| Country: | France |
| Region: | Champagne |
| Winery: | Roland (Champagne Champion) |
| Grape Type: | Chardonnay |
| Vintage: | 2006 |
| Bottle Size: | 6000 ml |
This is a 9 liter imperial also called a Salmanazar .
Roland Champion Champagne Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru 2014 is made from 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay from the chalky soils of Chouilly.
This Champagne is full of elegance and finesse. Very complex nose, with a bouquet of aromas dominated by honey, brioche and notes of dried fruits, hazelnuts and sweets. Perfectly matured.
Manual harvest; then pressing immediately to avoid oxidation & preserve quality. Free run juice only. Aged six years on the lees.
It matches magnificently with foie gras!
Review:
"Based in Chouilly on the Côte des Blancs, it is obvious this producer will have a Blanc de Blancs Champagne. And very good it is, with some age after six years on lees while still having freshness, crisp acidity and a tight, steely edge. The bottling will benefit from further aging, and it will be at its best from 2022. - ROGER VOSS"
- Wine Enthusiast (December 2020), 92 pt
Roland Champion Champagne Blanc de Blancs NV is aged for minimum 30 months (the minimum for NV is 15 months). This cuvee is made from 100% Chardonnay and is produced from the free run juice only. The current release is the result of the blend of the 2005, the 2006 and the 2007 vintage.
Fresh and delicate, its fine bubbles and wide range of aromas will be perfect as an aperitif. This Champagne will also match very well with seafood and shellfish.
dosage : 8 grams per liter
ageing : 30 months on laths
Even if it doesn't say on the label, 100% of the production is RD (Recently Disgorged)
Total Production for this Cuvée : 1,500 cases (9 liter equivalent) per year
Reviews:
"Golden yellow color. Lively, fruity, toasty leesy aromas of honeyed brioche and apple tart with a satiny, tangy, dry-yet-fruity medium body and a sleek, interesting, snappy lemon curd, nougat, and chalk finish with silky, soft, fruit tannins. A classic example of blanc de blanc champagne, delicious."
- Beverage Testing institute , 93 pts
"Spiced with ground anise and ginger accents, this offers notes of poached pear, lemon meringue pie, hazelnut and stony mineral. Very elegant and well-meshed throughout, with a silky finish. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 1,500 cases made. –AN"
- Wine Spectator 92 pts
"This cuvée made from 100% Chardonnay offers a fresh aromatic nose of light toast, dried yellow fruit and nuances of yeast. On the palate it has a creamy mouth feel of toasted nuts and rich autolytic notes. This is a beautiful wine, rich and complex."
International Wine review 92+ pts
"Small grower. Autumn fruits dominate the aromas of this wine, which is blatantly more like a wine than we normally expect a champagne to be. Some may find that unexpected and even off-putting, while others will find it intriguingly delicious."
- Washington Post - EXCELLENT
"Roland Champion is a small family-owned producer, now with the fourth generation, in the village of Chouilly (”shoo-ee”), which has only Grand Cru vineyards. Made from 100 percent chardonnay grapes, this Champagne offers ethereal grace and poise and harmony; if I were fighting a duel tonight, I would ask for this Champagne as my last beverage. The nose here is about the richness of warm biscuits and hazelnuts, dried fruit and spice, like a Platonic, ineffably light fruitcake; in the mouth, however, it’s about a structure that encompasses an incredible marriage of power and elegance, like the delicacy and strength of the finest bone china. And there’s something porcelain-like about this Champagne, in its notable crisp, lively character, its transparency and its slightly chalky, shale-like mineral elements. Forget the Champagnes that come on with heavy toasty, caramel qualities; here, instead, is a wealth of subtlety and nuance touched with a racy, dynamic edge. Exceptional."
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Roland Champion Champagne Cuvee Aramis Brut is made from 70% Pinot Meunier, 20% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay.
Very nice effervescence, fine bubbles - A nose spawn with notes of mature fruits such as quince and yellow fruits jelly. Aromas of biscuits and honey at the end of the palate, which remains supple, well structured, and with a beautiful length.
Black grapes from Verneuil and Vandière in the Marne Valley, argilo-limestone soil. Chardonnay grapes from Chouilly, “Grand Cru” from the famous “Côtes des blancs”, limestone soil and subsoil.
Review:
"Brilliant pale yellow straw color. Lively, complex aromas of honeyed biscuit, buttery praline, and poached Asian pear with a supple, lively, effervescent, dry-yet-fruity medium-to-full body and an elegant, long creme brulee, white balsamic reduced lemon, spiced nuts and tangerines, and grassy earth and minerals finish with well-integrated, fine tannins. A layered and vibrant champagne with cascading waves of fresh and mature flavors."
- Beverage Testing Institute (November 19th 2012), 95 pts
This plot was the first plot that Roland Champion family grandparents, Roland & Jacqueline bought together, just after their wedding, their first common property, not derived from their family heritage!
Roland Champion Champagne Partelaine Chardonnay Brut Nature is a sparkling wine made from 100% Chardonnay.
On the nose, this Champagne reveals subtle aromas of white chocolate, tonka bean and a beautiful minerality.
On the palate, it is very fine, with a beautiful vivacity, citrus notes and saline finish, reminiscent of the limestone terroir of Chouilly.
