Mother/daughter team at the Washington DC. APVSA wine tasting: Fabienne and Marianne. Image provided by Champagne Philippe Gamet.

One family, two French villages and four generations have molded Fabienne and Philippe Gamet to craft quality champagnes for the Estate Champagne Philippe Gamet. Fabienne and Philippe began the champagne company and now work with the next generation of Gamets: Jean-François and Marianne. Kathy and I met the mother-daughter team at the APVSA (the Association for the Promotion of Wine and Spirits in America) tasting in Washington DC. Fabienne mentioned that they are small producers that emphasis quality and price.

Their vineyards are located in three villages including Mardeuil, Damery and Fleury-la-Rivière. These three villages are close to Épernay in the Vallée de La Marne. The Champagne Philippe Game vineyards are planted with 55% Pinot Meunier, 35% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay. The average age of the vines are 30 years old. Although mechanical plowing is done, harvest is done by hand.

We tasted five of their seven champagnes. All of the champagnes had multiple columns of tine bubbles rising to the surface many forming a central mousse. The first was the Brut Sélection Blanc de Noirs, a blend of 60% Pinot Meunier and 40% Pinot Noir.  The grapes for this champagne were sourced from Mardeuil, Damery and Fleury-la-Rivière. The dosage was 9 g/l and the wine aged for 25 months prior to disgorgement. Red berry fruit was most notable with a bit of citrus on this light yellow colored wine. The champagne had a nice mouthfeel and a crisp finish. It would be a perfect aperitif.

The second champagne was the Brut Cuvée 5000, a blend of 35% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir and 30% Pinot Meunier. Grapes were sourced from family vineyards in the Mardeuil, Damery and Fleury-la-Rivière villages. The dosage was 8 g/l and the wine aged 40 months prior to disgorgement. The light yellow colored champagne was quite crisp with a floral note accompanying citrus. The wine pairs well with seafood. The name 5000 is from the first year of the winery. They produced 5,000 bottles.

The Extra Brut Caractères was a blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay with grapes sourced from Mardeuil, Damery and Fleury-la-Rivière. The solar system was used and the base wine aged in oak for 12 months. The dosage was 4g/l and the wine aged 45 months prior to disgorgement. This wine had a yellow/gold color. Citrus and freshly baked bread were noticed on the aroma and taste. The mouthfeel was creamy. The finish was crisp with fruit yielding to mineral. The champagne is a good match for seafood.

The Brut Nature Millésimé was a blend of 35% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Meunier. Grapes were sourced from family vineyards in the Mardeuil, Damery and Fleury-la-Rivière villages. This wine received no dosage and aged 45 months prior to disgorgement. The light colored wine reminded me of crisp apples citrus and mineral. It was quite dry, years ago I discovered that I prefer Nature champagnes especially paired with food.

Our fifth champagne tasted was the Brut Rosé, a blend of 60% Pinot Meunier and 40% Pinot Noir. Of the Pinot Meunier, 20% was vilified as a red wine. The dosage was 10g/l. The bubbles formed a center mousse on the surface of the wine. This salmon colored champagne offered red berry fruits and had a very creamy mouthfeel. The wine can pair with salmon and desserts. It would also make a wonderful aperitif for National Rosé Day.

During the tasting, Fabienne and Marianne took turns talking about the wines. It was nice to see the mother/daughter team working together and there personalities match the bubbling excitement in the glasses. We met another mother/daughter team on our second trip to Champagne at Champagne Charlier & Fils.

We enjoyed the champagnes and hope that Champagne Philippe Gamet can find a distributor in the Washington DC area.

Cheers,
Terry