Sans Souci

After having more than our share of bubbles in Champagne, we were ready to hit the rails and start our adventure in Cognac. Well… most of us were ready. One member of our group, who shall remain nameless, was a tad late. This resulted in quite a stir and some worry that we would not make our train on time. We arrived to the station with less than ten minutes till departure and I can tell you I have never seen a group of people with luggage move so fast! We were nearly knocking people over in our path, but we made it with five minutes to spare.

Once we arrived in Cognac, we were bussed to the Marnier-Lapostolle estate, where we enjoyed refreshments in the salon. After greetings from the Grand Marnier team, we were off to a local cooperage to view the process of barrel making from start to finish. It was incredible to see in person – the trees cut into shape, wood planks steamed for pliability, iron rings hammered into place by hand, barrels toasting in their individual stalls - it gave us all some perspective on why barrels (and the fluids ageing in them) are so expensive. As soon as our stomach’s began to rumble, we were headed back to Grand Marnier for lunch, complete with a goat cheese and roasted pepper appetizer to start, chicken in cognac sauce with wild rice for our entrée and a creme brulee topped cookie with chocolate and caramel sauce that was to die for as dessert. 

Following lunch and a very special tasting, we were spirited off to our respective homes for the next two nights. The majority of our group stayed at a very quaint hotel close to town, while a select few, including myself, were treated to a very special stay at the Hennessy estate, Chateau de Bagnolet. Located on the Charente River, the home is surrounded by lush gardens and grassy expanses. The house itself is grand without being ostentatious and is even more comfortable than a country home should be. Though we did not wish to leave, we were delighted to be returning to the Marnier-Lapostolle estate to enjoy yet another fabulous evening of cocktails and culinary delights. From the reception in the courtyard to the after dinner drinks in the drawing-room, our hosts were more than generous. It was a magical night, only enhanced by our cohort’s companionship and the darling vineyard dog we made friends with.

The next morning arrived with full sunshine and the promise of yet another phenomenal day. Our first stop was at one of Hennessy’s production and research facilities, where we toured the vineyards and enjoyed what was collectively lauded as one of our favorite meals of the week, consisting of fresh gazpacho with lobster claw, terrines of chicken with truffles and seafood with spring vegetables, pistachio puree, a selection of cheeses and local wines.  Appetites sated, we were taken back to town for an extensive tour at Hennessy beginning in the main visitor’s building, then across the river in a boat to the cellars where the cognacs are aged, where we were privileged enough to be taken into cellars holding cognacs dating back to 1800. Our visit was completed with a special blending session in which we all created our very own assemblage to take home with us.

That night we were entertained at Chateau de Bagnolet – a grand finale to a grand week in France. Hennessy cocktails were served on the veranda, including my new favorite drink of VSOP and fresh, unpasteurized apple juice on the rocks. As the sun set, dinner was served and devoured with relish, a feast created by the Chef de Cuisine at Hennessy, who had been planning and preparing our meal for five days. The mood was celebratory, the food was delicious and the night could not have left us with better memories. 

Back in Paris before our long flights home, we reminisced about the enchanted week we were able to share. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience and I will be forever grateful to all the maisons for such a wonderful odyssey through France.

Au Revoir, Reims…A Bientot!

After an unbelievably first-class day at Ruinart and Krug on Tuesday, I was hoping the momentum would continue through the rest of the week. I have to admit Wednesday was not  disappointing in the least. Waking to my room service breakfast of croissant, tea and yogurt, I hopped into an amazing shower to start my day.

Glowing from sleep and great Champagne, we all gathered on our bus to head to Clicquot. We met our guide in the main lobby of the maison and proceeded with the tour, which included a history of the house and collected memorabilia, as well as a trek through the caves. As with both Moët and Ruinart, Clicquot’s caves were utilized during the wars for shelter and daily life. One thing that Clicquot has that the others do not is a giant bas-relief sculpture created by Andre Navlet of a lady with a large bottle of Clicquot in hand and a young boy wrapped in grape vines in tow. It is remarkable in both its beauty and its immensity. Another great feature of the crayeres are the steps that showcase each of the vintage years at Clicquot. The steps are simple, yet offer a powerful visual connecting present-day Clicquot to all the years past.

Of my entire experience at the maison, the base wine tasting with a member of the blending team at Clicquot is an experience I will never forget. When people ask me why Champagne is so expensive and suggest that the large Champagne houses are of lesser quality than grower Champagnes, my mind will always return to the image of several winemakers tasting hundreds of still wines to create the famous yellow label of Veuve Clicquot. These wines are not wines for everyday drinking – they are acidic and unblended, lacking in the qualities most people would consider proper for consumption. The winemakers on the blending team are tasked to create a base for the Champagne with these wines, many of which have been ageing in the crayeres for some time. They all must agree on the final assemblage in order to develop the final product. And this is just for the Yellow Label! As all four of the maisons mentioned during our visit, the hardest work often goes into the non-vintage, which is actually a multi-vintage, created from wines from several harvests. After the base wine evaluation, we opened a magnum of Clicquot to toast to our visit and, in my eyes, to the Champenois who created the glorious bubbles we drink today.

