Spend some time this year expanding your wine horizons
The end of 2019 brought a deluge of articles trying to nail the most important wine trends of the past decade. Plaudits were handed to rosé and natural wine, while Prosecco and its imitators couldn’t be denied their place. Having waded through more of these articles than I’d care to admit, the question I was left with is what we should look for going forward. Beyond the perennially popular classics, what styles should we be choosing to spice up our Wednesday dinners or the next BYO?
Rather than get overly ambitious and make grand prognostications for the coming decade, my first effort is a shortlist of categories I think everyone should try at least once this year. Included are regions that emerged from the twenty-teens more clearly delineated and “mature” than they entered—see Hawke’s Bay’s increasingly brilliant syrahs; or that are overdue for a second look—see the unfairly dismissed treasure trove that is classic Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon.
To be considered, each region had to have more than just one or two standout examples and, despite inevitable and in fact desirable diversity within the category, a unique and cohesive identity. To try to capture the essence of each of these promising styles, I’ve created an accompanying Visual Tasting Note and made a few suggestions of producers or individual wines to try. Hope you enjoy exploring these categories as much as I did “researching” them!
1. Blanc de Noirs champagne
Where: Champagne, France
What: Sparkling
Why: Literally a white made only from black-skinned grapes, this style of champagne has emerged from the shadow of the more traditionally prized blanc de blancs (made only from white-skinned grapes) to add dimension and depth to a category that most people view exclusively in terms of brands and price points. Typically it has been embraced by growers (i.e. producers who grow all their own grapes and process them from start to finish, distinguishable by the letters “RM” on the label) like Egly-Ouriet and Cédric Bouchard, whose production philosophy tends to emphasise uniqueness and “character” over consistency, particularly compared to the houses (i.e. producers who buy grapes, juice or wine that they then market and sell, marked with “NM” on the label), like Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Piper-Heidsieck, and other familiar names.
Since the grapes in question, pinot noir and meunier, both bring greater weight and fullness to the classic champagne blend where they are used offset the racy delicacy of chardonnay, these wines tend to be more robust, structured and “vinous” than blanc de blancs. Fruit flavours tend to be darker and richer though not necessarily “redder” since the red grape skins are barely involved in the process. Complexity comes in the form of “base notes” you might expect in a gender-neutral perfume, like chypre or sandalwood, layered with pastry and brown spices, sometimes showing idiosyncratic earthy or even animal notes.
Meunier-only versions are particularly in vogue among the Champagne avant-garde, favoured for their generous fruit enlivened by an almost briny savouriness. A final variation, the very lightly pink style called Oeil de Perdix, brings an added layer of tart cherry fruit that bridges the gap between these and rosé champagne.
Which: Egly-Ouriet Blanc de Noirs Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru Brut, Cédric Bouchard Roses de Jeanne Blanc de Noirs Cote de Val Vilaine, Paul Bara Special Club Blanc de Noirs Brut, Vouette et Sorbée Cuvée Fidèle Blanc de Noirs; Meunier-only: Dehours & Fils Lieux Dit "Les Genevraux"; Œil de Perdrix: Charles Dufour Le Corroy, Jean Veselles Œil de Perdrix
(Related: A Guide To Choosing The Right Stemware For Wine And Champagne)