Here is the next episode of the champagnes and fine wines we consumed in the month of June. These are just highlights, because we also drank quite a few bottles of the champagnes we have already covered in previous episodes.
TGIFRidays: This month’s favoured champagnes and wines
One champagne in particular that will not be discussed in this article. This is because I have covered the Billecart-Salmon Le Réserve in an earlier article. Also, I will be in Èpernay in mid-September and have confirmed a visit to their cellars with a tasting of their releases. I will bring you pictures and stories from this much anticipated tour later. And for now, let’s proceed with the June favourites.
We begin with a gathering of the graduating class of WSET Level 2. Each of us brought a bottle to celebrate. And we have bottles from Champagne, Burgundy as well as several sakes and even a wine from China. Here are the highlights.
Tellier Cramant Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Extra Brut
This was the base wine for the afternoon, with a total of 3 out of 13 bottles opened. First off, Cramant is not to be confused with Crémant. The former is a Grand Cru village in the Côte des Blancs, Champagne. While the latter is a sparkling wine from France, particularly Alsace, Bourgogne, and Loire. The way to make champagne is called the méthode champenoise. This is a prescribed way to make sparkling wine. Among other rules, it calls for the second fermentation to be in the final bottle. Further, to legally carry the name “Champagne”, it must be grown, fermented, and bottled within this specific geographical area according to the strict AOC regulations. Even the grape varieties are specified. The notation méthode champenoise or méthode traditionnelle (traditional method) is used for sparkling wines not made in Champagne. For example if the wine is made in France it is called Crémant. In Spain, it is labelled as Cava and made using a traditional blend of three native Spanish white grape varieties: macabeo, xarel·lo, and parellada, though chardonnay and pinot noir are also permitted. Prosecco, for example is another sparkling wine made with glera grapes (min 85%), but the second fermentation is done in huge stainless steel tanks.
Tellier Champagne is a small family owned estate in Cramant. The current owners are the brothers Quintin and Alexandre Tellier. Their focus is to make champagnes which are show the terrior and usually made from 100% chardonnay.
This bottle is a vintage champagne from the 2020 harvest of vines which are more than 30 years old. The wine is aged in oak barrel for 8 months with no fining. And subsequently aged sur lees for 40 months. Dosage is 2g/l and the bottle was disgorged in March 2025.
On the glass, the champagne appears with good mousse and shows up as a very pale yellow. The initial presentation to the nose and palette tell a story of jasmine and lemon. But with a bit of aeration, a smokey base note appears, with additional aromas of mango and roasted nuts. The palette shows up as crisp, bright and saline. No doubt due to the sharp acidity of the wine. Finish is long and lingering.
Leclerc Briant Rosé Extra Brut
Leclerc Briant is a well respected, small house based in Épernay. The house dates back to the 19th century. Following the passing of Pascal Leclerc, the 5th generation head of the house, the estate was purchased by Mark Nunnelly and Denise Dupré, an American couple with great passion and ambition to elevate the maison.
This bottle of rosé is made with an assemblage of 89% chardonnay harvested is 2022 and a red vinified Pinot Noir to attain the rosé hue. The bottle was disgorged in 2024, after 2 years on the lees. Dosage is 3.4g/l.
It shows up in the glass as a bright raspberry/orange pink, no doubt due to the blend with red Pinot Noir. On the nose, a vibrant floral bouquet of rose and red fruits. On the palette, it is bold, with a delicate acidity. Mouthfeel leans more to the body of an oaked chardonnay, though not quite. It still retains a well balance median with good fruit expression. The mousse is very tiny, and perhaps not as abundant as others, but still sufficient to tingle in the mouth.
Albert Bichot Mercurey Premier Cru Les Combins
Then on to one of my favourite Burgundy houses – Albert Bichot. Founded in 1831 as a wine trading business, Maison Albert Bichot has a significant presence in Burgundy. Under sixth-generation proprietor Albéric Bichot, the house today owns more than 100 hectares of vineyards across six estates from Chablis to Beaujolais, complemented by substantial négociant operations. In the recent Michelin Grapes Guide, the maison received a Selected mention. This is mention is for their vineyards in Chambolle-Musigny 1er Crum Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru, and Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru together with their two Village levels wines from Fixin and Gevrey-Chambertin. This Premier Cru from Mercurey is not one of the selected vineyards. We recently had their Côte de Nuits Villages 2020 which we enjoyed, which is also not on the Michelin list.
Les Combins is a plot in Côte Chalonnaise, Mercurey. The cépage is 100% pinot noir, this bottle is made from the 2020 harvest.