Leaving Clicquot, we had a few hours to ourselves for the first time in days, a treat on trips such as these. The afternoon was glorious with beautiful May sunshine, espresso on the patio of a bustling bistro, and lunch at Cafe du Palais. Following lunch, we all chose our own little groups and headed out to experience the city. Much of my day was spent smoking gauloises (when in France!) and sipping espresso and Leffe on a sidewalk patio in the center of Reims. Little dogs, young couples and children passed by the large fountain in the courtyard, all basking in the glow of the sun. If not for the scheduled dinner, I could have stayed in the cafe through the evening and been thoroughly entertained the entire time.

That night, we transferred to Verzy for a very special dinner at the Clicquot country house. It was our last dinner in Champagne and it was delicious. Even better was the experience of being in such a historic home built for entertaining guests of the Clicquot family. Drinking bubbles in the midst of Champagne vineyards, I promised myself I would return soon.

Bon jour, Reims!

Waking early in Epernay, I quickly showered and packed my bags, ready for my breakfast of yogurt, tea and baguette and our collective departure for Reims. We again boarded our bus and headed through the countryside toward the city. Day two in Champagne was to be a very full day – Ruinart and Krug, followed by a short break and dinner at the former Krug family home.

Upon arrival at Ruinart , we were greeted by Julie, our darling Belgian host, and taken down the steep steps into the crayéres owned by the maison. The chalk mines were once used to create the beautiful churches and cathedrals of the country, as well as other architectural sites, and now are home to many bottles of phenomenal Champagne. Interestingly, many of the caves took well over 500 years to be fully developed and there are demarcation lines along the walls marking the progress of the stoneworkers, giving a glimpse of the different periods of labor in the mines. We were taken first to a cave of 10 stories beneath the city and then down into a space double that depth – it was incredible to imagine not only the work that had been put into the crayéres, but the fact that during the World Wars people actually lived their daily lives in these caves. I can only hope that the Champagne helped to boost their spirits.

Moving back up into the maison, we were introduced to Frédéric Panatios, winemaker at Ruinart, and led through a tasting of the wines. It was a very informal experience, with all of us sitting and enjoying the Champagne on chairs and sofas in the salon. If it were not for the scheduled itinerary, I could imagine myself at a friend’s home sipping bubbles and delighting in conversation about business and wine and so on. Well … until the beautiful bottle of 1990 Dom Ruinart Rosé was opened by Frédéric and we had the pleasure of imbibing before our imminent departure. Alas, it was time to move on and as we thanked Frédéric and Julie, we promised to sell a lot of Ruinart once back in the states – so, friends, buy a bottle or a few and enjoy! It is truly a treat and the nectar of the gods.

Off we were to lunch at Brasserie du Boulingrin, a fantastic little restaurant in town where several of us were able to sample oysters at the outdoor stand before our more formal lunch indoors. The crisp spring air and the oysters mixed wonderfully and our experience was enhanced by the wonderful gentleman serving our briny friends – he was enchanted with Jane, our beautiful companion, making the experience even more of a treat. Indoors we dined on more oysters (yum!), then a country-style dish prepared with sliced leg of lamb on white beans in sauce, followed by yet more fromages. I hesitate to say this was one of my favorite meals only because there were so many favorites.

Satisfied by our fantastic lunch, we took our short walk to Krug. As always with Krug, I was blind-sided by the simplicity and the grandeur, seemingly opposing characteristics. Here at one of the most coveted Champagne houses in the region, we entered a very austere courtyard (by French standards) and ushered into the main tasting room for a flute of Grande Cuvee. The light from the courtyard cast a glow on the room and warmed us as we crossed into the barrel room and to the humid cellars. Inside the main winemaking facility, we were introduced to the many techniques used at Krug, from the barrel fermentation, to the stainless tanks used for ageing, and finally, the bottles stored for drinking later this decade or longer.

Back up to ground level, we were taken through a tasting of Grande Cuvee, Vintage and Clos d’Mesnil by Olivier Krug, in that order. Most houses will do the tasting in the opposite way, but given that Krug Grande Cuvee is a multi-vintage composed of wines from the vintage Champagnes and the single vineyard Champagnes, it was eye-opening to taste the elements that go into the wine that is most cherished at Krug – not the vintage, not the single-vineyard, but the Grande Cuvee, an assemblage composed of over 50 different wines comprising several vintages and years of ageing, not to mention ageing potential. Later that night, we were treated to a Moroccan trio of tangines paired with Krug and, finally, a stone-fruit dessert served with Krug Collection 1982.

In less than two days, we were already truly exposed to the reason Champagne is so expensive and rare – and why it is one of the most wonderful things humans have ever produced.