Charles de Fère Brut Blanc de Blanc Reserve
The Nitty Gritty:
- Vintage: 0
- Varietal: Blend
- Winery: Charles de Fère
- Region: Fère-en Tardenois
- Country: France
- Price: About $11
- Rating: 89/100
- Tags: best value sparkling Blends
The importer of Charles de Fere, Boisset Estates, tells an interesting story about its sparkling wines:
The style of Charles de Fère is to voluntarily refuse territorial limits, building close partnership relations with growers so that we can select cuvées from northerly vineyards for their freshness and elegance, together with cuvées from southern vineyards for ripe fruit, body and smoothness. This bold approach adds finesse, structure, and a complex harmony of flavors that makes Charles de Fère what it is today.
So basically, Charles de Fere makes Champagne-quality wines without the confines of the appellation d’origine contrôlée. This makes it, arguably, one of the best French “not Champagnes” you can find for around $10.
The Blanc de Blanc (which usually means “all Chardonnay,” but, in this case, we’re dealing with a Chardonnay/Chenin blanc/Uni blanc blend) is dry and yeasty — a good thing in sparkling wines — with all the complexities of a more expensive Champagne, smooth, tiny bubbles (also a good thing), and a long, nutty finish.
I’d recommend buying this one by the case and busting it out on random Monday nights when you are in need of a morale boost.
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By Lauren McNally
Lauren B. McNally is a communications consultant in Washington, D.C., who spends most of her free time exploring culinary and oenological pursuits with friends. She hails from Maine and graduated from Bowdoin College, completing additional study at the University of Cambridge in the U.K.(where she found the dining hall cuisine rather offensive and repulsive, as opposed to that of the top-ranked Bowdoin Dining Service). Her palate is ever-evolving but she includes California Zinfandels, Cotes du Rhone, and white wines from Burgundy and the Loire Valley among her current favorites. Her least favorite wine-related phrase: “I don’t like _.” Lauren also enjoys cooking Italian and French cuisine, and has an unnatural obsession with Gorgonzola and pancetta.
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The Humble Gourmand is a monthly online publication edited by Alison L. McConnell, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. It is designed to offer straightforward lessons and advice to aspiring cooks, oenophiles, and all other eaters and drinkers.
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