Prévost and Selosse

[Saina Nieminen]

Kirk Wallace was back in Helsinki and was in an overly generous mood (I need to think of something extravagant to pay back for his generosity the next time he's over) and felt like opening some Champagnes. These were fun wines!

Jérôme Prévost Champagne La Closerie Extra Brut Les Beguines - 2016 though not allowed on the label; 100% Pinot Meunier

All kinds of fun, fruity aromas with plenty of red berry and sweet apple scents. I haven't had many pure PM Champagnes but this seemed to have good acidity and even elegance and nuance compared to those few other PMs I've tried that were more rustic and rich. There was an almost tannic bite to this one that countered all that fruit perfectly. I liked it very much.

Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Lieux-dits Extra Brut Ambonnay Le Bout du Clos - disgorged 18.1.2018

Quite an orange colour. I love oxidative styles of wine and this was in that style. If the Prévost was more in a sweet red apple style, this is in a more sour green one (though not going so sour as the granny smith variety). Oxidative and earthy. Very rich on the palate but with good acidity and lovely effects from oxygen. If nitpicking, it's perhaps a bit richer on the palate than I'd ideally prefer, but I'd happily drink it again anyway.

 

[Michael Lewis]

Kirk is always in a generous mood, in my experience. The wines sound lovely.

 

[kirk wallace]

LOL. Well, always when in good company, I hope.

Thanks for coming out, Otto. Nice notes and very good to see you. I thought those wines were really showing well, although the Bout du Clos is at about my outer limit of oxidative for Champagne. I hadn’t had one in about 4 years and back then they were markedly less oxidative. I assume that is at least in part because Anselme makes these using a so-called perpetual reserve method (unlike the solera method he uses for Substance which is of course also oxidative) and now the reserve is older and more oxidized. That ‘15 Prévost, however, was on fire I thought. Not sure I’ve had a more enjoyable young Prévost BdN.

In case anybody is planning a Helsinki visit, there are some pretty interesting and reasonable priced (compared say to NYC) (and in many cases even to PDX) wine lists there and some very solid food. For example, besides the bottles Otto mentions, I had a bottle of Prévost ‘15 Fac-Simile two nights later at a truly wonderful 1 year-old restaurant called Inari for about its US retail release price (when you can even get it). That also was one of the best young Prévost rosés I’ve had. I suppose the ripeness of ‘15 has its advantages. Restaurant Ask also serves excellent, well considered food with a super wine list. (Restaurant Gaijin also has good wines, e.g., Dauvissat 1er & Grand Cru at less than US retail, and friendly service, but it is, as SFJoe used to say, strictly a BYOF sort of place.)