We first met Pascal Bardoux less than two years ago, but he is already a favorite among our readers. His small-batch Champagnes are distinctive, delicious, complex, and comparative bargains. Much of the mass-market Champagne distributed in the US between $75 and $100 a bottle; Bardoux’s small-batch Brut Traditionnel doesn’t even crack $50. It’s twice the wine at half the price.
We often preach the value of well-aged wines. Under the right conditions, time has a magical effect on a bottle of wine. Usually it’s red wines (or sometimes whites) that are ageworthy, but we often forget the third category: Champagne.
Pascal Bardoux is a quiet, pensive winemaker. In Champagne, land of glitzy tasting rooms and glossy brochures, his humble demeanor and unassuming style distinguish him. Our tastings together are long and measured -- each wine has time to develop in the glass, and a discussion follows involving precise references to rare fruits and other scents.
One thing that separates good wines from great ones is their ability to age. With each passing year the difference between a Côtes du Rhône and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape increases. It’s the same with Burgundy and Bordeaux, and also with today’s subject: Champagne.
Champagne is unlike any other region in France. For a century winemakers have built their product into a worldwide brand associated with celebration, wealth, and opulence. The glitz and glamour of Champagne is in stark contrast to regions like Burgundy, where winemakers often arrive for our tastings with mud on their boots and dirt on their hands.
We first met Pascal Bardoux less than two years ago, but he is already a favorite among our readers. His small-batch Champagnes are distinctive, delicious, complex, and comparative bargains. With much of the mass-market Champagne distributed in the US between $75 and $100 a bottle, Bardoux’s $45 small-batch Brut Traditionnel is twice the wine at half the price.
We like to see Holidays as an opportunity to open special bottles. As family and friends pass through our doors and another year passes into the books, we often mark the occasion with the bottles we’ve been saving -- wines too festive and special for a Tuesday in August. Our most recent addition to our end of year lineup is…
Winston Churchill once said of Champagne, “in victory you deserve it, in defeat you need it.” Whichever reaction this morning’s news brings you, we can assure you Champagne is a helpful accessory. We're excited to introduce a brand new cuvée from our popular Grower Champagne vigneron Pascal Bardoux: his Brut Rosé.
We first met Pascal Bardoux only 15 months ago, but he has already become a favorite among our readers. His small-batch Champagnes are distinctive, delicious, complex, and comparative bargains. With much of the mass-market Champagne distributed in the US between $75 and $100 a bottle, Bardoux’s $45 Brut Traditionnel is twice the wine at half the price.
“Remember gentlemen,” Winston Churchill once told his cabinet, “it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s Champagne.” Though no one may yet have matched Churchill’s enthusiasm for the stuff, Champagne continues to grow in popularity each year. Last summer we added our very first grower Champagne producer, and have since struggled mightily to keep it in stock.
Mass production Champagne is easy to find in the US. You’re as likely to run into a bottle of Veuve Cliquot at your corner convenience store as on a restaurant wine list. And at around $60 (or $160 in a restaurant), the actual contents of the bottle often disappoint; it’s that orange label you’re paying for more than what’s in…
Pascal Bardoux is among the most contemplative winemakers we’ve met. Before our inaugural visit in June, Mr. Bardoux asked about the timing and contents of our lunch to understand the state of our palates. The meandering, thoughtful conversation that followed included long silences, dozens of questions, and detailed lexicological discussions about the precise flavors in the glass.
For years our readers asked us to find a grower Champagne, and for years our search fell short. But in June we struck gold at last, based on a recommendation from Burgundian winemaker Michel Gros. We’re excited to have filled this hole in our portfolio, and particularly to have done so with such a singular source.