Continuing its impressive streak in India, the sixth edition of Tastin’ France offered a diverse bouquet of wines- some familiar and yet newer expressions. This year, the yearly fixture, which is organized by Business France India, saw thirteen French producers participating in two cities: Mumbai (17th – 18th October) at the ProWine Trade Fair, and Delhi (20th October) at the Embassy of France in India. Producers from Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhône Valley, Provence, Languedoc, and Southwest France showcased a diverse range of wines, Armagnac, liqueurs- and this time quite surprisingly- a wine seltzer.
Click here to read about the previous edition of Tastin’ France India
I was privileged to witness Tastin’ France India 2022 in both cities- from the sidelines in Mumbai (due to being busy with my own Japanese Sake booth at Prowine), and with a detailed look in Delhi. Here are some of my finds:
(Not to make this article unduly long, I am describing only two wines per producer that I visited at Tastin’ France. For their other wines, please take a look at their respective websites listed alongside. Ex Cellar prices wherever available have been given with the wine descriptions).
Champagne Jeeper
https://www.champagne-jeeper.com/en/
Does this Champagne house have anything to do with the cult Willys Jeep of the Second World War fame? In all probability, you have guessed it right.
Champagne Jeeper was founded by Armand Goutorbe, a winemaker who was gifted a Willys Jeep by the US Army as gratitude towards his services to US soldiers during the war. The Jeep quickly became an asset to him for easy manoeuvring around the vineyard slopes, so much so, that he ended up christening his brand Champagne JEEPER. This also differentiated him from many other wine growers of the region who were also named Goutrobe.
Champagne Jeeper is situated in the Faverolles and Coëmy site, near Reims, northwest of the Champagne Region. Apart from France, they have permanent offices in the United States and Japan- both of them known to be significant Champagne markets.
Champagne Jeeper maintains a stock of around 3,000,000 bottles of réserve wines at all times to keep a consistent style of its non-vintage wines.
Champagne Jeeper Grande Réserve Brut NV Blanc de Blancs
100% Chardonnay
Dosage: 7 g/l.
Tasting Notes
Light gold colour with citrus and mineral nose. A creamy palate, with balanced acidity and a long mineral finish. Blanc de Blancs is their signature cuvée aged for two years in oak and five years on the lees.
Champagne Jeeper Grande Cuvée Brut Millésime 2008
60% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, 10% Pinot Meunier
Dosage: 6 g/l.
Aged 12 years on the lees.
Tasting Notes
Medium gold colour with nutty, toasty and candied fruit aromas. Delicious on the palate with its baked apple, biscuit flavours and a mouth-filling creamy palate. This one certainly qualifies well as a “gourmet Champagne”.
Direct Domaines Distribution (DDD)
www.direct-domaines- distribution.com
DDD is a leading exporter of fine wines from more than 250 boutique Domaines largely in Burgundy and Champagne, as also in Loire, Jura, Rhône and South of France. For the past 30 years, DDD has been dedicated to the Asia-Pacific region, offering extensive services to their partner Domaines as well as to their customers. Their warehouse is situated in Sainte-Marie-La-Blanche, fully designed for optimal storage of fine wines.
Champagne Mailly Grand Cru NV Blanc de Pinot Noir
- 100% Pinot Noir, only first-press juice.
- Base Vintage 2017.
- 26.9% of the blend is vinified in oak barrels.
- 26.2% reserve wines.
- 8 g/l dosage.
- Disgorgement: 16 March 2022.
The first time I tasted Mailly Champagne was at the CIVC office in Epernay. Ever since then, this Champagne house has been one of my preferred ones. Champagne Mailly is one of the best-known cooperatives located entirely in a Grand Cru region in the heart of Montagne de Reims. They are particularly famed for their Pinot Noir heavy wines.
Only 17 of the 320 villages in the Champagne AOC production area currently enjoy Grand Cru status. Mailly Grand Cru sources all its wines from Grand Cru vineyards.
Tasting Notes
Honeyed and ripe apricot aromas followed by a full-bodied vinous palate exhibiting a great balance with its acidity. One could be engrossed sipping this wine with its layers of complexity.
Château de Laborde Gevrey Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 2018
100% Pinot Noir
Château De Laborde was bought in 1998 by Hervé Kerlann, the founder of DDD, from the famed ancient charity Hospices de Beaune. Today the estate represents 4 hectares in ownership, supplemented by 9 hectares of contracted vineyards.
