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Champagne André Roger Vieilles Vignes Brut Grand Cru, Champagne, France NV
" After over a year of extensive searching and tasting, we have finally found a grand cru Champagne befitting of Jascots - this stands head and shoulders above its peers with its concentration, richness, refinement and length. The vines, by the way, share a hillside with those that yield grapes for the likes of Cristal and Dom Perignon. "
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food & wine matching... Fish & Shellfish, Roast Chicken & Roast Pork
Champagne
Save £45.60 a case
Dry Rich & Complex
Wine Type... ChampagneVintage... NVStyle... Rich & Complex WhitesCountry... FranceRegion... ChampagneGrower Name... Champagne Andre RogerGrape Variety... Pinot NoirABV... 12%Closure... Natural Cork
The base wine for this Old Vines Champagne comes from our plots "Pierre Robert Haut", "Tarclette" and "Varmery". The vines are on average 45 years old, which is important for the selection of the plots, as each plant produces a third less than a younger plant. Hence a higher aromatic potential and an optimum maturity at harvest time. The primary aromas are typical of a Pinot Noir from Aÿ: blackcurrant, small red fruit, in the nose and on the palate, with a spicy note at the end of the tasting. These aromas have evolved with the second fermentation, dominated now by juicy fruit, such as white peach and stewed lemon. Despite a lively attack on the palate, this wine feels round, vinous, frank and well structured, long on the mouth without being heavy.
"Based on Grand Cru vines averaging 45 years old with admirable richness and some autolysis effect on the nose. Very serious wine that is clearly heavy on the Pinot Noir. Oh, I see it is 100% Pinot Noir and based on the 2007 vintage, but it doesn't taste young or green at all. Very nice wine with no rough edges. Thoroughly satisfying right acros the palate. Lovely and long. You could drink this with food. 17/20" Jancis Robinson MW
Champagne Andre Roger
Alexis Roger started making wine in 1876. At the beginning of the twentieth century, his very enterprising grandson Henri already owned its own press, a still for distillation, and had installed electricity!
Horses, precious help in the vineyards, worked alongside the men throughout the ages, but in 1960, André, replaced them by mechanical help by building its own vineyard tractor alone.
Generations have followed each other, breaking up the plots with successive inheritances. Today, between tradition and modernity, Marie-Hélène and Jean-Pol have found the right balance to produce and sell their own bottles, sold mostly in France, and also abroad.
Ay is located in the Grande Vallée de la Marne, on white chalk soil with belemnite fossils, or on calcareous and sedimentary soils. Most of our vineyards are listed as Grand Cru 100%.
Its total area is 5.5 hectares (14 acres), spread over 19 plots; their ages range from 10 to 45 years. The vineyards are planted with Pinot Noir for 4.6 hectares (11.5 acres) and with Chardonnay for 0.9 hectares (2.25 acres). The average yields depend on the varietals, the plots and the years, between 45 and 65 hectolitres per hectare.
Champagne
Champagne is a region in the north-east of France famous the world over for its sparkling wine of the same name and concentrated around the towns of Reims, Epernay and Ay.
Vines are cultivated near the northern-most extreme of latitude for viticulture, and the cool climate results in the high acidity that is necessary for the production of high-quality sparkling wines. Vineyards can be generally categorised as chalky plains, lending the wines an inherent mineral character.
Wines are made (according to strict regulations) by the method known as methode traditionelle, or methode Champenoise. This involves, but is not limited to, the use of certain grape varieties grown within the Champagne region - namely Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (a few other local varieties are permitted in theory but in practice are rarely used) and importantly, the secondary fermentation that results in the all-important bubbles, must take place in the bottle.
Other regions around the world have imported this method, most notably California, New Zealand and Australia, but few producers rival the quality of sparkling wine to be found in Champagne.
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is the grape variety used in all quality red wines from Burgundy, and as a varietal wine in several parts of the New World, most notably New Zealand, California and Chile. It is also one of the three grape varieties commonly used in the production of Champagne and other traditional method sparkling wines of the world, either as a 100% blancs de noirs or (more commonly) as part of the traditional Champagne blend.
Pinot Noir is somewhat temperamental and, unlike Cabernet Sauvignon, can only flourish in certain conditions and when afforded the utmost care on the part of vine-grower and wine-maker alike. Relatively, thin-skinned, the grapes produce red wines of lower tannins, lighter colour and great charm and delicacy which evolve comparatively quickly, although the very best examples are slow to fade.
Champagne André Roger Brut Tradition Grand Cru, Champagne, France NV
" Generous and plentiful mousse with strings of tiny bubbles. The nose is very powerful, dominated by aromas of fruits in pastry, stewed apricot with notes of sugared almond. Slight notes of pepper and aniseed... "
food & wine matching... Canapés, Salads & Fish & Shellfish
Champagne
Save £37.80 a case
Dry Rich & Complex
Wine Type... ChampagneVintage... NVStyle... Rich & Complex WhitesCountry... FranceRegion... ChampagneGrower Name... Champagne Andre RogerGrape Variety... Pinot Noir, ChardonnayABV... 12%Closure... Natural Cork
Champagne André Roger Brut Tradition Grand Cru, Champagne, France NV, Magnums
" Generous and plentiful mousse with strings of tiny bubbles. The nose is very powerful, dominated by aromas of fruits in pastry, stewed apricot with notes of sugared almond. Slight notes of pepper and aniseed... "
food & wine matching... Canapés, Salads & Fish & Shellfish
Champagne
Save £43.50 a case
Dry Rich & Complex
Wine Type... ChampagneVintage... NVStyle... Rich & Complex WhitesCountry... FranceRegion... ChampagneGrower Name... Champagne Andre RogerGrape Variety... Pinot Noir, ChardonnayABV... 12%Closure... Natural Cork