Everyone who tastes wine knows that you learn more if you compare two, or more, wines at the same time. You will often discover things you wouldn’t find if you taste the wines separately. It does not have to mean that you must figure out which one you prefer. But rather to discover the differences.
Champagne Romain Tribaut is a new small Champagne house, founded in 2015. However, winegrowing has been in the family for more than 100 years. The house today makes 35,000 bottles.
Recently, Romain Tribaut launched two champagnes, a duo, which he named “Les Opposés”, the opposites. The idea is to highlight the difference between the two champagne grapes, chardonnay and pinot meunier. Romain wanted to create two champagnes with distinct characters that complement each other.
He has made a 100% chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs and a 100% meunier from the Vallée de la Marne. His idea was also to give some credit to meunier, a grape that has long been used only in blends with the other two grapes. Meunier has never had the same standing as the other two grapes. But slowly, it is changing. It is gaining the reputation that it deserves.
Pinot meunier (sometimes called only meunier) is planted on a third of the surface area in Champagne. It is the dominant grape in the Vallée de la Marne. It is actually a pinot noir mutation. It has its name from that the leaves look like there is flour on them (meunier = miller). Especially the young leaves.
It copes with cool climates and cold soils better than pinot noir and chardonnay, and it buds a little later, so it is popular to plant in cooler areas of Champagne. It is not as much a diva as the other two grapes, a reason why it is not as doted on. It gives lovely fruit to most non-vintage champagnes. And lately, it has proved that it can do excellent on its own.
Chardonnay does not need much presentation. It gives finesse and elegance, and a blanc de blanc of good quality has a crispy and fresh acidity.
The wines
70 % of the base wine for both wines is kept in oak barrels before bottling.
Champagne Romain Tribaut, Pur Chardonnay, 2016
The wine was disgorged in September 2020, and a dosage of 6 grams was added. An elegant, typical blanc de blanc, light in style but still with a good mouthfeel. Lots of citrus in the aromas, slightly toasted, pleasant and lingering taste. (32 euros)
Champagne Romain Tribaut, Brut Pur Meunier, 2018
Disgorged in November 2021, and dosage of 5 grams added. More fruit, more aromatic, more prominent fruit aromas. More intense in the “attack” but slightly shorter in the taste. (26.90 euros)
There is a clear difference between the two, which is not surprising. These two grapes have entirely different characters. It is difficult to say which one I prefer. Both are excellent examples of their grape variety, and it is interesting to try them side by side. Both are delicious, by the way.
Travel
One of the most exciting things with champagne is to discover the many very talented small growers, making “growers’ champagnes”, often producing as good or better wines than the big-and-famous houses. You will discover several outstanding grower champagnes on a wine tour to Champagne with BKWine.
Travel to the world’s wine regions with the wine experts and the wine travel specialist.
Outstanding wine tours. BKWine wine tours.
Read
If you want to know more about champagne, and find some of the best growers, then you can read our very extensive book on the region: Champagne, the wine and the growers. (Unfortunately only available in Swedish currently.)
