” with Syrah. Right?

What are you trying to say and where did I say that I “am annoyed” by any of this?

I wouldn’t drop $240 on a mag from any producer that has zero track record without seeing reviews from trusted sources first. I especially wouldn’t do that on something that requires as much attention as making Champagne can be.

Looking forward to buying, and happy to pop mine with the Seattle folks when it arrives. I’m a big fan of Pinot Meunier (Egly Ouriet and Jose Michel Meunier always hit it out of the park). Christophe is a perfectionist, visionary viticulturist and excellent winemaker… I don’t have any hesitation to buy or doubt that this will be anything less than excellent. Also, I think most people would agree that there is something extraordinary about 1.5l champagne over any other size format, mags of champagne simply taste better. The fact that he bottled this only in MAG is a testament to his pursuit of quality - I love it.