Gongs for Grower Champagnes
No sooner had we sent out an offer extolling the virtues of grower Champagnes (Legras & Haas is our December 2011 Wine of the Month), than Decanter Magazine published their Grower Champagne tasting results (Decanter Magazine, January 2012).
There were no Decanter Award wines in the tasting because the styles were so different that each taster had a different choice*. Instead, out of 94 wines tasted, there were:
7 Highly Recommended (4 stars)
76 Recommended (3 stars)
6 Fair (2 Stars)
1 Poor (1 star)
4 Faulty
We had submitted both Legras & Haas Tradition and Champagne Chauvet and the notes were as follows:
Legras & Haas Tradition NV – score 15.58 / 20
Floral, baked apple, peach and vanilla bouquet. Similar character on the sharper palate, it is fine and elegant with bags of character and some zippy acidity.
Henri Chauvet Brut Blanc de Noirs NV – score 15.17/20
Red apple aroma. Large bubbles, hint of spicy oak and lots of fruit. Quite forward and juicy with a long, fruity length. Has mid-palate weight and softness.
* According to Tom Stevenson: “With no awards, most tasters felt the results of this tasting did not do justice to the quality of the Champagnes. Not that we scored too low, just that the extraordinary variety of styles from growers located far and wide generated distinct preferences that divided the tasters. Three of us did, in fact, find eight Champagnes that we each though deserved the five-star status, but frustratingly there was no agreement over any potential Decanter Award winner. With no five-star Champagnes to their name, the growers have every right to feel that they were robbed, but that is not the message that either Decanter collectively or the tasters individually wish to send, We celebrate their variety and want to see more growers competing for the top positions so that in future we can reward a whole raft of five-star grower Champagnes.”
So, once again, we urge you not just to take our word for it - Grower Champagnes offer great value AND quality!
