Club — Emperor Champagne Club

This month our focus is on Vieillissement Prolongé, also known as prolonged ageing. Both of our producers this month have made the decision to extend the ageing of their cuvées, giving them incredible power unlike anything you've seen before. However, you should take note that just because something is aged for an extended period of time, does not mean they are vintage champagne!Our first producer is Vincent Renoir who have been making wines for four generations. From pruning to grape-harvesting, everything is done with passion to ensure the best quality fruit is produced. Vinification is done in either stainless-steel tanks or wooden barrels....

Our first producer is Yves Ruffin. This is a House that went against the trends of the time, when winegrowers didn't take environmental factors into consideration. Since 1971 Yves Ruffin has organically farmed their three hectares between Avenay Val d’Or and Tauxières, a massive pioneering effort! Getting back to our theme, the House's reserve wines are stored in large, oval shaped oak casks from Alsace. Unusually, they also have an old foudre made out of acacia wood, which is used to ferment the base wine for their Extra Brut. This particular wood tends to be less aggressive than traditional oak, giving more subtle notes.Next...

It's Christmas! What an end to a mega year. We wanted to lighten up the mood  and talk about our other senses such as sight, sound, touch and smell. Often, when we are drinking or eating we don't normally consider our environment notably music, lighting, cutlery and the smells around us. The best restaurants look at all of these as part of their service, ambiance and mood they want to create. This month taps into the holistic approach to our environment and how we can tune it, to maximise our enjoyment. Selecting the right music, getting the light right and perhaps...

So the old adage, 'good things come to those who wait' rings true for this month's edition - 'Acapella Versus Concerto'. We wanted to use a music analogy highlighting our first wine for all our 'Lovers' which is made with one variety - chardonnay, one year and one parcel. This is our Acapella, singing it's song with one voice from the Grand Cru village of Le-Mesnil-Sur-Oger. Our producer is Guy Charlemagne. This is his first appearance in the Club. For our concerto, which is defined as "a musical composition for a solo instrument or instruments accompanied by an orchestra, especially...