For a festive occasion at The Gourmet Gazette we returned to one of our favorite champagnes, the Blanc de Blancs from the house of Charpentier. One of the house’s signature collections is called Terre d’Emotion, which perhaps can be translated as the good earth of emotion and while the entire range of Terre d’Emotion should be discovered as soon as possible, the Blanc de Blancs had been a particular standout, fashioned, like all Blanc de Blancs, from 100% Chardonnay grapes but aged on lattes for 60 months, adding a certain complexity to its extra brut effervescence. This is a champagne for connaisseurs, champagne that has been carefully curated by the Maison Charpentier, a house that brings out complex champagnes, champagnes for a simple champagne time, but, too, for drinking throughout a meal. But this year the house enjoyed a particularly fantastic 2023 harvest. And so we are looking forward perhaps to some nice vintage champagnes in five to seven years time. 

« The grapes were magnificent, ripe, juicy and tasty…for the patient wine maker, » said Jean-Marc Charpentier, the eighth generation of the family to be at the helm of the house, commenting on the 2023 harvest, « The accuracy of the harvesting date adapted to each plot along with rigorous selection has allowed us to obtain a grape juice that is naturally ideal for the taste we want to obtain. » 

The Charpentier champagnes are of a certain purity, each tasting of the work of an author behind it. This author is Jean-Marc Charpentier, the eighth generation of the family to grow and manipulate the grapes and to transform them into great champagnes. It all began back in 1855 with Prosper. The house of Charpentier and its old historic vineyards are located in Charly-sur-Marne in the Marne Valley where all three of the traditional champagne-making grape varieties are grown: Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. The Charpentier vineyard is planted on hillside slopes and as is atypical for the region is planted in 45 %  Chardonnay (the Marne Valley is know for its Pinot Meunier), complemented by the other two leading Champagne country grape varieties and Jean-Marc has been converting the vineyard, that has been carefully handed down through eight generations,  into organic agriculture. And this year the entire vineyard, 24 hectares (59 acres) has been certified organic and biodynamic. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. https://www.champagne-charpentier.com/en/ 

Tel: +33 3 23 82 10 72 – communication@champagne-charpentier.com – jmcharpentier@champagne-charpentier.com adress: 11, route de Paris, 02310 Charly-sur-Marne, France