“The Collection Impériale is the winner here, an outstanding life-long project that will elevate both Benoît Gouez and Moët & Chandon even further,” writes Jones.
Roger Jones and Moët cellar master Benoît Gouez (l-r) at Château de Saran for the first taste of Collection Impériale
This visit to Château de Saran was a highly secret one to meet Benoît Gouez, cellar master at Moët & Chandon, where he was going to explain all about a highly innovative release this October to commemorate Moet & Chandon’s 280th Anniversary, and to honour the dream of the founder Claude Moët.
As Gouez says in the press handout: “Creation No.1, base 2013, is the first cuvée in a line of champagnes that comprises Moët & Chandon’s new Collection Impériale. Our founder Claude Moët conceived the Maison, rooted in champagne making excellence, for his time as well as for the generations to come. Today, our reserve wine library, one of the largest in the region, has allowed me to craft this creation, which encapsulates the depth of time. Anchored in our 280 years of savoir-vin, it is a blend of seven remarkable vintages, uniquely produced, selected, aged through different maturation processes and harmoniously assembled. I am proud to present Collection Impériale Creation No.1 as the ultimate composition to date of Moët & Chandon’s art of Haute Oenologie.”
Château de Saran, home of Moët & Chandon
So what is this all about ?
Firstly, Collection Impériale is going to be a super-premium cuvée so will have a super-premium price and is closer in price, at £206 RRP to Dom Pérignon than Moët Grand Vintage.
This will not be a one off, as you may have guessed by the words Creation No.1. There will be a release every two years leading up to Moët & Chandon’s 300th Anniversary in 2043. It is made from a blend of the very best past vintages; each vintage giving something different to build this supreme champagne.
The components are as follows; 2013 Grand Vintage; aged in stainless steel tanks, complemented by the refined 2012, powerful 2010, tense 2008, full bodied 2006, lively 2009 aged in oak casks) and finished with the elegant 2004 which were aged on lees in bottle after second fermentation. No added sugar at dosage, it is a Brut Nature champagne and, in Gouez’s words, “Leveraging the art of selecting, ageing, blending and maturing delivering a pure expression of its flavours.”
The aim is to balance and achieve harmony between the freshness of youth and the maturity of age, complex but accessible.
A 6-course dinner was chosen to show off Collection Impériale from bottle and from carafe
How does it taste?
It was served numerous times during our visit, including over a luxurious dinner where it was served in two formats one straight from the bottle and secondly decanted.
For me, having it decanted pushed it into a supreme level, not to say that there were any issues from bottle but we are still at an early stage of evolution and, as these bottles are now aged further, we will gradually see the gold dust start to sprinkle and glisten.
It is textured, layered, creamy, there is both freshness and mineral notes, the fruit is restrained or gently coated holding it perfectly mid-palate. As the wine opens up there is some flint, white stone fruit, but then more freshness and evolution. It seems to carry youth and age together.
With the bottles that had been decanted there was a hint of waxy and yellow stone fruit, freshness from a saline and floral note, white buds, vanilla spice, liquorice but overall freshness. Truly an inspirational wine.
Canapés are served
The dinner
Canapés served on the terrace that reflected Moët & Chandon’s history even some recognising the British Royal Family, was followed by a 6-course dinner inside the unique dining room led by Michelin Star chefs.
As each course was served it gave a different dimension to the Collection Impériale Creation No.1, the earthy Cep and Miso dish was followed by the sweetest, largest Langoustines I had eaten, then back to savoury with a Chicken cooked inside a Sourdough loaf, just stunning.
Chicken cooked in sourdough
An unique experience especially the Roof Top Moët Club, but the Champagne is the winner here, an outstanding life long project that will elevate both Benoît Gouez and Moët & Chandon even further.
To read sommelier Mattia Scarpazza’s take on the new Champagne and hear his audience with Gouez, click here.