The nose features bright red fruits of cherry and, raspberry and a hint of spice. On the palate, it is bold with a dense structure, beautiful velvety tannins, and a fresh mineral finish. A very smooth red Borgourne wine, which is delicious and very easy to drink. The wine is peaking now, and can cellar probably through to 2027/8.
Lucien Mizard & Fils Santenay Clos de Tavannes Premier Cru 2023
Lucien Mizard & Fils is a family-owned estate based in the village of Santenay within the Côte de Beaune region of Burgundy. The family’s winemaking roots go back to 1645. The modern incarnation of the domaine was officially structured in the 1960s by Lucien Muzard. Today, the 18-hectare estate is managed by his sons, Claude and Hervé Muzard, alongside Claude’s daughter Capucine. The estate transitioned away from selling grapes to local traders in 1995, electing to bottle 100% of their production under their own label.
The plot is Clos de Tavannes, a top-tier 5.3-hectare climat bordering Chassagne-Montrachet, the soil is mainly marl-limestone. The pinot noir grapes are hand harvested with about 30% of the grapes are kept as whole clusters. Fermentation is through indigenous spontaneous yeasts, and then matured for 12 months.
In the glass, it shows up as a bright ruby, with a strong nose of red berries with a developing oak notes of vanilla. On the palette, it is bold, fruit forward. Acidity is high, and I found the tannins to be quite aggressive. The recommended drinking window is from now to 2033. Probably with about 3 years in the cellar, this vintage will soften its structure and fully express its earthy complexity.
Alpha Omega Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Alpha Omega Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a bold, full-bodied red blend (89% Cabernet Sauvignon, with splashes of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Merlot).
The wine presents as a rather dark violet. The nose strikes of cherry and blackberry with cedar notes. On the palette, it is bold and powerful with strong tannin structure typical of a good Cabernet Sauvignon, especially from Napa Valley. Though approachable now, especially if decanted, it should hit its optimal drinking window from 2026 through 2041+. The ripe tannins and a structured, dense profile that will benefit significantly from 3 to 5 years of bottle aging.
Qatar Lounge in Changi Airport, Singapore
I flew to Tokyo on Japan Airlines and had the opportunity to check out the Qatar lounge in Singapore. This was a very interesting experience. The lounge is very exclusive. Entry is only by ticket class and not granted to Qatar status holders. This ensures that the lounge is quiet and the level of service is higher than those lounges who allow entry to status holders regardless of class of travel. For example, the Singapore Airlines Krisflyer Lounge allows entry for Business Class travellers as well as Priority Passenger Service (PPS) members in any class of travel. And their First Class Lounge allows entry to Solitaire members regardless of class of travel. This makes the lounge crowded and less exclusive to the extent that for passengers flying on a First Class or Suite tickets are ushered into the Private Room within this First Class Lounge. In the Qatar lounge it retains a quiet atmosphere. The lounge is elegantly decorated and instead of a food buffet, waiters take the food orders which are cooked to order. I had a perfectly medium-rare ribeye steak cooked for me. But on to the champagnes in the lounge.
Sanger Voyage 360 Extra Brut
Teh champagne they serve is an interesting one. Sanger is made by the prestigious Avize Viti Campus winemaking school. The Brut champagne I had is called Voyage 360, what an apt name for a beverage served by an airline. It is a cuvée of equal parts of chardonnay, pinot noir and menieur. The grapes are from a total of 42 crus with a main harvest year of 2021 blended with 30% reserve wines from the previous harvest. Each cru and grape variety is vitified in small volumes before blending. The wine is bottled without filtration. Ageing sur lees is a minimum of 6 months.
The pale lemon hue presents in the glass, with a tiny tinge of rosé. The mousse is strong and rather powerful. On the nose, white, yellow and red fruits. On the palette, a lively, bright character. Rounded by the fruity notes, yet sharp due to the acidity, it retains the reductive style that I adore.
Sangier Tango Paradoxe Rosé
Also served is their Paradoxe Rosé. The cépage is 90% Chardonnay blended with 10% Pinot Noir as a red wine. The grapes come from the terroirs of Sézannais for the chardonnay and Venteuil for the Pinot Noir. The harvest is not noted in the bottle, but is calculated to be in 2022, as the label states it was bottled in 2023. Paradoxe Rosé is bottled 10 months after harvest without filtration and aged sur lees for a minimum of 24 months.
The colour is peachy, almost pink salmon. Especially compared to the pale lemon of the Voyage 360 shown below.