The grapes for this wine come from an average vine age of 40 years (“Vielles Vignes” meaning “old vines”). Only 6000 bottles of this wine are produced annually, blending from six different parcels of different climats (terroirs) that afford it a great representation of its region. The wine is aged for 18 months in oak, 50% of it being in new oak.
Gevrey-Chambertin is a famed Village Appellation in the Côte de Nuits region of Burgundy. It includes 26 Premier Cru climats (distinctive terroir) and 9 Grands Crus.
Tasting Notes
A medium ruby-coloured wine with a nose of strawberry and cassis. It had a well-structured palate with a buoyant acidity.
One thing I love about good Burgundian reds is their versatility to be enjoyed on their own or with food. This wine lived up to my expectations with its great structure and softness.
Also tasted from DDD:
- Mongeard-Mugneret AOC Vosne Romanée Village 2018 (Pinot Noir).
- Mongeard-Mugneret AOC Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuit Dame Huguette 2020 (Pinot Noir).
Château Favori
Château Favori is a Domaine in AOC Coteaux Varois en Provence located in Bras in the heart of
“Provence Verte” – the “green area” of Provence. The moderate microclimate of their vineyards affords their vines to be devoid of stress, thus ensuring the freshness of their grapes. They practice organic viticulture, something also portrayed by their logo depicting the oneness of humans with nature.
In 2019, Château Favori decided to renew the tradition of excellence of Rosés de Provence, by launching their first cuvée. The light colour of their wines stems from cool night-time harvesting followed by an extremely short maceration to prevent undue oxidation.
Favori IGP Méditerranée 2021 Rosé
(Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Merlot, Colombard)
Ex Cellar Price: € 3
Tasting Notes
Aromas of tropical fruits followed by a well-structured palate of fruity flavours and a hint of tannins.
Château Favori, AOP Coteaux Varois en Provence 2021 Rosé
(Grenache, Syrah, Rolle)
Ex Cellar Price: € 5
The producers informed us that this wine was ranked 36th among more than 80,000 wines graded on Vivino .
Tasting Notes
A complex Rosé with fruity/floral aromas, a good structure and a mineral finish.
Marrenon
Marrenon is a group of cooperatives that brings together several wine producers between the Rhône Valley and Provence. They are located in the heart of the Regional Nature Park of Luberon, a biosphere reserve recognized by UNESCO. Their landscape includes vineyards, olive trees, cherry trees and lavender fields, with maximum exposure of slopes to the Sun, and an optimal microclimate.
Doria, AOP Luberon 2020 White
Vermentino, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne
Ex Cellar Price: € 4.64
Tasting Notes
Pale gold colour with aromas of gooseberry and stone fruits. The palate was refreshing with medium acidity and a rounded mouth feel.
Rosace, AOP Ventoux 2021 Rosé
Grenache Noir, Syrah
Ex Cellar Price: € 3.44
The wine comes from a terroir of clay-limestone-gravel at the foot of the Monts du Vaucluse.
Tasting Notes
A beautiful salmon pink colour showcasing well in an elegant bottle with a sophisticated label. A subtle nose of red fruits, followed by a fresh and fruity palate make this wine an ideal candidate for the Indian summer.
Also tasted from Marrenon
- Belles Echapées AOP Gigondas (Grenache Noir, Syrah) Ex Cellar Price: € 10.
Vignobles Boissonneau
Nicolas Boissonneau, 6th generation of Vignobles Boissoneau had participated in the earlier two versions of Tastin’ France India as well. He is quite enthused with his earlier interactions with Indian importers and hopes that his wines will arrive in India soon. See what he has to say about his perception of the Indian market in the video below.
Vignobles Boissoneau was founded in 1839 by Pierre Boissonneau in the southernmost area of Bordeaux. Since 2021, their 55-ha Estate (Bordeaux and South-West France) is 100% Certified Organic and 100% Certified Biodynamic. The family also owns a wine trading company, attached to the family vineyard. Both the family-owned estate and the trading company are owned and managed by Pascal and Nicolas Boissonneau of the 6th generation. They sell 95% of the wines to the export markets including wines from Bordeaux as well as other regions.
At Tastin’ France 2022, I focussed on Vignoble Boissoneau’s entry-level white and red blends that in my opinion could offer great value to importers and wine consumers in India.
