Champagne Thierry Triolet

Village:
Bethon (Côtes de Sezanne)
Appellation:
11ha
Champagne
Grower:
Thierry Triolet

The Champagne house of Thierry Triolet is located in the village of Bethon. The vineyards in Bethon are part of the Côtes de Sezanne region of Champagne which begins near the town of Sezanne and extends southward for about 20 miles. Geologically, this narrow band of hills with deep deposits of limestone, is a continuation of the more massive Côtes des Blancs. Traditionally, the Sezanne vineyards have been a source of excellent Chardonnay grapes for the large negociant Champagne houses to the north.

The Triolets are one of a growing number of families who have begun estate bottling their champagne over the last three decades. They own 11 hectares in and around the village of Bethon and almost all their vineyards are planted to Chardonnay. Thierry Triolet farms in accordance with the principles of sustainability and is certified both as “Level 3” Haute Valeur Envirnmentale and Viticulture Durable en Champagne. He is committed to having low yields and prunes accordingly. The pressing is done slowly at low pressure in a modern bladder press. Fermentations are then carried out in a variety of tanks. No barrels are used in fermentation or aging.

Brut NV

The Brut NV is a blend of Chardonnay 65% and Pinot Noir 35%. By including three different vintages, the “assemblage” benefits from mature wines. The Champagne ages for a minimum of two years “sur lie” before disgorgement and is finished with a dosage of 11g/L. This produces a floral yet richly textured house style with a “bel canto” nature.

Grande Reserve

The Grande Reserve is typically made exclusively from Chardonnay but occasionally includes up to 5% of Pinot Noir. It is a blend of vintages which includes at least 30% of reserve wines. The champagne stays an average of 3 years “sur lie” before disgorgement. The wine is finished with a dosage of 11g/L.

Vieilles Vignes

The Vieilles Vignes is a vintage Champagne produced only in the best years. It is made entirely from Chardonnay and is harvested from two parcels with vines that are between 25 and 60 years old. The Vieilles Vignes typically ages 4 years “sur lie” before disgorgement and evolves in the bottle for years afterwards. The wine is finished with a dosage of 9.5g/L.

Rosé Brut NV

The Rosé Champagne combines a base of Chardonnay with 15% red wine. The red wine is a 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. In very ripe vintages, M. Triolet will keep a vat of “Pinot” and let it mature in the cellar. The red wine is blended with Chardonnay to make the “assemblage” which then undergoes the second fermentation followed by an extended period “sur lattes”. It is finished with the “liqueur d’expedition” of 12g/L to produce an elegant Brut Rosé Champagne.

Region: Champagne

Champagne, at first glance, seems easy to understand. It is after all the most popularized and recognized wine in the world. It has been endorsed by Napoleon, Churchill and Warhol (it’s the “war” theme). However, once the fizz of gaiety evaporates and the veil of simplicity is pulled back, Champagne reveals a region with a fascinating history that has for centuries fastidiously cultivated a complex wine appellation. It is an appellation governed by complicated regulations that touch all aspects of production, a classification system of villages that sets grape prices and a myriad of styles including: wines of a single vintage, of blended vintages, of a single grape variety, of blended varieties; all of which can have different levels of dosage ranging from Extra Brut to Doux. Dare I mention content measurement? How did a 15 Liter bottle of Champagne come to be associated with Nebuchadnezzar?

The Romans gave this region its name. I suspect that these explorers had already dipped into the “local water” before naming it Campagna in memory of the area around Mount Vesuvius. Perhaps in contrast to the vast plains that flank the region to the west the geological undulations of Champagne appeared to be a similar wonder of nature. The region’s boundaries are basically unchanged since the 15th century and the “champagne viticole” (vineyard area) today spans five “départments” , the vast majority of them located in the Marne and the Aube. The vineyards cover approximately 30,400 hectares, although this area has recently been expanded. Most of the vineyards fall into the following broad areas: Vallée de la Marne, Côte de Sézanne, Côte de Blancs, Montagne de Reims and the Côte de Bar. A complete and more precise categorization divides the vineyards into twenty regions and is explained in the wonderful book Grand Atlas des Vignobles de France.

Champagne became an important center in France after Hugh Capet was crowned in Reims Cathedral in 987. Kings were crowned in the Cathedral for the following eight centuries and during this period considerable grants were given to the local monasteries which in turn became centers of winemaking until the revolution in 1798.

Until the 17th century the wines of Champagne were labeled according to small geographic regions such as vins de la Montagne or vins de la Riviere or more specifically by village or place names such as Bouzy, Verzenay, Ay and the Abbey of Hautvilliers. These wines were predominantly made from red grapes, their color compared to an onion skin or the eye of a partridge and they were gently effervescent or not. As fashion changed, so did the style of the wines to the extent that the producers could control it. The style of Champagne that we know today began in the 19th century and continues to evolve. The biggest change in the last twenty years is the increase of small scale recoltant-manipulant, “RM” producers. These estate bottled champagnes offer a remarkable diversity of expression resulting from the different philosophies of the independent producers and the more specific terroirs with which they work. These more personal expressions of champagne stand in stark contrast to the large negociant manipulant, “NM” producers who blend wines from hundreds of villages and often produce Champagne with a calculated uniformity.