2019 La Fete du Champagne

List of producers and events is up:

I’m a bit disappointed. They lost Marguet and Vilmart and were already missing Taittinger, Benoit Lahaye and Marie Courtin last year.


Prevost and Bereche are there which is tempting. And it is still useful for getting an overall vintage impression.

Calsac is new right?

Courtin is a fav. It does hurt losing those producers.

I’m still a fan of Agrapart, Bereche, and Chartogne-Taillet among others. A number of new names (to me) on the list. And producers I haven’t tasted in quite a while. Should be fun as always. The big guns are all represented as usual. It’s not the dramatic drop in overall producer quality that La Paulee recently suffered.

RT

True, I’ll probably still sign up.

As usual, on my birthday. Would otherwise have loved to go to the “9” dinner, which looks really fun, especially since my birthyear is 79.

Prevost dinner looks cool (if not a bit expensive) - what the heck is the IOTA???

Vigneron Jérôme Prévost will share a unique dive into his cellar to share some very rare and coveted bottles from his cult estate La Closerie in the village of Gueux. This unprecedented evening will give guests an opportunity to get to know this great personality in Champagne. Chef Arnaud Lallement, a dear friend of Jérôme, will collaborate with Chef Daniel Boulud on an exquisite menu to pair with the wines, which will include numerous vintages of Jérôme’s highly-sought-after Les Béguines and rosé cuveee Fac Similé, as well as two cuvées which have never been tasted outside of the winery - Climax & IOTA.

Champagne La Closerie, Les Béguines 2015
Champagne La Closerie, Les Béguines 2014
Champagne La Closerie, Les Béguines 2013
Champagne La Closerie, Les Béguines 2010
Champagne La Closerie, Les Béguines 2009
Champagne La Closerie, Fac Similé 2016
Champagne La Closerie, Fac Similé 2015
Champagne La Closerie, Fac Similé 2014
Champagne La Closerie, Fac Similé 2013
Champagne La Closerie, Fac Similé 2012
Champagne La Closerie, Fac Similé 2011
Champagne La Closerie, Fac Similé 2009
Champagne La Closerie, Climax
Champagne La Closerie, IOTA

Interest on Trust Accounts?

I think it’s just their new really, really small bottle size.

or “Iota bank for the grapes in this wine”

Still seems like an excellent roster. And I like how the events are much more reasonable than for the Burg event.

I’ve never attended this. What do the wineries typically pour? Most recent release? Wide ranges?

Usually recent releases across their range of bottlings .

It’s very well organized and there’s good food as well. In the past I’ve started buying deBragga steak and don Bocarte anchovies as a result of them being served at these events.

hmm… is it what you drink after Climax?

Well, I caved and signed up for the Grand Tasting. Hopefully my alcohol capacity will have recovered further by then.

Saw that and thought immediately of your reviews on the Fac Simile. The pull of this event is extremely strong. Trying to rationalize the time and expense. Wife would probably prefer that I allocate costs to actual cellar build expenses instead of just blowing it on a 100 champagne weekend. But a 100 champagne weekend sounds absolutely tremendous.

I usually go to sleep after climax

champagne.gif

my kids 12th bday. no way to get around it [cry.gif]

spent about an hour with peter liem last time i was there just walking around with mutual friends and tasting.
oh well, it’s either that or watch my son and his friends destroy my house…

That amount of Fac-Similie made me bug-eyed. That and Lallement collaborating with Boulud, holy shit!

I really want to do all of this, but knowing that 4-5k will go right out the door on tickets+hotels+flights is a bit tough to stomach right now. That doesn’t even factor in the bubbles that I’d want to buy to bring to the dinner, which would also probably run me another 1-2k. .1% problems, right? champagne.gif

I, too, was curious about the IOTA. I tried emailing Prévost himself. When I didn’t receive a reply after a few days, I tried Brad Baker, who reports:

I don’t know all the details on the IOTA and have not tasted it, but it is a new Rosé as it is made as a blanc and then 2% red wine is added. This compares to 10-15% red wine in the Fac-simile. I also am not sure what grapes go into it. My gut tells me it might be based on his newer plantings of Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc, but I am not sure. I think IOTA is likely to be a regular release and not just a one off.

With just two percent still red wine, that should be a very pale rosé.

WIth these dinners… you get served 20 bottles, and people still BRING more bubbly to them?! how does one handle it ? :wink: