Michel is a grower-maker or a "Récoltant Manipulant" as they say in France, so look for RM on the label.
The Furdyna family farm about 8 hectares of vineyards in the rolling hills surrounding Celles-sur -Ource which is situated close to Bar-sur-Seine. In the southern area of the Champagne region, the Aube, the soil and climate are much more similar to the nearby Tonnerre and Chablis areas of northern Burgundy than they are to the north of the region near Reims. In the Aube, the geology is limestone based and Kimmeridgian based soils dominate the topography. You can easily notice the difference between the Champagne of the Aube and the Champagne from the chalk based soils further to the north of the region. This is not to say that Champagne from the the Aube is in anyway inferior. Many Négociants in Reims and Epernay blend Champagne from the Aube into their house brands. So most Champagne lovers will have drunk Champagne from the Aube even if they have never heard of the district.
Michel does not restrict himself to growing the three Champagne noble grapes - Pinor Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay but he also grows Pinot Gris. He has parcels of land dedicated to the local grape varieties Arbane, Petit Meslier and Pinot Droit. These latter grape varieties have all but disappeared in the Champagne region. It is interesting that Petit Meslier grapes are grown in the Eden Valley wine district of South Australia.
The Pinot Gris and local varieties of grapes contribute to the unique style of the Furdyna Champagne. The wines are so good that I can still taste them in my olfactory memory. Quite often you can identify the wines of a specific area within a region such as Chablis, the Medoc,or Epernay. All good wine should have a specific taste. It is not often however, that a wine really has a taste of its own which stands out from its neighbours. Michel Furdyna's wine stands out in a class of its own. This is due in part to the use of the Pinot Gris grape and the local varieties.
Michel's wine is produced with the most modern techniques without forgetting the strengths of tradition. Whilst he uses an auto-riddling machine for most of his wines, his Prestige Cuvée is riddled by hand.
His love of wine is reflected in the quality of his vine growing techniques and his production of the finest Champagne that money can buy.
Visiting his cellars was a memorable experience and I could not leave with buying a couple of cases of some of the best Champagne that I have ever tasted and at a reasonable price: what more could I ask for?
No comments:
Post a Comment