From: Côte des Blancs, Champagne, France
Varietal: Chardonnay
About. With holdings of old vines in some of the greatest terroirs in the Côte des Blancs, Pascal Doquet has emerged over the last decade or so as one of the premier vignerons in Champagne. He originally took over his family estate Doquet-Jeanmaire in 1995 and after his father retired, Pascal established his eponymous domaine in 2004. Today he farms just under nine hectares of vines including prime parcels in Le Mésnil sur Oger, Vertus, and Le Mont Aimé. The domaine is certified organic.
"Located just south of Bergères and east of Vertus, Doquet has well-situated vines on Le Mont Aimé, a premier cru hill of chalk, silex and sand rather than the purer chalk of the rest of the Côte des Blancs. The vineyard sight is south-facing, but is still cooler than Doquest's parcels in Le Mesnil or Vertus. Pascal's Mont Aimé is mineral flinty, and briny on the palate. It is rare to encounter cuvées from Mont Aimé, so this is a treat..." –John McIlwain of Chambers Street Wines in Manhattan
Tasting Notes: Beautiful energetic effervescence with a flinty, and briny finish. Bright, just enough fruitiness, excellent balance as an aperitif or on the table with a Northwest seafood meal. Cheers!
Pairing: The usual suspects at the table when champagne is being poured continue to be fatty fried meats. Fried chicken, anything pork belly, chicharrones. But, in the Northwest I feel it’s important to keep seafood in play when possible. Maybe trade that fried chicken out for fresh fried cod baskets, prepare a rich seafood chowder, or make a shrimp boil. There are so many great options. A fun snack that pairs deliciously with this champagne is Shrimp Toasts. There are many slight variations. For an easy and fast version try these Shrimp Toast by Mark Bittman.
