l to r: Melanie Tarlant, self 'Fizz Eric' and Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy

photo courtesy: Alexey @ Globus Wine

On March 28, my buddies‘远峰一青’,Xiao P and myself attended the grower champagne tasting event @ Globus Wine Shanghai 1933 Lounge, meeting family members from grower champagne 'Tarlant' and 'Rene Geoffroy'.

Growers champagne (or RM) by definition mean all their champagne must be made ONLY from the grapes grown in their own vineyards, hence they have full control from vine to wine. Whiles Negociants (or NM) mean they can buy grapes or must from others, and then make into their champagne. 

Champagne Tarlant (RM) www.tarlant.com 

Melanie Tarlant, younger sister of wine maker Benoit Tarlant

photo courtesy: ‘远峰一青’

Production: approx. 100,000 btls p.a.

Winemaking:

1) non-vintage blends: 1st fermemtation partially in oak barrels and partially in stainless steel vats; reserve wines upto 50%! from previous 2 harvests; no MLF!;

Brut Zero / Rose Zero：3 years on lees （both produced every year; and Brut Zero, with production around 60,000 btls p.a., is their main product.)

* Special note to Rose Zero: 85% Chardonnay! blended with 15% still red wines of P.Noir...refreshing and elegant!

* Special note to Brut Tradition NV: black grapes dominant with only 10% Chardonnay, yet with plenty of elegance and finesse that one would guess there is much more Chardonnay in the blend...But Melanie advised future release of Brut Tradition will be blanc de noirs (no Chardonnay) and the Chardonnay will go into making more Rose NV...

2) 'Cuvee Louis' (Prestige Cuvee): from single plot of old vines planted between 1946 and 1948! Production no more than 4,000 btls! Not produced every year! 

1st fermentation 100% in new oak barrels and no MLF

current release: blend of 96/97 harvest with 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir, disgorged in 2005 with a low dosage. Muscular, concentrated and capable of aging. Tour de force!

3) 'Cuvee La vigne d'Antan': made from UNGRAFTED Chardonnay vines - a Blanc de Blancs VVF! Production no more than 2,000 btls! Pray for my luck to find this rare beauty one day!!!        

4) Some new development at Tarlant:

1% of Tarlant vineyards, just 1%, are planted with the now almost extinct champagne grape varieties of Arbanne, Petit Meslier, and Pinot Blanc...And 1st cuvee(name is still a secret) from these rare varietties will be made from the 2008 harvest! but will not be released to market until maybe 10 years from now...

some more info on Tarlant: https://www.champagnegallery.com.au/shop/tarlant/ 

l to r: 'Xiao P'(Co-Blogger), Melanie Tarlant, self 'Fizz Eric' holding Melanie signed bottle of Tarlant Cuvee Louis, and fine wine collector superman ‘远峰一青’！

Melanie signed bottle of Cuvee Louis

‘远峰一青’,‘Xiao P’and self shared at dinner table right after champagne tasting

photo courtesy: ‘远峰一青’

Champagne Rene Geoffroy (RM) www.champagne-geoffroy.com 

Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy, wine maker of Champagne Rene Geoffroy

with a magnum of R.Geoffroy vintage 1995

photo courtesy: ‘远峰一青’ 

Production: approx. 100,000 btls p.a.

Jean-Baptiste is the wine maker now, though his father still keeps a loving eye over the vineyards and the wine making.

Winemaking:

Jean-Baptiste works with oak barrels, enameled vats and stainless steel vats. Where to conduct 1st fermentaion is solely based on the quality of grapes. No MLF! 

1)Rose Saignee - 100% Pinot Noir - all from a single harvest - through the 'bleeding' (Saignee) method. To retain the fresh and fruity style desired, Jean-Baptiste waives the vintage on label by restraining the time on lees to less than 3 years as requested for vintage champagne.

2)Vintage - Rene Geoffroy vintage is their top of the line. Max. 6,000 btls for a declared vintage. Grape blending varies, depends on quality of harvest. 95 vintage is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay and ALL in MAGNUMs, while 08 vintage likely to be 80% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay, as 'Pinot Meunier in Cumieres(1er Cru) is very good in 2008!'  JB commented.

JB requested that I send him email of my tasting notes when I open the 95 vintage magnum

I just forgot to ask but quite sure that 95 is made by his father...

3)Cumieres Rouge

This still red Pinot Noir wine is what Rene Geoffroy is famous for. The non-vintage version is a blend of 3 vintages (you see! Champagne is so unique that they are allowed to make

non-vintage still reds) with production of 8,000 - 9,000 bottles. And there IS a vintage version with current release of 2004 Cumieres Rouge (When I asked JB what's the production quantity of vintage Cumieres Rouge, JB smiled with no words...)        

l to r: self 'Fizz Eric' holding JB signed magnum of R.Geoffroy vintage 1995,

wine maker JB Geoffroy, ‘远峰一青’and ‘Xiao P’ 

Wine maker JB Geoffroy signed magnum of Rene Geoffroy vintage 1995 brut Champagne

photo courtesy: ‘远峰一青’