Maison Henri Champliau is a family winery located in Mercurey, in the heart of the Côte Chalonnaise region of Burgundy. Founded by Alexandre GRAFFARD, grandson of Henri Champliau, they offer Crémant de Bourgogne, made in the traditional method from the noble grape varieties Pinot Noir & Chardonnay. They also offer a ‘Signatures’ range to the same high-quality standards of our winery.
The production of Crémant de Bourgogne must follow the strict specifications as defined by the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée. But then craftsmanship is essential to guarantee the quality and their own house style. This is the journey followed by their wines before they reach your tables.
Crémant de Bourgogne Henri Champliau is produced from plots known to produce grapes of great quality for the base wines.
This means having ideal characteristics which provide perfect ripening, a mineral quality but not to excess, and a true aromatic expression of the grapes. The earth is lighter and cooler, rather than rich.
The soil is well-drained; they generally avoid the full-south orientations and prefer the highest areas of Burgundy or partially exposed orientations.
Training the vines requires attention as early as the pruning. The soil is managed with passion to bring on the grapes to the correct ripening stage.
The grapes are harvested by hand only to prevent splitting and to capture the freshness of the fruit. The grapes are thus brought whole to the winery and are pressed in successive stages to create juices of different quality. They then follow a classic method for making a white wine. Alcoholic fermentation comes first which lasts about ten days, followed by malolactic fermentation. In order to ensure the quality of the base wines, checks for content and flavour are carried out.
For the Henri Champliau crémants , the ageing time varies between a minimum of 12 months and 20 months following the date of disgorgement which takes place every three months.
The Henri Champliau crémants are lightly dosed to bring out the characteristics and clarity of the wines.
This 2019, Maison HENRI CHAMPLIAU has joined Singapore Wines, Spirits and Beers Competition and won 2 gold medal and 2 silver medal in this competition:
Crémant de Bourgogne – Brut Rosé
Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper
Benefitting from the same characteristics as the Brut Authentique, this rosé wine has a beautiful colour that is just asking to be tasted!
Vintage 2016 blend: 75% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay & 10% Gamay.
Tasting Note: A beautiful salmon pink colour, a delicate nose of white flowers and red berries, clear and intense on the palate. Pinot Noir is predominant in the blend, bringing elegance and strength, while the freshness of Chardonnay and the delicacy of the Gamay perfect the balance of this cuvée.
Petrone 68 – Brut Blanc de Blancs
Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper
Petrone was a colt of Wild Miss which my grandfather, Henri Champliau, sold to the American actor Eddie CONSTANTINE. It was one of the best horses of its generation in 1968 in France and the USA.
The method is known as ‘Charmat’. We use a horizontal tank, which maximizes the surface contact between the wine and the lees. This tank is equipped with a rotating device that gently raises up the lees into the wine to extract all the aromatic potential. Thanks to this tool, we avoid the astringency, vegetable taste and ‘green’ acidity of the majority of sparkling wines. This achieves richer, rounder and fruity aromas.
The other mark of quality is the respect for time! The process for creating the bubbles takes a minimum of 3 months for the cuvée to be perfectly balanced with delicate, well-incorporated and even bubbles prior to bottling.
Tasting Note: Copious bubbles, pear and apple aromas, soft and generous on the palate finishing with a beautiful freshness with citrus notes. This wine is very easy to drink, can be enjoyed on any occasion and can also be used for mixing cocktails.
Wild Miss 55 – Méthode Ancestrale demi-sec – Rosé
Awarded Silver by Singapore Newspaper
Wild Miss was the first thoroughbred filly that my grandfather Henri CHAMPLIAU bought in Deauville. In 1955, she won the Prix Vermeille at Longchamp-Paris, one of the finest races for a filly.
The méthode ancestrale is an old method of production that has ended up becoming very modern!
Low alcohol levels (7.5% vol) and 100% natural.
We use the grape variety Gamay (Beaujolais), known for its aromatic potency, which is perfectly suited to this method of production.
We put the must (grape juice) In a horizontal tank equipped with a rotating device that lifts up the lees into the wine to extract all the aromatic potential.
The tank is left open at the beginning of the alcoholic fermentation, which turns the sugar from the grapes into alcohol, until it reaches 6.5% volume of alcohol. The tank is then tightly closed. The fermentation continues until it reaches 7.5% volume of alcohol and creates the effervescence.
At this precise moment, the temperature of the tank is lowered to -2 °C to kill the yeasts and stop the alcoholic fermentation naturally.
The process for creating the bubbles lasts 3 months in total (very important to have delicate and well-integrated bubbles) before the wine is bottled. There is no addition of sugar-based tirage or accelerator liquids! The sweet flavour is 100% natural because it comes only from the residual sugar from the grapes.
Tasting Note: Pink colour, delicate and dense bubble mousse, raspberry and cherry notes. A sensation of sweet pleasure on the finish balanced by the fresh acidity of the fruit.
Crémant de Bourgogne – Brut Authentique
Awarded Silver by Singapore Newspaper
This cuvée is the symbol of the passion that drives our business; the desire to push the appellation to the maximum quality achievable, whilst being based solely on the two noble grape varieties.
Vintage 2016 blend: 82% Pinot Noir & 18% Chardonnay
Tasting Note: Refined and elegant bubbles, delicate notes of red berries on the nose, clear and fruity on the palate, with surprising finesse, length and freshness.
Importers and Distributors looking for ‘Signature’ Wines with the best quality!
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