Château Le Roc AOC Bordeaux Blanc 2021 (Vegan, Sustainable)
Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Muscadelle
Ex Cellar Price: € 2.20
Tasting Notes
A pale gold wine with a perfumed nose and a refreshing palate of stone fruits. According to Nicolas, his aim was to create an unusual representation of a classic Bordeaux white blend by toning down the vegetal characteristics of Sauvignon Blanc while enhancing its fruity character. This approachable wine surely stands on its own.
Château Le Roc AOC Bordeaux Rouge 2020 (Vegan, Sustainable)
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Ex Cellar Price: € 2.20
Tasting Notes
A medium ruby-coloured wine with aromas of black fruits and spice. It had a juicy palate with a medium body, supple tannins and a medium finish. An easy-drinking wine that can go well with light food.
Also tasted from Vignobles Boissonneau
- Château Moulin de Ferrand AOC Bordeaux Supérieur Red 2019 (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc) Ex Cellar Price: € 3.95.
Terre de Vignerons
Terre de Vignerons is a union of winegrowers based in the Bordeaux and Duras regions. 60 of their 1200 producers are organic and hold multiple industry certifications. They have a diversity of terroirs in appellations such as IGP Atlantique, Cotes de Duras, Bordeaux AOP, Crémants de Bordeaux and the basic Vin de France covering approximately 15,000 hectares of vineyards. They also specialise in the creation of customised brands and supply all types of formats (bottles of all sizes, bag-in-box, cans, etc.).
Comtesse de St Pey AOP Crémant de Bordeaux Brut NV (White)
Sémillon, Cabernet Franc
Ex Cellar Price: € 4.25
Crémants are sparkling wines made in different regions of France outside the Champagne region but using the same production method as Champagne. These wines are known to be extremely affordable while offering a similar drinking pleasure as Champagne.
Tasting Notes
Comtesse de St Pey had a zesty sparkle, toasty notes and flavours of citrus/ stone fruits. This can be a great party starter without burning a hole in your pocket.
La Mauvaise Réputation AOP Bordeaux 2020
100% Malbec
Ex Cellar Price: € 3.05
Scandalous as the label may look ( La Mauvaise Réputation literally meaning “The bad reputation”), the wine purportedly symbolises the vagaries of the prohibition era when alcohol had a bad reputation of being responsible for all the evils. The label is quite graphic too- depicting Smedley Butler, a safety officer, destroying barrels in Philadelphia.
Tasting Notes
A deep ruby wine with purple overtones and dark berries and spice aromas. The palate was luscious with silky tannins and a lengthy finish.
Also tasted from Terre de Vignerons
- Spin-Off Wine Seltzer– fruity and refreshing with 5.5% ABV. Ex Cellar Price: € 2.30 for a standard bottle (also available in a smaller bottle and can).
71 Vintage/ 71 Magnum
71 Vintage was founded by François Gaillard, who was born near Chablis, Burgundy, and grew up around the vineyards helping his grandfather to make wine. In 1996, after attending a business school, François moved to California to work in the vineyards, after which he moved to New York, where he worked in the wine and hospitality industry for 7 years. In 2003, François moved back to France and in 2007 formed his company 71 Vintage to interface the French wine industry with the US market. 71 Vintage and its sister company 71 Magnum are now keen to do business in the promising future market of India.
Complices de Loire Vouvray “Plenitude” 2020 (White)
100% Chenin Blanc
Ex Cellar Price: € 9
Maison Complices de Loire has been producing wines since 2010 from 8 appellations of the Loire Valley, from Pouilly Fumé to Saumur.
Tasting Notes
Matured in earthen pots, this was a clean and velvety wine with tree fruit flavours and a distinctively mineral finish. It can be an excellent aperitif wine.
Monluc Vintage Armagnac Brown 1992
Colombard, Ugni Blanc, Baco
Château de Monluc is situated in the heart of Gascony. It was the home of Blaise de Monluc (1500 – 1577), a Gascon captain who remained distinguished throughout his long military career to be conferred the title of Marshal of France at the age of 74.
Today, the Monluc estate represents five generations of passion for being rooted in its terroir and a series of innovations such as Pousse Rapière (an Armagnac-based liqueur) and traditional method sparkling wines.
Other Wine Producers at Tastin’ France India 2022
| DOMAINE DES MARRONNIERS – DOMAINE DE MAUPERTHUIS | www.mauperthuis.fr |
| CHÂTEAU JULIETTE | www.chateaujuliette.com |
| VINPRESSIONNISTE – DOMAINE DE LA CANAGUE VIEILLE | www.vinpressionniste.com |
| SAS LES CHAIS DE RIONS | www.vignobles-gonfrier.fr |
