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What We Say Cuvée Blanche de Castille
If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome! The Wine Spies feature one exceptional wine each day – and we only bring you wines that we ourselves seek out and love. Always, the wines are great. Sometimes greater than great, as is the case with today’s Premier Cru from Colin.
TOP SECRET SPY DEAL:
For this Champagne we are offering Free Ground Shipping on orders of six or more bottles PLUS get a Free Copy of The Instant Wine Connoisseur on any order of six or more. This is a great book that is full of excellent tasting information and recipes that compliment the various wines described. A $20 value – yours free while supplies last – use the promotion code SPYNOW at checkout for this great offer.
Mission Codename: So Much to Celebrate and be Thankful For!
Operative: Agent Blush
Objective: Find an affordable Premier Cru Champagne for our operatives’ holiday parties.
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: House Champagne Colin
Wine Subject: NV Cuvee Blanche de Castille
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Sparkling light straw yellow and golden with a robust and lively effervescence.
Smell – Sweet scents of honey, tart apples and pears and a hint of oak.
Feel – Bright and tingly, very effervescent and cool on the tongue.
Taste – Crisp and tart apples, pears, a slight citrus twist with a hint of honey, vanilla, oak and butter.
Finish – While initially cool and crisp on the palate this Champagne finishes warm and smooth with a slight yeast flavor that invites another sip.
Conclusion – A classic Blanc de Blanc Champagne with robust fizz and dry but flavorful fruit. This is a superb Champagne for the price and will complement any of your holiday celebrations.
Backgrounder:
Originally considered a fault for wine to have a secondary fermentation in the bottle, Champagne has become among the most sought after wines. While Dom Perignon is credited with inventing Champagne in 1690, evidence suggests that the legendary monk spent most of his time riding his wine of its evervescent qualities. Checking our history, the 1718 manuscript Memoire sure le Maniere de cultiver la Vigne et de Faire le Vin de Champagne, discusses the creation of this sparkling masterpiece at least six years before Dom Perignon arrived in the region.
Considered a specific wine with a designated AOC, Champagne is usually made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Petit Meslier and Pinot Blanc. Champagne is also different in that it is ‘Assembled’, or blended with as many as 50 or more base wines, hence many Champagnes are Non-Vintage. Champagne is also always categorized with an Eschelle des Crus which indicates the base price and quality of the grapes used. The highest eschelle is grand cru and represents only the top 1% of grapes. Premier Cru represents grapes in the 90-99% range. Anything less, us spies consider torture.
The House of Colin is located in the village of Vertus (about 12 miles south of Epernay) in the Cote de Blancs region where most of the Champagnes are made with white Chardonnay grapes. This house blends and assembles Champagne in several styles including this Brut – Blanc de Blancs as well as a lovely Brut Rose and Demi Sec among others.
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the House of Colin Champagne can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Champagne Colin
Cuvée Blanche de Castille – Brut Blanc de Blancs
This is a Premier Cru, that means all the wine result from the grapes in our vines classed Premier Cru. The origin is Vertus, and Bergères les Vertus.
Tasting Notes:
This is a Brut Champagne, this Champagne “Blanc de Blancs” is one of the best Champagne. It is a very typical Champagne.
The Chardonnay is very light and fine. This Champagne is very fresh, fine and delicate. The flavour smell very floral. It is a very lively, brilliant, clear Champagne with a grey yellow colour, gold colour. The bubbles are light, quick to form, with a delicate appearance.
We can think of fresh fruit, in paticular of citrus, or exotic fruit.
This Champagne represents the White Cost and in fact our soils. These soils give the wine more finess, lightness and delicatess.
About Champagne Colin:
The House Champagne COLIN is located in Vertus, 20 km away from Epernay, the Capitole of the Champagne, in the department of Marne. We are located in the “Côte des Blancs” which begins from Epernay through to Bergère les Vertus. The biggest part of our vines is located in this region: – In Cramant and Oiry Classed Grand Cru – In Vertus, Bergère les Vertus and Cuis classed Premier cru.
The other part is placed in Sezanne and in Fossoy and Varennes Courtemont in the department of Aisne. The Particularity of our House is to elaborate Champagne with a lot of Chardonnay, because it represents 80% of our vines. We grow for the same part Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the two others black grapes authorised in the making of Champagne.
Our new edifice has been build in the aim of elaborating, tasting and sending Champagne in a very pratical way. All has been minded for beeing practical, from the harvest through the sending of our Champagne. The House is located only 20km away from the freeway exit. If you want to visit us, it will be a pleasure to welcome you in our new reception office. You’ll be visiting our installation and tasting our range of champagne in very warmy atmosphere with a modern and luxuous decoration, always turned toward the future…
History of House Champagne Colin:
In 1829, our ancestors were winegrowers in Vertus et Bergères les Vertus, they brought us their love and passion for the soil and the know-how in elaborating Champagne. From this period we kept a certain way of working in respect of the traditions. The work in the vines is still realized manually. Tradition is the name we always use to explain the Champagne. That’s what we apply for working in the vines until the harvest. The grapes are crushed in th traditional wood press: a Coquard which crush 4000 Kg.
However, if the original philosophy and tradition are respected, we are also concerned by the new technologies that reinforced the quality control of the wines.
The winery, like all the house, is air conditionned. After a cold settling, we inoculated the must with yeasts and we keep the temperature between 18 and 20°C. In the vat, with the thermoregulation, and in the winery with the air conditioning…so that the must can not have a violent fermentation, without lost of aromas and characters.
From this perfect balance between tradition and modernism, we are able to bring a huge palette of Champagnes, often referenced in prestigious wine guides. (Hachette, Dusser-Gerbert, Gilbert et Gaillard…).
Technical Information:
Assemblage: 100% Chardonnay
Vintage: NV
