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Wine Description
The Story
"Nature is a temple where living pillars let escape sometimes confused words; Man traverses it through forests of symbols that observe him with familiar glances. Like long echoes that intermingle from a far in a dark and profound unity. Vast like the night and like the light, the perfumes, the colors and the sounds respond. There are perfumes fresh like the skin of infants sweet like oboes, green like prairies, and others corrupted, rich and triumphant. That have the expanse of infinite things, like ambergris, musk, balsam and incense, which sing the ecstasies of the mind and senses." – Les Fleurs du Mal, 1857 Ch. Baudelaire
Caroline and Olivier Collard is used by Beaudelaire to describe his mystical experience and the ineffable. Scents are liked to sound, color, and touch. One sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in another sensory or cognitive pathway. can be experienced when all five senses are stimulated when you drink special Champagne:
SIGHT: When you open the box and feast your eyes on the bottles and film.
TOUCH: When you touch the finery on the bottles.
HEARING: When you pop the cork then listen to the bubbles fizzing in the glass.
NOSE: Breathe in the subtle and delicate scents.
TASTE: 2006 in its fresh and earthy notes, 2007 in its rich and complex aromas.
Caroline and Olivier Collard are 5th generation Champagne families passionate about preserving the great wine-making traditions of Champagne. Olivier Collard, chef de cave, has rushed nothing in order to make these two exceptional vintage Champagnes that reflect the great bottlings of the past. There are 500 signed and numbered gift boxes.
Only the ‘Coeur de cuvée’ is used, which is the very purest juice drawn from the first pressing. The wine is aged in traditional large oak foudres. Malolactic fermentation is withheld, allowing the
Champagne to age for many years. Rarely used traditional corks and clips enable the Champagne to breathe while it matures on the lees for ten years minimum in the cellars, developing complexity.
The vines have an average age of 45 years. 80% is Chardonnay from the famous Grand Crus of Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger in the Côte des Blancs. 20% is Pinot Noir from the south-facing Reuil vineyard in the Marne Valley. The dosage of 2g/l, classified ‘Extra-Brut’, is exceptionally low, allowing the Champagne to fully express the terroir of the exceptional vineyards.
These two Champagnes can keep for up to 15 years in optimal conditions and must be stored away from sunlight. They are best served in large wine glasses at 8°C. The same terroir and wine-making process as these two exceptional vintages but different sensory perceptions:
Vintage 2007
An unusually warm spring led to early flowering and initial optimism, which soon gave way to disappointment following one of the murkiest summers on record. Overall, 2007 was a difficult vintage saved by last-minute sunshine in late-August. Mildew and rot were the main culprits of the harvest, and the level of gluconic acid rocketed. The harvest began early, on August 24th, and was abundant in volume averaging 14,242 kg/ha. Pinot Meunier posed the biggest problems and Chardonnay clearly outperformed the rest. Many of the iconic prestige cuvée blanc de blancs were successfully produced, such as Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, Ruinart Dom Ruinart, Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Louis and Salon Le Mesnil. Some blended prestige cuvées such as Louis Roederer Cristal and Philipponnat Clos des Goisses were also made. Champagnes from 2007 are typically high in acidity and restrainedly classic in style, but lack the spine and strength of the greatest harvest years. Even if the vintage only receives three stars, its best Chardonnays are well worth seeking and storing.
