Text by Greg Somm
Using the example of this wine, I want to explain my view on the wines of modern Champagne…
The rapid development of Champagne winemaking, coupled with unfavorable economic situations at the turn of the 90s and 2000s, and then at the turn of the 2000s and 2010s, created a unique situation. On the one hand, knowledge and experience in winemaking contributed to an incredible growth in the quality of wines produced in Champagne, and on the other hand, economic upheavals contributed to the fact that many grape growers who previously calmly sold their grapes to large Houses began to produce wines under their own label. Often, this was started by the younger generation. And slowly, a real boom of the recoltant movement began, who, with tenacity worthy of a better cause, all, as one, started releasing their micro-releases of similar wines. Wine merchants also did not stand aside. They saw this as a chance to stand out and contrast their approach with the general mass of wine trading companies, and began to actively promote their wines. The only problem is that in this case, everyone happily forgot about the essence of the wine, and behind the microscopic quantities and all kinds of marketing tinsel, few people began to look for something genuine and honest. There is nothing wrong with the recoltants, but there are plenty of mediocre wines from them.
When speaking of the essence of Champagne, I mean what makes the wine truly complex and profound. It is obvious to me that complexity can be achieved through two main things. These are the fermentation of the base wine in barrel and long-term aging of the wine on the lees after secondary fermentation. But there are also a number of other factors. These include the ripeness of the grapes themselves, the reserve wine which, like spices, can transform the final wine, and the evolution of the wine after disgorgement.
Recoltants have always existed in Champagne, and the best of them have nothing in common with the younger generation. These are true masters who define the styles of Champagne. And Rodolphe Péters is a true magician and a legend in the Côte des Blancs. The cuvée L’Étonnant Monsieur Victor MK.11 is a demonstration of what can be made from grapes from the single plot Le Mesnil sur Oger – Les Chetillons of the 2011 vintage, in a 50/50 proportion with reserve wine, and with six years of aging on the lees. Disgorgement in April 2018. It is simply cosmic!