Pairs well with white fish, seafood and matured cheeses.
Roland Champion Champagne Brut Rose Grand Cru NV is the blend of 33% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Meunier and 33% Pinot Noir.
The Champagne rose shows an orange salmon color coming from the red wine base. The pinot meunier brings red fruit aromas of strawberry and raspberry with hints of spices. The palate is juicy and harmonious with good depth and minerality. A delicate balance between Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir.
It is a blend of 93% White juice (made from 33% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Meunier and 33% Pinot Noir) and 7% Pinot Noir red wine. The grapes used to produce the Coteaux Champenois red wine are coming from their vineyards near the Village of Verneuil.
Roland Champion Champagne Le Mont Aigu Chardonnay Brut Nature is made from 100% Chardonnay.
Grand Cru Chouilly from a single parcel called "Montaigu".
Aged in Oak barrels for 10 months on the fine lees and then, aged "sur lattes" for 3 years.
Brut Nature : no liqueur d'expedition (zero dosage)
This 100% oaked chardonnay will be perfect with salmon cooked in a parchment paper "en papillote", as well as roasted bone marrow.
The 2006 Vintage is aged for 7 years (instead of the minimum 36 months required by law). This cuvee is made from 100% Chardonnay (this grape ages very well) and is produced from the free run juice only. The grapes used result from parcels that have the best maturity.
This Champagne, with its delicate brioche-like notes, shows a flawless balance. Very nice vintage. It matches magnificently with foie gras!
dosage : 6 grams per liter
ageing : 8 years on laths
Even if it doesn't say on the label, 100% of the production is RD (Recently Disgorged)
Total Production for this Cuvée : 3,000 cases (9 liter equivalent)
Review:
Finely balanced and fresh, with a creamy bead and rich notes of toasted brioche and grated coconut, layered with flavors of apple pie, smoked almond and candied ginger. Drink now through 2026. 3,000 cases made.
Wine Spectator 92 points
The Champagne Champion Roland Estate
This small grower is located in the Grand Cru Village of Chouilly, in the `Cote des Blancs`. The vineyard of Chouilly has a south, southeast sun exposure, which gives the chardonnay its delicate aromas.
Founded in 1951 by Andre Champion, his son Roland expanded the company by purchasing some new land, and gave his name to the family house of Champagne. François is the third generation of the family and continues in his father’s footsteps. He is the enologist and currently runs the company. He farms their 18 hectares (44.5 acres) and blends wines resulting from different parcels and various vintages to elaborate his Cuvees.
The property consists of 40 different parcels planted with the following grape types:
The grapes are harvested manually, which is the rule in Champagne. Then, the grapes are immediately pressed in-site to avoid oxidation and preserve the quality of the grapes.
The wine is aged in their cellar made of chalk where the constant temperature is 1012°C (50/54°F).
Production is 85,000 bottles (7,000 cases) yearly, part of which is sold “sur latte” to negociants. The remaining 35,000 bottles are sold under their own name.
They produce the following wines:
NV Brut, Blanc de Blanc: 25% of production
Vintage Champagne, Speciale Club Carte Noire: 70% of production
Rose Brut: 5% of production
Currently, all wines are 90% pre-sold to an adoring French clientele. Daughter Carole Champion represents the fourth generation to continue with the property.
Aalto P.S. Pagos Seleccionados Tinto is made from 100 percent Tempranillo.
Climatic conditions
The farming year began with a mild autumn and little precipitation. A very dry winter started with -9ºC reaching at the end higher temperatures than normal for that time of the year. Spring and summer characterized by little rain, only some rain showers in July and late August avoided the hydric stress of the vines. The vegetative cycle of the vine developed with big variations of temperatures, alternating warm and atypical low temperatures of 4ºC for mid-June. The ripening of the grapes happened under very good conditions and the harvest started on 24th September 2019.
100% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) primarily from very old vines – 60 to 90 years old – from selected plots in La Horra and La Aguilera. The harvest was done by hand, in small boxes of 15 kilos that are thoroughly inspected, bunch by bunch, on the selection table.
Tasting notes
Review:
Color: dark cherry, Aroma: toasty, spicy, fine cocoa, black fruit, Mouth: tasty, toasty, fine bitterness, ripe tannins
Guia Penin 94 Points
Liminal Syrah High Canyon Block is made from 97% Syrah and 3% Viognier.
WeatherEye Vineyard - steep slope of High Canyon block.
Dark ruby/purple.
Ethereal aromas of black fruits threaded with violets, aniseed, cacao nibs, bee pollen.
Bass notes of Syrah - blackberry compote, fresh ink - in sublime counterpoint with Viognier’s floral lift glide through to the long finish.
Review:
"More black and blue fruits, iron, lavender, and some background meaty notes emerge from Liminal’s 2020 Syrah WeatherEye Vineyard High Canyon, a blend of 97% Syrah and 3% Viognier that spent 16 months in used barrels. With medium to full-bodied richness, a silky, elegant mouthfeel, gorgeous tannins, and flawless balance, it’s one of the true gems in the vintage. Give bottles 2-3 years in the cellar and enjoy over the following decade or more."
- Jeb Dunnuck" 97 points