Champagne Caillez Lemaire | Jadis Millesime 2011 1er cru

For the Jadis cuvée, Caillez Lemaire have chosen a very demanding ageing technique: for the ageing on lees the bottles are sealed using natural corks fastened with traditional metal wires. Letting the Champagne age in the cellars for the optimal 8-year period preserves the freshness which makes this Champagne so generous and complex.

This 2011 vintage perpetuates the style of Cuvée Jadis from Maison Caillez-Lemaire, while restoring the style of the year (aromatic intensity, flesh, warmth, length) 

Lovers of plenitude champagne, of "chimney" champagne, can rejoice and keep this bottle without risk for a few years in their cellar.

60% chardonnay, 30% pinot noir and 10% pinot meunier. Average age of vines - 46 years old

• Pressed using juice produced solely from first press (tête de cuvée) 
• Dosage 5 g/L 
• Vinification – aged 100% in oak barrels 
• No malolactic fermentation

The visual:  

The robe is golden to perfection! It sparkles under the effect of the extremely fine effervescence. The visual presentation inspires maturity, grace and serenity. 

 
The nose:  

The first nose is quite open, very aromatic. This is one of the characteristics of the style of the Cuvée Jadis. The expression offers us stewed fruits, liquorice, honey, dried fruits and butter croissants. Then Bourbon vanilla and melted butter mark the aging in barrels of the cuvée. After long minutes, nougat, quince paste, a touch of curry and spices appear... It is a very complex and accomplished nose, offering a wide aromatic palette (fruit, maturity, ‘yeast’ aromas, woody).

The mouth:  

The attack is tender, immediately marked by the density of the wine. Then the mouth is wide and fleshy. The acid structure stands back, just like the effervescence, caressing, which delicately tickles the palate. In retro-olfaction we find nougat and melted butter. Then a warm feeling emerges... the overall texture then suggests cashmere.  The finish is persistent (more than 15 seconds of persistence!), tangy and warm, oily and slightly chalky.

Food pairing:

To be served in a wine glass and between 10 and 12 degrees of temperature, in order to best enjoy the full extent of the expression. At the table, it's time to present tender, creamy and autumnal dishes: poached Bresse chicken with cream and mushroom sauce, quenelles with truffles, sweetbreads, braised veal, a Châteaubriand with foie gras sauce...

Characteristics of 2011

We will remember especially from 2011, the exceptionally hot and dry spring, resulting in a harvest that was early enough to say the least. Such a 'gap' in rainfall from March to May, when vine growth is strongest, had an impact on vigour and vegetative expression. This delay in the establishment of foliage will never be made up during the season.

As for the harvest, the harvest yields showed us that the impact of this episode on the development of the grapes was minimal. The harvest in Damery started on 19 August for Pinot Meunier, followed by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on 22 August. 

It would be an exaggeration to consider the 2011 vintage as a year with high water stress. By comparing the 2011 route with that of 2009 and 2010, it is clear that the soils did not descend to extreme levels of drying. A water stress is defined by its intensity, its duration and the period at which it occurs. This year, it is this last parameter that gives it an exceptional dimension.

In the end, it seems that 2011 is a record year in terms of sugar loading speed compared to the computerized archives of the Matu network since 1988.

 4th Edition of this cuvee! Vintage after vintage, this pure Meunier never ceases to amaze with its ability to restore the year while retaining the characteristics of the grape variety. Aromatic richness, generosity on the palate, suppleness of texture, come together to deliver a fresh and balanced 2016. This cuvée will find its place during the cold season, during aperitif dinners or even after the meal, at the time of the "digestive".

  100% Pinot meunier, aged in local Damery wood barrels from a 22 years old vine

• Pressed using juice produced solely from first press (tête de cuvée) 
• Dosage 0 g/L 
• Vinification –  100% Pinot meunier, aged in local Damery wood barrels
• No malolactic fermentation

The visual:  

The colour of this cuvée is nuanced with gold-pink reflections on an old rose hue. It is animated by rapid and regular trains of bubbles which feed a thin bead of foam on the surface. The whole inspires a feeling of fullness while opening the appetite. 

 
The nose:  

 The first nose is very open and seductive. It offers rich aromas of grape must, blue plum, baguette bread and candied cherries on a balsamic base. Gradually it evolves towards notes of spices, melted butter, pecan nuts and Ratafia. The ensemble is very successful, rich, mature and evolves well in the glass. 

The mouth:  

The attack is large then the creamy and caressing sensation appears. The effervescence is perfectly melted into the body of the wine. Quite vinous and structured in acidity, warm too, it goes perfectly with the effervescence. The result is a Jersey-like texture with aromas of bitter almond and liquorice juice. The second part of the mouth remains greedy, despite the lack of dosage and the presence of light tannins. The finish prolongs the impression of gluttony, to finish more mischievous with a slightly tannic and saline hint. 

Food pairing:

 It is recommended to serve this wine in a slender flute between 8 and 10°C.

At the table, it will accompany foie gras canapés, roasted scallops, a terrine of chicken liver, Iberian ham, veal tenderloin with cranberries or Comté cheese aged 18 months.

Characteristics of 2016

A mild and rainy winter. Warm dry weather finally arrived in July and temperatures continued to creep up, with August reaching blistering highs. It was a scorching summer. There was a lot of precipitation from January to June, 300 to 380 mm depending on the Champagne sectors against 130 mm usually, which favoured mildew attacks, which were particularly virulent, worse than 1997 and 2012, which were the 2 reference years for mildew.  Just before the harvest, rain fell again which caused various issues, especially within the Côtes de Blancs. Harvest in Damery and surrounding then began around 19 September for chardonnay, 17 September for pinot noir and 14 September for pinot meunier. The CIVC estimates that 15% of the harvest was destroyed by mildew. There was also a lot of spring frost, 4000 HA 100% destroyed.  The commercial yield in 2016 was 11 000kg per hectare.