From: Aube, Champagne, France
Varietal: Chardonnay
Taste: The Dumont Solera Reserve is a unique Champagne that is made using the solera method, now more commonly known as “perpetual reserve” (and for about 20 vintages!). This means that this Champagne is the result of adding young wine to a tank containing older wine (⅓ of which is removed for bottling each year), which gives it an evolving complexity, but renewed freshness. It is toasty and savory with bright notes of citrus custard and lemon confit brioche richness, with only a very tiny amount of dosage. An absolutely gorgeous palate that tapers into a lengthy, refined bubble finish where all those citrus and toast notes linger majestically.
Pairing: Enjoy this champagne with sunrise, sunset & anytime in between. You don't necessarily need food, but anything that pairs well with Champagne pairs well with Solera Champagne – fried chicken, caviar and potato chips, oysters. The acidity and bubbles balance out rich foods with grace.
With that said, we had to share this recipe from Sawako Okochi and Aaron Israel, adapted by Sam Sifton for Okonomi-Latke.
This wine. "100% Chardonnay grapes are used for this cuvée. This is from one of the very few Champagne producers who make a cuvée using the solera method. Bernard Dumont has dedicated one stainless steel tank to the project that was first filled in 1991. He works exclusively with chardonnay for this cuvée and has been adding to the tank every year, making it at present, a blend of approximately 20 vintages.
This solera system produced its first release in 2010. One of the most striking features of this champagne is the different effect created by producing a champagne from aged wine (the aging occurs after the first fermentation) followed by the typical duration of two years “sur lattes” as contrasted with a champagne produced from relatively young wines which are aged for a long time after the secondary fermentation and thus remain in contact with the lees “sur lattes” for an extended period.
The dosage is 6 grams. Production is about 400 cases annually. Main soil types: Kimmeridgian limestone and Portlandian soil. All parcels are vinified separately to preserve their individual aromas. The grapes are pressed in modern and precise, horizontal Coquard presses. Fermentation and malolactic take place in thermo-regulated, neutral stainless steel tanks. ‘Lutte raisonnée’ is applied, limiting chemical treatment to a minimum. Sustainable" -Importer (now in Organic/Biodynamic conversion, fully certified in 2020)
About. The Champagne house of the Dumont family is situated in Champignol-lez-Mondeville, a village in the southern Champagne region of the Aube, some 90 miles southeast of Reims and Epernay. Characterized by forested hills, streams and vineyards, it is a natural and reflective environment that has attracted people such as Saint Bernard (Clairvaux) and Renoir (Essoyes). The Dumonts have owned vineyards in this area for over two hundred years and today three Dumont brothers work together to produce champagne exclusively from their own 22 hectares. The soils are a geological extension of those in Chablis, namely kimmeridgian chalky clay. The vineyard is planted with 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay. Bernard Dumont’s comments are insightful. “We grow grapes on the same soils as the vine growers in the Chablis region. There, they produce white wine from white grapes and here we produce white wine from red grapes.” - Wine Traditions
