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

Kuhlman Cellars is located east of Fredericksburg, Texas along Rt 290, a wine route dotted with many wineries/tasting rooms in the Texas Hill Country. We received two samples of their red wines. Grapes sourced for each of the wines came from the Texas High Plains AVA. 

We learned that the winery was a passion for Chris and Jennifer Cobb. Their desire to build a winery and craft wines began as the couple toured wineries in Napa. The passion became a reality as Kuhlman Cellars opened to the public in 2014. Prior to the opening, Diane and Reed Cobb, Chris’ parents, managed a small vineyard just north of the present site of the winery. The estate vineyard is almost seven acres. It is planted with Mourvedre, Marsanne, Roussane, Carignan and Aglianico. There is not much Aglianico planted in the United States. We tasted many wines made from Aglianico while touring wineries in the Campania region of Italy.

Bénédicte Rhyne is the winemaker for Kuhlman Cellars. She received her Masters in Enology from Universite de Bourgogne in Dijon, France. She spent a decade in California, mostly Sonoma County at Ravenswood Winery. She brings both old world and new world winemaking processes to Kuhlman Cellars.

Kuhlman Cellars is helping create a wine culture in the Texas Hill Country with their program Vina Vita University. The program offers wine classes for wine enthusiasts and wine club members. In late January they offered a Winter Pruning Class (pictured left); February offerings include a Decoding the Aroma of Wine class and a blending class. 

2016 Reserve Merlot 

The 2016 Reserve Merlot was crafted with Merlot grapes from the Texas High Plains AVA. The wine spent 30 months aging in French oak barrels. With 13.9% alcohol, the wine had a translucent dark ruby color with a red hue. The aroma was reminiscent of a fruit salad with baking spices. The taste included red and black raspberries, cherries, leather and baking spices. The medium/full-bodied wine had medium/bold tannins. We paired the wine with beef vegetable soup. Some of the wine ended up in the soup. 

2017 Sangiovese

This Sangiovese was crafted with grapes from the Newson Vineyards in the Texas High Plains AVA. The wine had a translucent red color with14.2% alcohol. The aroma offered flowers and red fruits. The taste was suggestive of red cherries with violets and lavender. The medium-bodied wine had medium to bold tannins. The fruity and floral finish yielded to spices and oak on the aftertaste.

You can taste Kuhlman Cellars wines at their Texas Hill Country location. They offer three different tasting experiences and reservations are encouraged. During our next trip to Texas Hill Country, Kuhlman Cellars will be a must visit.

Cheers,
Terry