CH’NG Poh Tiong
This is the first vintage of a new cuvée from Champagne Chapuy, a family-owned, family-managed house located in the Grand Cru village of Oger. Elder sister Elodie is in charge of running the business while Aurore looks after the vineyards and winemaking. Although Champagne Chapuy also buys in grapes for their production, Unique Oger is essentially a grower champagne as the three parcels that contribute to this Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs is from 3 hectares of family-owned vineyards in Oger (they own another 5 ha elsewhere). The family has been in the village for several centuries. An ancestor was mayor of Oger just after the French Revolution (1789 to 1798). Intense lime/lemon zesty fruit with a mineral core. There’s also a hint of honey. A very low dosage of just 3 g/l. Aged 42 months on lees. Very Le Mesnil-like in its steely structure and fine line of fruit. After all, that other Cote des Blancs Grand Cru village is just up the road and its full name happens to be Le Mesnil sur Oger. Do not serve this too cold. Savour straight out of the fridge without putting it into an ice bucket. If you must, ensure the bucket is not jammed with so much ice the wine becomes numbed. Serve in a white wine or generous Burgundy glass. Now to 2040.
Check out this video featuring Unique Oger with Elodie Chapuy and Philippe Jamesse (incidentally, the glass Jamesse uses is designed by him at www.lehmann sa.com/en/glass/collection/jamesse-prestige.html)
