Champagne De Saint Gall is a champagne brand from the Union Champagne cooperative founded in Avize, Champagne in 1966.
Union Champagne is made up of some 13 smaller cooperative bodies, and as a whole is comprised from 2150 individual members who own some 1260 hectares of vineyards strategically placed all over the region – a fair amount of weight in numbers!
The speciality of the label is Chardonnay driven wines – and De St Gall showcases this with numerous blanc de blanc varietals – including their premium cuvée “Orpale”, and high percentage chardonnay blends in their other base wines, such as the Brut Tradition sampled here; so the expectation is for a dryer, tart style of champagne.
Typically priced at $45 per bottle, it is placed suitably well against the likes of G.H. Mumm and Lanson, but is able to dive much lower when on sale – in this instance a mere $35 a bottle.
I am also trying a different approach to tasting this time; with a group of workmates splitting a bottle 6 ways to get a wider impression.
Details:
From: Avize, Champagne, France
Code: CM-803-004
Cost & Source: ~$45 a bottle available from First Choice
Blend Ratio (%): Pinot Noir/Chardonnay/Pinot Meunier (30/70/0) with N/A g/l dosage.
Aging: 2-3 years
Disgorged: N/A
Sipped: June 2018
In the Glass:
Look: Pale gold with not much bubbling going on
Smell: Mostly fruit with some wet dough. Standout smells are citrus, crisp green apple and fresh berries.
Taste: Arrives slightly yeasty at first but quickly dominated with a very zesty flavour. Very citric; lemon and grapefruit like with a touch of sour green apple.
It has decent acid balance; not overpowering or searing; and the flavour sits on the tongue for a while after your downed it.
Very obviously chardy led; as it is very dry and crisp – but easily drinkable.
I reckon it would do very well with oysters to exploit the finish.
Recommendations:
Party Potential: Not a bad opener with the right canapes (Oysters, salmon, salty chicken) – especially if you buy when on sale. I would BYO to quiet night in.
As a Gift: It’ll do okay as an informal gift; sadly the branding doesn’t have much character.
At Home: For the price, it spices up a fancy little stay at home dinner quite well if you can match it 🙂
Score & Verdict:
5.25/10
At $45 I feel it is decent value for the quality.
How did I drink it?
Friday night drinks with workmates
How did you drink it?
And how did you find it? Let me know!
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