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Champagne Deutz launches new vintages ahead of its anniversary
Ahead of the 180th anniversary of Champagne Deutz in 2018, the house has released two new vintage cuvées. Fabrice Rosset, the maison’s chairman and CEO, visited London to launch the new vintages, highlighting a stronger on-trade focus for the brand – particularly targeting top sommeliers and restaurateurs.
For fans of vintage champagne, Deutz 2012 (RRP £57.50) represents an opportunity to see one of the first showings from the grandes maisons of the 2012 vintage. Made from a small but exceptional year for Pinot Noir (one of the very best since 1952), the cuvée plays to the house’s strengths in Äy.
The Blanc de Blancs 2010 (RRP £67.50) a rugged challenging year, best for Chardonnay, relies on the great grands crus of the Côte des Blancs – Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize and Chouilly – plus 10% Villers-Marmery Chardonnay from the Montagne de Reims for extra strength and vigour.
Rosset also hosted a vertical of its William Deutz cuvée. This epic wine is a blend of up to 65% Pinot Noir from top vineyards (Äy, Verzenay, Bouzy, Ambonnay), around 30% Chardonnay and a soupçon of Meunier from the maison’s vineyards in Pierry. The latest vintage, the 2006 (RRP £115), is a delicate wine of impressive freshness and finesse, very much in the looked-for pure, no-oak, style of William.
However the outright stars of the vertical were the 1988 – in full health at its vigorous peak, with scents of coffee/mocha – and the glorious 1995, a near-perfect wine, generous yet exquisitely detailed and subtle.
The Homage à William Deutz parcelles d’Äy 2010 is pure Pinot Noir from the original vineyards Cöte Glacière and Meurtet behind the house. The 2010 is a brave attempt in a difficult year for Pinot, quite Puritan and austere just now but needs to be revisited in 2018. The follow-on will be the 2012, a surefire investment.
Champagne Deutz was founded in 1838 by two Germans from the Rhineland: William Deutz and Pierre-Hubert Geldemann. The former built a stylish mansion for his family – still the company HQ today – with a prized Pinot Noir vineyard behind the house. In 1882, Deutz was one of the first houses to join and be closely involved in the Syndicate des Grandes Marques; in its heyday, Deutz was a favourite champagne of Queen Victoria.
Right up to the 1980s, Deutz was one of the most discreet great houses, its formidable reputation later resting on the peerless quality of William Deutz, the first Vintage the fabulous 1959. In the early 1990s, following a global financial downturn, the Lallier-Deutz family, rather than split up the company between family shareholders, decided to sell a large number of shares to the Rouzard family, which also owns Louis Roederer.
Since his appointment in 1996, Rosset has tripled production from 500,000 bottles to 2.3 million. The keystone of Deutz quality is William Deutz and its newer prestige cuvee, Amour de Deutz.
CHAMPAGNE DEUTZ REVEALS SINGLE VINEYARD PROJECT
Champagne Deutz has unveiled a new single vineyard, single variety concept with the launch of its Hommage à William Deutz range, made exclusively from Pinot Noir sourced from two individual parcels in Aÿ.
Part of the Cuvée William Deutz Vintage collection, Hommage à William Deutz 2010 Parcelles d’Aÿ, named after its founder William Deutz, is a 100% Pinot Noir Champagne sourced from two plots above the family house in Aÿ, purchased by William Deutz in individual parcels in 1838 – the year the house was founded.
The two vineyards – La Côte Glacière (1.92 hectares) and Meurtet (2.42 hectares) – are within the protected UNESCO World Heritage site for Pinot Noir.
“When we embark on the blend following the harvest we have all these wines to choose from and it just happens that Pinot Noir from these two plots always come out well,” explained Fabrice Rosset, CEO of Deutz speaking to the drinks business.
“I said to myself this is so delicious why don’t we explore the possibility of a single grape and single vineyard. So after 15 years of observation of these two plots, we decided to keep some for a vintage.”
The inaugural Hommage à William Deutz release will be the 2010, made from a blend of grapes sourced from both of these vineyards, hence the name “Parcelles”.
“At the time of the harvest we have to be very specific in terms of sourcing and in 2010 we combined the fruit of these two plots and ended up with Hommage à William Deutz 2010 Parcelles d’Aÿ, as oppose to a single vineyard,” explains Rosset.
“What is good though is that most good things happen by accident. It’s a wonderful wine to start with for this range. The next vintage, which will not be 2011 because it was problematic for Pinot Noir, will be the 2012 and we will have the opportunity to taste two wines of a mono cépage.”
The next two Hommage à William Deutz wines will be from the 2012 Vintage, due to be released in two years time, made from grapes sourced from each vineyard separately. The pair will be the first-ever single vineyard Pinot Noirs from both La Côte Glacière and Meurtet.
As its name suggest, the collection will pay homage to William Deutz, who founded Champagne Deutz in 1838, with its release announced ahead of the house’s 180th anniversary next year.
Commenting on the purpose of further innovation in Champagne, Rosset added: “It’s not a matter of ego but I like to show to the world that we can do these things. There are so many styles and there is a huge diversity in Champagne and I want to show what we can do, because we have the proper raw materials and the talent of winemakers.”
Intended as an entry point to the prestige Cuvée Wiliam Deutz Vintages, around 6,000 bottles of the 2010 Hommage à William Deutz 2010 Parcelles d’Aÿ have been produced, and will retail at around £95, available from UK agents Gonzalez Byass UK.