LOUIS PICAMELOT CREMANT DE BOURGOGNE OFFER

Based in Rully and presided over by third-generation winemaker-proprietor Philippe Chautard, Maison Louis Picamelot produces some of the best sparkling wines in Burgundy. Forever in Champagne’s shadow, few take Crémant de Bourgogne seriously. But what this Maison is doing is already impressive and well worth open-minded consumers’ attention. WILLIAM KELLEY, Wine Advocate

Then come the highly characterful wines of leading smaller producers like Louis Picamelot in Rully or Parigot et Richard in Savigny-lès-Beaune, and of their counterparts in every one of the producing sub-regions. “Remember that there are more and more producers in Champagne,” says Philippe Chautard of Picamelot, “who are interested in expressing terroir. We shouldn’t try to be an ‘under-Champagne’ but rather emphasise our Burgundian terroir differences,” – which in Pacamelot’s case means some single-vineyard Crémants. ANDREW JEFFORD, Decanter

Let me tell you a story.

For years we went looking for a Cremant de Bourgogne. We’ve always been quiet fans of the style but (and it’s an important but) there’s a lot of rubbish in the genre. Most is destined for the “mean streets/aisles” of the big Euro and UK supermarket chains. It’s made for a price to be a price and quality is not high on the agenda.

BUT, when it’s made by real producers who put quality above all else, made by people who know that by doing the quality-thing, it comes at a cost and that will mean they’re always operating on the margins, but they do it anyway. That’s Domaine Picamelot. When we first tasted these wines we immediately knew they were as good as we had seen and we wanted to import them.

Pretty simple; wine merchant loves wine, wine merchant imports wine, wine merchant sells wine…right? Wrong, the process to bring these wines to Australia has been arduous and frustrating. The producer is brilliant but coming to an agreement on terms has been painful and, at one point in the process and after importing our first shipment, we decided it was too hard.

As soon as that first shipment ran out though, we knew we had to try again and make sure these wines came into Australia. They were just too good to leave out. Given this is Cremant de Bourgogne we’re talking about, that’s a big statement. It’s not exactly cult-following grower Champagne here!

Anyway, long story short we’ve just landed our second shipment. The wines are as good as ever and tasting them again over the Christmas break, I know we’ve made the right decision to persevere. These are beautiful, silken sparkling wines that speak of quality fruit origins and the hand of a master craftsman in the cave. That man being Phillipe Chautard, the latest generation to man the press, and arguably the most talented of a formidable lineage over the last 100 years.

He was the one who decided in the late 1980 to purchase their own vineyards across the Cote Challonaise and the Cotes de Beaune. He wanted to farm everything organically and he wanted to ensure the quality was always in their hands, not others. As it turns out this was a prescient move and one that really couldn’t happen today without a bucketload of LVMH-type funds. Smart guy!

Each wine in the range comes from a single vintage. There is no reserve wine and no advertised “house style” although I would argue, they certainly have a consistency across vintages.

The main wines are the two “terroirs” bottlings, a white and rose. Both are blended from across the vineyard sites and represent the “shingle on the door” to the Picamelot style and quality level. These are the two wines we currently import, and they would be the top wines at any other producer, without a shadow of a doubt.

Both wines see 12 months on lees and the rose is pressed pinot noir fruit, not red wine added to white. Chartaud wants the wine to smell and taste of pinot noir, not some amalgam. All part of his belief that these wines are not to mimic Champagne but show specific Burgundian terroirs expressed through their icon varieties.

After that, there are specific-site wines and wines aged for longer on lees to show the diversity of the soils and stylistic nuance. They’re awesome too and in time we’ll be bringing some to Australia in small quantities.

Now I know Cremant de Bourgogne isn’t exactly on everyone’s must-have list and I can’t see it supplanting Champagne anytime soon, but you owe it to yourself to try these wines. They’re superb, artisan wines and they offer a sparkling wine experience that’s clearly different but clearly of a high quality at a bargain price.

You’ll end up having them as your house sparkling, mark my words.

Cheers
Michael McNamara