Etienne Calsac Champagnes
Not gonna be shy about it, but we get the sickest champagnes through the door here all year long. From Vilmart to Brochet, Pierre Peters to Ulysse Collin, Agrapart to Vouette. But recently, along with Flavian Nowack, Etienne Calsac is the new kid on the block that is getting our chalky, mineral, champagne blood flowing. Our pathetically small allocations have just arrived.
Etienne Calsac is a producer that makes our hearts skip a beat. At 26 years old, this kid from Champagne took over his family's tiny 2 hectares of vines in the amazing village of Avize in the Cotes des Blancs. Every once in a while see a little drop of Calsac come our way, and this time we have received his wonderful, precise Non Vintage L'Echappee, his vineyard specific reserve wine named "Rocheforts" which is from his solera started in 2012, his extremely small production still wine--a single parcel Coteaux Champenois comprised of chardonnay and the indigenous grape meslier, aged on the skins and in barrel for 7 months to his his most coveted-- the Clos du Maladries grand Cru, a 1000 bottle production Champagne named after the tiny .16 hectare clos owned by his grandparents in Avize, planted with Chardonnay on nothing but straight chalk by his grandfather in the 1970s. We also have MAGNUMS of L'Echappee!
This is a once a year opportunity to grab these wines. Quantities are limited, with just 3-6 bottles available of some.
Etienne Calsac Champagne L' Echappee Belle 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut NV 750ml - 24 bts available
Etienne Calsac Champagne L' Echappee Belle 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut NV 1.5L MAGNUM - 3 MAGS available
Organic. 100% Chardonnay. The fruit for this cuvée is taken mainly from 1er cru vineyards in the Côte des Blancs, particularly the village of Grauves, which known for its cooler microclimate (70% of the base wine comes from these sites). The vineyards were planted by Etienne’s grandparents, who are both from Grauves. Beginning in 2011, Etienne has kept a perpetual reserve just for this cuvée, and 30% of the final blend is produced with that reserve. Direct press of the entire harvest with separation of the juice. Only the "cuvée" is kept for the vinification (no head or tail of the press). Base wine (currently 2022) aged on the lees for seven months, 25% of which is aged in neutral 500-600 liter barrels, before bottling. 30% reserve wine. Unfined, unfiltered. No dosage.
Etienne Calsac Champagne 'Les Rocheforts' 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs NV 750ml - 6 bottles available
Organic. 100% Chardonnay. 75% base vintage (2022) and 25% reserve wine from a vineyard-specific perpetual cuvée started in 2012. Sourced entirely from a 1.5ha vineyard called ‘Les Rocheforts,’ situated in the premier cru village of Bisseuil in the Côte des Blancs. 30 year-old vines on average; the soil is pure chalk, leading to intense and delineated expression; vineyard exposure is southeast. Direct press, with only the ‘coeur de cuvée’ kept for vinification. Post-malolactic fermentation, the wine ages in a combination of 70% tank and 30% barrel (300L and demi-muids), on lees for seven months prior to bottling. 18-24 months in bottle on lees before bottling. Dosage 4 g/l (MCR). ‘Rocheforts’ means ‘strong rocks.’
Etienne Calsac Champagne 'Clos des Maladries' Grand Cru Avize 2020 750ml - 3 bottles available
Organic. 100% Chardonnay. Clos des Maladries is a Grand Cru, .16ha clos in Avize. The vines were planted in the early ’70s by Étienne's grandfather. The soil here is pure chalk of a prized type called belemnite, which is thought to impart greater minerality and acidity. The exposure is due south; the walls of the clos also retain heat, aiding in ripening. The vineyard is planted at a high density and plowed by horse. After harvesting with manual sorting in the vineyard, the grapes are pressed—as an homage to the old way of making Champagne, everything is included at press rather than just the ‘coeur de cuvée’. Fermentation occurs in old oak barrels. After fermentation the wines are kept on lees in those same vessels without racking for seven months, where it goes through malolactic. The wine stays on the lees for 48 months under cork before disgorging in June. Base vintage 2020. Dosage is 4 g/l (MCR). 1000 bottles produced. ‘Maladries’ is the name of a medieval hospital housing contagious patients; one was located on the vineyard site centuries ago.
Etienne Calsac Coteaux Champenois Photogramme 2022 750ml - 3 bts available
Organic: 75% Chardonnay, 25% Petit Meslier, all sourced from a Les Fours, a single parcel of the Montegenost vineyard in the Cote de Sézanne, with sandy chalk soils and southern exposure. Vinified entirely with indigenous yeasts with 7 months in oak barrel with full skin contact, meaning de-stemmed berries are added o the barrel by hand. Vinification: The de-stemmed berries naturally ferment directly in an old oak barrel and remain there for the 7-months of aging. All free run juice, there is no racking, no fining, no filtering before bottling. Small amounts of so2 (>10ppm) at bottling.
Wines arrive Wednesday. Store pickup and shipping are available, as always. To order, check out online or call us at 607-319-0500.
Save an extra 10% on any 6 bottles and 15% on any 12 bottles!
