On the Road with the Grape Guy

The Champagnes of Alexandre Lamblot (Dinner)

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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

(March 2025) … A tasting at QuartoPiano restaurant in Rimini, Italy. A tasting and dinner featuring Alexander Lamblot small lot, small production Champagnes. The producer creates a mere 15,000 bottles a year with some being no more than 170 per cuvee.

Alexandre Lamblot's produced his first Champagnes in 2010.

“He creates splendid cuvées that can only be loved for the rare ability to be different without losing sight of pleasure; for the very rare ability to be contemporary (fresh and slender) without giving up the voices of depth, complexity, originality.” – from the restaurant’s invitation.

Alexandre cultivates 3.5 hectares of vines in the Petite Montagne de Reim area spread between Vrigny, Chenay, Janvry and Gueux, one of the coldest areas of the region. Here, Pinot Meunier is celebrated and is made into rare cuvees. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are also grown and make interesting playmates together and with the Meunier.

Below, I introduce you to the wines of Alexander Lamblot, name and grape composition; all are Brut Nature. Bottle quantity is also included.

* Note Bene: Before diving into this review, I need to stress the food was EXCELLENT, there was not a bad dish presented and I would gladly sit down to this dinner again. My “tasting notes” are about the wine and my “pairing” notes are about how well the wine either complimented or clashed with the dish. I also rank my top four wines; these reflect my personal tastes in Champagne.

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COURSE ONE

A. Lamblot Champagne Intuition (Meunier-Pinot Noir-Chardonnay) Brut Nature
- bottles (750ml) produced: 2765 – age of vines: 15-58 years old -
Food Pairing: Grey mullet carpaccio, small vegetables and green apple

Tasting Notes:
- Yeasty, truffle, mineral, light/gentle bubble; delicate, elegant and fresh with wonderful balance. Could drink a lot of this.  (Ranking Wine – 2nd Place)
Pairing – GOOD. Delicacy of the dish matched very well with the delicacy of the wine.

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COURSE TWO

A. Lamblot Champagne Frénésie (Meunier) Brut Nature
- bottles (750ml) produced: 985 – age of vines: 38-60 years old -
Food Pairing: Soft polenta, thick cuttlefish ragù, spring onion and peas

Tasting Notes:
- Smoky with a slightly burnt brioche crust giving the wine a bitter after-taste; the tongue did not like this one.  (Ranking Wine – None)
Pairing – CLASH. Like a yin-yang; some people like this kind of contrast, I was not a fan.

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COURSE THREE

A. Lamblot Champagne Dissonance (Meunier & Chardonnay) Brut Nature
- bottles (750ml) produced: 700 – age of vines: none given -
Food Pairing: Tuna tataki, artichokes and crispy olive wafer

Tasting Notes:
- Good acidity with baked notes which came across almost oxidative; there was an intensity here that seemed out of blance.  (Ranking Wine – None)
Pairing – NEUTRAL.

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COURSE FOUR

A. Lamblot Champagne Les Côtes Chéries (Meunier) Brut Nature
- bottles (750ml) produced: 500 – vines planted: 1984 -
I Risotto creamed with sour butter, raw shellfish and marinated ginger petals

Tasting Notes:
- Biscuity and brioche character, subtle yeasty, baked and crusty pastry with over roasted almonds.  (Ranking Wine – None)
Pairing – ODD. Good without the ginger / with the ginger it created a clashing or off note.

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COURSE FIVE

A. Lamblot Champagne Les Fourgons (Meunier) Brut Nature
- bottles (750ml) produced: 350 – vines planted: 1990 -
Food Pairing: Cacio e pepe tortelli with mora romagnola bacon

Tasting Notes:
- Notes of apple tart made with green apples for better acidity; this wine proved to be very delicate, and was the best of the solo Pinot Meunier wines.  (Ranking Wine – 4th Place)
Pairing – NOT IN THE SAME BALLPARK. The delicacy of the wine did little to help the “pepe” or the smokiness of the bacon.

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COURSE SIX

A. Lamblot Champagne La Vigne à Vovonne (Pinot Noir) Brut Nature
- bottles (750ml) produced: 170 – vines planted: 1984 -
Food Pairing: Slice of cod and creamy pak-choi with raspberry vinegar

Tasting Notes:
- Delicate, floral, earthy, smoky, almond biscuits, soft, hints of golden raspberry; this was a very pretty wine.  (Ranking Wine – 3rd Place)
Pairing – Cod fish is too strong a flavour for this delicate wine

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COURSE SEVEN

A. Lamblot Champagne Les Cochènes (Pinot Noir) Brut Nature
- bottles (750ml) produced: 380 – vines planted: 1990 _
Food Pairing: Lamb sirloin, roasted turnip tops and aromatic herbs

Tasting Notes:
- Nice weight with a pleasant linger on the finish, good acidity, the biscuity notes played off the subtle earthy character and segued into a long finish.  (Ranking Wine – 1st Place)
Pairing – NEUTRAL

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DESSERT (no wine was paired)

Apple tart, caramel ice cream and crunchy wafer

No Pairing – this was delicious

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Final Thought ... wine and food pairing is a tough thing - in my lifetime I have only tasted a handful of really "wow" food matches with a wine. At best it is a game of trial and error: sometime you win, sometimes you lose, but it is always a fun game to play.

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A huge thank you to all involved in this evening’s endeavour:
Fabrizio Timpanaro (director of QuartoPiano), Silver Succi (chef), and Francesco Falcone (presenter).

