This tasting over an extended lunch in the Restaurant Rössli in Bad Ragaz (link) was organized by Roger Bischof and Roger Zysset of Secli Weinwelt (link) who typically host 3-4 exclusive Champagne blind tastings per year. Wines were served in flights of four. I always like these thoughtfully curated events of Roger, both from a hedonistic and learning aspect. This lunch was not different. The wines have shown exceptionally well, accompanied by wonderful food. Noteworthy was the incredibly high level of all the wines that were served. The consistency of these benchmark wines over two vintages was impressive.
The 2012 and 2013 Vintages
2012 is considered a very good vintage, together with 2008, 2002 and 1996 among the best in the last 30 years. The style of 2012 is generous, rich and charming, yet with a lot of freshness and firm structure. 2013 is considered a little lighter, maybe more elegant with a touch more acidity. In 2013 most of the harvest took place in October, which is late by today’s standard. On paper it should thus not be too difficult to distinguish between both. In reality, during the tasting, we sometimes struggled to pinpoint which wines were from which vintage. It often was easier to call the producer than the vintage. That is a testament to the quality of the at times overlooked 2013 vintage, but also to the high quality and strict selection of the houses and growers that were represented in this tasting. While 2012 might be the broadly more consistent vintage, the heights in 2013 are really high and might eclipse their peers of 2012 in certain cases.
The tasting
Bollinger, Blanc de Noirs Vieilles Vignes Françaises 2013
100% Pinot Noir, served blind.
Medium yellow. Strict, tense, a bit closed, needs swirling to come alive. But then very rich, savoury, aristocratic with lots of structure, deep and authoritative, with excellent phenolics on the finish. Building complexity of pear, citrus, red berries, minerality, autolytic notes and spices, but at this early stage it’s more about structure and texture. Full-bodied and with high acidity, but also creamy mousse and mouthfeel. This feels young with a lot of power and reserve left. Impressive, but one to lay down further. Still hides a lot of structure and aromas. A great murmur filled the room when the bottle was revealed. Rare bird, and a very generous contribution of Roger Bischof. 19.25/20 (98/100).
Jacques Lassaigne, Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Clos St. Sophie 2013
0g dosage, dark yellow. Expressive nose. Superbly complex with aromas of sweet spices, citrus, with lots of gun flint, minerals, white flowers and jasmine, overall extremely precise and racy. It’s medium-full bodied, deep and intense, with high acidity cutting through everything. Very good bubbles, too. Superb length and fantastic potential. This is a little bit like a Coche-Dury with bubbles. I am speechless. A singular experience, never had a Champagne like this before. This was one of the wines of the night and is a Champagne/wine of the very highest level, agreed on by quite a few of the participants. 19.25-20/20 (98-100/100).
