No matter how much you love your work, if you do anything for long enough it can get repetitive. To combat complacency, I try to taste new wines as much as I can. While I am grateful I was trained in the classics, I’m equally grateful that there are so many different styles and grapes from lesser-known regions popping up.
An indigenous Spanish grape aged underwater? Sign me up! It’s always a thrill to taste something new or uncover a new discovery. It’s even cooler when you discover a new love from a classic growing region.
Champagne is one of the oldest codified wine regions in the world. The saying “all Champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is Champagne” was popularized as a means to educate the general public that Champagne is a place and not a grape. This is an important distinction, especially as the supply dropped but demand increased, which led to an instant price increase across the board. The term “everyday Champagne” or “house Champagne” is oxymoronic in that sense. Who can possibly afford to drink this stuff regularly?
Champagne Lallier, a new addition to the Hawaii market is out to solve that problem. Founded by an environmentalist, Rene Lallier, and succeeded by his son Jean in 1938, this is a house on the rise in recent years. Its commitment to sustainability and injection of new talent might be the reason. Chief among them is Dominique Demarville, now at the head of the project. He was one of youngest chef de caves at a major maison, at the age of only 31 and had a storied run in the region — most recently at Veuve Clicquot.
The Lallier line includes some impressive bottlings that approach $200 per bottle, but these two are now in my regular rotation.
Champagne Lallier, R. 018, Brut, NV
The “018” in the name is meant to refer to the year 2018. Rather than creating a “house style” for its entry level offering, Lallier chooses to reinterpret expressions based on the vintage. The Lallier style is still centered around the four points of freshness, purity, depth and intensity and this wine is the perfect showcase. Drink at pau hana, during cooking or the start of a meal. This is your new “everyday Champagne;” 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay.
Cost: under $40/bottle
Champagne Lallier, Grand Rose, Brut, NV
A blend of 80% base wines and 20% reserve wine retains freshness. This salmon-hued bubbly smells like strawberries and cream on a freshly baked baguette. On the palate, it’s more saline and spice with bright citrus tones.
It is wine that will enhance almost any food, but I find enjoyable with good company.
Cost: about $80/bottle
Chris Ramelb is an award-winning master sommelier, and director of education and restaurant sales manager of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Hawaii. Watch him on the “Wine & …” podcast, and follow him on Instagram (@masterisksomm).