Cyprus Trip 2024 – the winery visits (part 2)

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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

Cyprus wine comes to life … I have written a little and talked a lot more about Cyprus wines in the last year (facebook / instagram – podcast 1 – podcast 2 – video review – with more on the way). Now, it’s time to look at some of these wines and see where Cyprus is going and the wines you should be excited about tasting – whenever and wherever possible.

Back in February 2024, I got a chance to visit Cyprus. What an eye-opening experience that was. I got a chance to taste some amazing wines and learn all about the history and culture of this island. What I thought I knew, I didn’t – and what I didn’t know, a lot, I learned. One thing is for certain – if ever I get a chance to go, again, or taste, Cypriot wines – I will definitely do it – and I recommend you do the same.

Upon my return home … I recorded a few video wine reviews (the one linked above was recorded in Cyprus); and I would like to send out a big thank you to the Kolonaki Group, who facilitated getting these wines into Canada for me; because a winery can’t just send wine into Ontario to a consumer or reviewer (don’t get me started) … check out Kolonaki’s list of Cypriot wines (search Cyprus).

And below, you can check out mine … from the wineries I visited:

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DAY TWO

Tsiakkas 2021 Vamvakada     
(Maratheftiko)    
A fruit forward wine loaded with sweet cherries and red plum, floral, elegant, really pretty - plus there’s good tannin structure.  (****+)

Tsiakkas 2021 Yiannoudin
(Yiannoudi)
Blackberry, black raspberry, and subtle spices combine with some hints of leather. Tasty and tantalizing with good tannin structure that eventually mellows out: heftier wine than expected, but those tannins silken with time in glass.  (****+)

Tsiakkas 2023 Xynisteri
(Xynisteri 98% / Malaga 2%)
Two months on lees gives this wine a nice texture and flavour: floral and citrus, with gentle acidity and a touch of salinity.  (*** ½+)

Tsiakkas 2022 Paradois - Ambassador Line
(Xynisteri)
Described by the winemakers as: "an orange wine without you paying for the winemakers mistakes". 90 days of skin contact with Commadaria skins and Xynisteri must; 9 months on lees ... with no pressing, to avoid tannins. It's an interesting wine with subtle tannins and good acidity, comes across with notes of grilled pineapple and grilled peach. One of the more interesting "orange wines" I've tasted (in a good way).  (*** ½+)

Tsiakkas 2022 Exelisis - Ambassador Line
(Sauvignon Blanc 30% / Chardonnay 10% / Promara 40% / Xynisteri 20%)
A real hodge-podge of a blend that delivers spicy and fruity notes: spiced tangerine, even something slightly grassy, with some green pear backing - layered and lovely.  (*** ½+)

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Kyperounda 2021 Epos Red (high altitude)
(Syrah / Cabernet Sauvignon 50 each)
To preserve the fruitiness and juiciness of this wine it spends 12 months in barrique and 6 more months in 600L barrels: fresh fruit shows through, with a  juicy, spicy and white pepper character. Fruits come across as blackberry and cassis, with some graphite mixed in. It has a freshness propelled by its good acidity.  (****)

Kyperounda 2022 Petritis
(Xynisteri)
20% of this wine sees oak maturation; but starts in stainless steel for the fermentation process and then rests on lees 6 months. Citrus notes with good acidity, some grapefruit rind slips in and so does a subtle floral notes.  (*** ½)

Kyperounda 2022 Epos White (high altitude)
(Chardonnay)
With 9 months ageing in bottle and two years in 300L barrels there is surprisingly still a brightness to this wine which comes across as super young.  (*** ½)

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DAY FOUR

Starts with a cool OLD vs NEW vines Xynesteri tasting …

Vasilikon 2022 A - Selection
(Xynisteri)    
From the Arodes area. These are 102 yr old vines (planted in 1920). Fresh and lively, with notes of Maldon salt and pineapple; mouth filling with a medium length finish.  (****+)

Vasilikon 2022 Single Vineyard
(Xynisteri)
These vines were planted in 1965, just outside the winery: good acidity, with salty, pineapple, and a creamy texture, but with a punchy finish.  (****+)

Vasilikon 2022 K - Selection
(Xynisteri)
From the Kathikas area. These are 65-year-old vines (planted in 1967): pineapple, peach, but still with those saline notes and non-aggressive acidity.  (****)

Vasilikon 2023 Xinisteri
There's a saline quality that goes start to finish; slightly citrusy with gentle acidity, and a medium length finish. (*** ½)

Vasilikon 2022 I - Selection
(Xynisteri)
From the Inia area; the youngest vines in this range at only 12 years old (planted in 2010) - this is basic Xynisteri: floral, fresh, with notes of lime pith. (*** ½)

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Nelion Winery 2022 2 Rizes
(Xynisteri)
Name means 2 roots. The grapes for this wine come from a blend of vineyards and is named for the river that brings life to the vines: refreshing and pretty with stone fruit and floral notes.  (*** ½+)

Nelion Winery 2020 Ofthalmo
Started making this wine back in 2006. It spends 12 month in older barrels. It's easy drinking with cherry and blueberry notes: quite quaffable, but also quite acidic – it’s a chill and enjoy type of red.  (*** ½+)

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ADDITIONAL PHOTOS ...

Good morning Cyprus ...

On the hills of Tsiakkas

At 1500m - highest vineyard on Cyprus. Below it's 20C, up here, it's 3C

Staring down the Mayor? Glass 4 ... Still not sure what I was drinking

 Beautiful blue water off the coast of Cyprus - which is quite nice in February