Mailly Champagne

The windmill in the middle of Mailly's vineyardsThe following afternoon , we went to Mailly Champagne , wwich is an old and prestigious "societe de production " , or cooperative , founded in 1929. Patrig Morvezen , commercial director , guided us through this visit and tasting experience.
The estate makes Champagne from a few dozens of hectares of vineyards. The picture above shows some of them, with the Moulin de Verzenay, the windmill overlooking the area.
Mr Morzeven gave us his time and passion for his (fantastic) Champagne wine . Mailly is the name of the village where "Mailly Champagne " is located . The M.C. yearly output is about 45 000 bottles , from 70 hectares (1 Ha = 2.47 acres) , on this village . They have a stock of about 1.8 million bottles . As it is compulsory for Champagne wines , grape harvest is hand made . They need 5 persons during 12 days to harvest one hectare . As the quality of the wine always depends of the grapes , a lot of attention is given to them . Only perfect condition . No leaves . Last year for the first time , due to the extreme weather conditions , harvest was in august . Never happened before.
After the grapes go through the press , the resulting juice goes in tanks where the alcoholic fermentation is controlled through temperature . It stays there till the following spring , when an addition of sugar (24 grams/liter) and yeast before bottling , will lead to the second fermentation , in the bottles this time , which will be tightly sealed by a temporary cap .

This fermentation will produce a 6 kg pressure in the bottle , plus CO2 . The fermentation will happen slowly in the cool cellars . Time is important , as well as temperature . Time allows a slow evolution wich gives time for the aromas to develop . . The carbon dioxide blocked in the bottle in high pressure is at the origin of the champagne bubbles . On the picture above , you can see an alley that opens on consecutive cellars where the bottles are stored . A plaque on the first one on the right reads "caveau des roses" Next picture shows one of these "caveaux" , where bottles are either horizontally stored , or in the riddling process . In these underground galleries , thousands of bottles lie in the dark , ageing being a factor for the aromas , with codes written to sort them by type and age . At some point , our host shows us the dead yeast lying on one side of the bottle . He carefully holds it in the light for us to see : The lees settled in the bottle In some cellars , bottles are already on riddling tables ("pupitres" in french) . That is the process of moving the lees , or dead yeast , to the top of the bottle . This is done when the years of maturing in the cellar have been completed . At this stage , dead yeast has accumulated while the bottle was lying . As they reach the manipulating table , they will periodically be moved by a manipulator , from the horizontal position to the vertical ( up side down ) to slowly bring the lees to the top of the bottle , where the cork usually is , before being expelled . An experienced manipulator here moves 7000 bottles/hour , the movement including rotation and inching toward verticality . This also is an art and you don't do that overnight . Time for this process varies , but usually bottles are manipulated over a time range of several weeks , say 5 .
The dead yeast is frozen briefly , the bottle opened and the lees disgorged . Then , the secret and precious dosage (in french : liqueur d'expedition) is injected . The composition of this additive is kept secret by all these prestigious champagne makers . The added volume is about 1 cl/bottle . Then comes the cork and the wire to keep it tight.Lees accumulated in the bottle neckThen comes our tasting experience : Great moment. First :
__The " Brut sans annee " . You always must begin by this "no year" Brut Champagne . This is the identification of a Champagne house , as every year you will recognize its specificity . This one has the typicity of Mailly Champagne , 75 % pinot noir and 25 % chardonnay . This one has maybe 50 % coming from the 2000 harvest , plus 10 % 1999 , 10 % 1998 , 10 % 1997 , 5 % 1996 and so on ...
__Second : Extra Brut . 6 years in cellars . "non dosé" , o% sugar .Stays on the fruit . Not agressive at all .Natural acidity estomped with the years . Honey .
__Third : Blanc de Noirs . Opposed to the precedent . Was brought back to the market in 1988 . Was not made anymore at the time . First commercialization in 1992 . Needed several years to make it , and now , well exported . Round , silky . Not a millesime , to keep the identification looked after.
__Fourth : Brut Millesime 1997 . Very great wine . My best choice . Very good. Very good year in Champagne ( as opposed to the Bordeaux region ) . A lot of complexity . . Honey . dry fruits . Almonds . I wanted a picture of this marvel . Here it is .The outstanding Mailly Brut Millesime 1997 __Fifth : La Terre 1996 . Milesime Vineyards 15 and 20 years old . It comes with a metal box designed by sculptor Bernard Pages.
__Sixth : Brut rose . Also great . This is a maceration rose . Never the same color . Sometimes goes to the orange tile tones . 90 % pinot noir and 10 % chardonnay.
This was indeed a great experience . Thank you !Champagne Mailly Grand Cru28 rue de la libération51500 Mailly, Champagne, Francephone +33 3 26 49 41 10www.champagne-mailly.com

Comments

[peter sheen]

What year was a perfect 10 for champagne - 1980 ? 87 ? 90 ? 96 ?

Can you advise please ?