The nose was expressive, fresh fruity. On the palette is a touch of spice with strong notes of berries. The tension between tartness of the acid and body of the chardonnay is well balanced. The mousse on the rosé is somewhat less vigorous than the Extra Brut, but nonetheless very fine and persistent. Both bottles were intriguing, and very enjoyable.
Roux Père & Fils Crémant de Bourgogne Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut
Then in Tokyo, at the Imperial Hotel, I had this bottle of Crémant. As a repeat, Crémant is not to be confused with Cramant which is a Grand Cru village in Champagne. It is a sparkling wine made in Burgundy using the méthode champagnoise. This means that the production uses the same method as with champagnes, but as the terroir is Burgundy, it is not able to attain the champagne certification. Many experts say that crémants are as good as champagnes. I beg to differ, though I have tasted some, here is one example, another is the Jacquesson (a champagne house in Champagne, but they also make a sparkling in Bourgogne labelled Crémant), which comes very close.
I sampled this bottle in a traditional Japanese restaurant at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Classified as Extra Brut, the dosage is 4g/l. In the glass, the colour is the typical golden straw of 100% chardonnay. The mousse is very fine and tight. The nose is pure, with green apples, citrus and undertones of toast and brioche. On the palette, it is quite powerful, driven by vibrant acidity. With more flavours of green apples and a clean limestone minerality appearing. Finish is lingering.
Guiborat Téthys Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru
Back to Singapore, at a dinner with friends at 67 Pall Mall, my dining buddies chose this Guiborat Téthys Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru. The house is a 5th-generation grower located in Cramant, Côte des Blancs. It is currently managed by Richard and Karine Fouquet. The domaine farms 8 hectares of vines, with a sizeable portion going to Laurent-Perrier. They reserve 3 hectares for their own bottling.
This bottle is their signature Téthys. An entry-level cuvée is a 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs crafted from Grand Cru parcels from the Côte des Blancs (Cramant, Chouilly, and Oiry). The wine comprise of 76% 2022 harvest blended with reserve wines dating back to 2015. Fermentation is in stainless steel tanks with partial malolactic fermentation on the lees for 7 months. It then spends up to 32 months on sur lees in the bottle before being disgorged in 2025 with just 1.5g/l dosage.
The hue is the typical pale lemon, with a nice mousse. The nose captivates vibrant aromas os orange, peach, and citrus. The palette is tense, with a saline and chalky finish.
Yann Alexandre Brut Noir
Next, in the same dinner, we went for the Yann Alexandre Brut Noir. Yann Alexandre is the eighth generation of his family to grow vines in the Petite Montagne de Reims. He and his wife Séverine work on their own 6.3 hectares spread over 28 plots in nine villages.
The champagne is a non vintage cuvée of all three grapes – 45% to 50% Pinot Meunier, 35% to 40% Chardonnay, and 15% Pinot Noir. It is blended with 30% to 40% aged reserve wines to add depth. I forgot to take a photograph of the back label which has the vintage of the base harvest. The wine is fermented in stainless steel for 7 months, followed by an extensive 4 to 5 years of aging on the lees.
The champagne presents as very pale lemon yellow, but the nose is a ripe apple with pear and citrus. Palatte is creamy with complex brioche, buttered bread with a reductive smokiness. The mouthfeel is structured and driven by a crisp acidity.
Disznókö Tokaji 1413 Édes Szamorodni 2021
And to end the meal some dessert wine. The Disznókö Tokaji 1413 Édes Szamorodni 2021 is a medium-bodied Hungarian dessert wine. Cépage is 100% Furmint grapes. The wine was aged for 12 months in a traditional underground cellar in 225 liter oak barrels. Bottled in September 2023.
In the glass, it appears lighter than for example Sauternes (Chateau Yqueim comes to mind), but with a powerful nose of fresh pear, pineapple, honey and a hint of vanilla. The sweetness is balanced by crisp acidity and a smooth honeyed finish. A rather nice end for a heavy dinner.
The sakes
We had two bottles of sake at the WSET gathering. I had purchased a bottle of sparking sake from the Duty Free in Tokyo, and one of the members brought this 2021 bottle in black glass with gold letters. I do not have photographs of the sparkling sake.
I also had a 1.8 liter bottle, shared amongst 4 diners at a yakitori dinner in Tokyo. I am not quite sure how to read the label correctly. Also, I do not have the vocabulary to describe the wines, thus shall refrain from comment.
Concluding thoughts for June
Hence is the documentation of the champagnes and wines consumed in June. There were a few other champagnes, like Telmont Resérve, Ruinart Blanc de Blancs and Laurent Perrier La Cuvée Brut drank. Omitted because I have covered these more commercial champagnes before. What did you drink in June?
