Craig Bonner2022 Dinner Wines Introduction
Updated: Mar 6
This year the Champagne Academy is delighted to be able to host a full schedule of events and after two years be able to send a new group of students to Champagne on a life changing educational trip!
The 2022 events are listed below - to book tickets visit the
Champagne Academy Website
4th April 2022 Vintage Tasting | 10th May 2022 63rd London Dinner | 29th September 2022 Scotland Dinner |
6th October 2022 Northern Dinner | 26th October 2022 Midlands Dinner | 4th November 2022 Irish Dinner |
| November 2022 Alternative Tasting Date TBC | |
This year we welcome our three Grandes Marques Presidential Houses.
Presidential House
Incoming Vice Presidential House
Outgoing Vice Presidential House
The Champagne Academy is so excited about this year's dinner wines we wanted to tell you all about them!
Prélude Grands Crus NV in magnum
Winemaker Notes
The colour is a brilliant, pale yellow with silvery highlights, reflective of the high proportion of Chardonnay. The bubbles are fine and form a lasting and delicately creamy mousse. The nose is subtle and fresh. The initial mineral aromas quickly develop into green, floral scents with hints of elderflower and spicy cinnamon overtones. Flavours are dominated by intense fresh citrus fruit which then give way to a much fuller, well-bodied and mellow taste with flavours reminiscent of white peaches in syrup. The finish is long, rich and extremely expressive. This wine can be enjoyed as an aperitif but has the structure to match grilled fish and seafood.
Vineyard
The blend is made solely from fruit grown in Grand Cru classified vineyards. 50% Chardonnay grapes from the Côte des Blancs (including Avize and Le Mesnil sur Oger) and 50% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims area (including Mailly, Ambonnay). There are 17 named Grands Crus in Champagne covering approximately 9% of the vineyard's total surface. A selection of these are used in Prélude each bringing precise characters to the wine for example minerality, structure, fruitiness.
Winemaking
This wine comes from top Grand Cru sites and is made from the first pressing. The level of reserve wine used in the blend varies by vintage. Prior to release the wine is aged for a minimum of 4-5 years on lees, sometimes more.
Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 2007
Winemaker Notes
This great 2007 vintage lives up to all expectations as soon as you open the bottle. It is a moment to treasure. That typical Chardonnay colour is there in all its sparkling, golden glory with shimmers of green coating the constant stream of fine, delicate bubbles. It has a fine and delicate nose which combines white blossom and a certain minerality with general overtones of Anjou light pear and golden raisins. Subtle hints of aniseed and smoky flavours follow this suggestion of fruit. The taste is vibrant, with a combination of lemon and saltiness. This is immediately followed by a sensation of complex, yet mellow freshness creating the perfect balance between ripeness and a full-rounded flavour. It is rounded off by a long-lasting, crisp finish with hints of salted butter. This elegant wine lives up to its reputation with its freshness, strength, minerality and mellow fruitiness. Its freshness encapsulates a certain moment in time and promises interesting cellaring potential.
Vineyard
All of Taittinger’s vineyards are managed under the careful eye of Vincent Collard and Christelle Rinvelle, Champagne Taittinger’s highly regarded vineyard manager.
Winemaking
Being the most perfect expression of the House style, a Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs is rare. Until its peak, it is subject to a great deal of care and attention and the rigorous criteria governing its production means that it cannot be created in large volumes. 5% of the wines which help to create the Comtes de Champagne are matured for 4 months in oak barrels (one-third of which are renewed each year) to boost the intrinsic qualities of the final blend and provide a hint of toasted flavour. The celebrated bottles only see daylight after a long and drawn-out maturing period 18 metres underground lasting 8 to 10 years.
Vintage
The 2007 viticultural year was an exceptional year in terms of both the vines and the final wine. After a mild winter, and with the unusually warm temperatures, growth started early and many people were anticipating a harvest by mid-August. However, during May against all expectations, the vineyards in Champagne suffered awful weather. These conditions interfered with the vines’ flowering period, resulting in great diversity across the region and full bloom only being achieved between the 24th of May and 1st of June. The grapes matured a little slower as a result of a mostly cold and gloomy summer. Thankfully at the end of August came the return of the sun and with it hope, as the fruit began to mature perfectly. Harvesting did not start until the 30 th of August and was carried out under a cold, dry wind. This resulted in a healthy, good quality crop. The Chardonnay grapes were delicate and clear, and their citrus and white fruit aromas showed great potential.