During January 2020, we attended the APVSA – Association pour la Promotion des Vins et Spiritueux en Amérique du Nord (the Association for the Promotion of Wine and Spirits in North America) wine tasting event in Washington DC. As usual, I gravitated to the champagne houses. Champagne Patrick Boivin is a champagne house in the Epernay region. They are celebrating their 40th anniversary. The champagne house is run by Marie-Madeleine, Patrick, accompanied by their two daughters, Baptistine and Céline. We met Baptistine at the tasting. Baptistine is in charge of brand development in France and other countries.

Champagne Patrick Boivin’s vineyard is 6 hectares (14.8 acres) is mainly based in the Vallée de la Marne. Most of the vineyard is planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. The champagne house produces about 50,000 bottles of champagne and is looking for distributors in the United States. 

Baptistine had a nice assortment of the champagne portfolio at the Washington DC event. I was able to taste several of the house’s champagnes.

Champagnes

The Cuvée Brut was a blend of 80% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay. It aged for four years. Multiple columns of tiny bubbles formed a circumferential mousse on the wine’s surface of the glass. The light yellow colored champagne offered apple and red berry notes, a creamy mouthfeel and a trace of freshly baked bread. The had 8 g/L dosage. 

The Cuvée Reserve was crafted with 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Meunier. The wine aged for seven years and had 8 g/L dosage. Multiple columns of tiny bubbles formed a circumferential and a central mousse on the wine’s surface. The champagne was reminiscent of freshly baked bread, apples and red berries. The champagne had a lively mouthfeel. 

The Cuvée Brut Rosé had a festive salmon color. This 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier champagne aged for four years and had 9 g/L dosage. Multiple columns of tiny bubbles formed a circumferential and a central mousse on the wine’s surface. The wine offered apple and red berry fruits. The mouthfeel was crisp and lively.

The Cuvée Tradition Millésime 1999 was made entirely out of Chardonnay. The champagne spent 20 years aging. It had 8 g/L dosage. The wine had a yellow color and multiple columns of tiny bubbles formed a circumferential and a central mousse on the wine’s surface. The aroma and taste reminded me of freshly baked bread, apple and citrus. The mouthfeel was creamy.

The Cuvée Tradition Millésime 2002 was also made of 100% Chardonnay. The champagne aged for 18 years and had a dosage of 2.5 g/L. The yellowed colored wine had multiple columns of tiny bubbles formed a circumferential and a central mousse on the wine’s surface. The wine had apple, citrus and freshly baked bread notes. The lively mouthfeel also was creamy.

These champagnes were delicious and we hope they find a distributor on the east coast of the United States.

Cheers,
Terry