Champagne Didier Chopin

Fruit Forward Champagnes with extended aging on lees

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Didier and wife Karine have been making fruit forward Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir based Champagnes since 1989 in the La Vallée de la Marne. I just had a bottle in United Airlines business-first class flying from Los Angeles to Melbourne and was quite pleased. I originally guessed it was from the south, from the Aube, due to its tropical fruits and fruit forwardness. A great airline bottle, with more complexity as it aired!

Technically a negociant as he buys as well as grows grapes, Didier first started with a small plot of vines from his wife's family outside of Champlat-Boujacourt and now has 18.5 acres of grapes and is supposedly expanding to additional 60 acres over the next few years. It is a family affair with the couple joined by their son and daughter and her husband. They make 200,000 bottles annually.

They makeseveral wines, allfrom Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir (no Chardonnay), both festive and fruit forward but with additional complexity from longer ageing on the lees, from 3-5 years.

These include a Brut, Brut Rose, Grand Reserve, Grand Reserve 1er Cru, La Cuvée d'Exception, Millesime (vintage), as well as a Ratafia and Coteaux Champenois (still red wine).

Didier Chopin Brut ChampagneTasting Note: Didier Chopin Brut - June 2015, rated a strong B

A bright and festive, youthful and fun wine with a very pleasant round mouthfeel. Excellent airplane wine - great choice United!

60% Pinot Meunier and 40% Pinot Noir.

The nose was all about fruits: apple, some pineapple. A little bit on minerals and chalk as it warmed.

The plate was more complex than the nose and had tangerine, papaya, and pink grapefruit mixed with some pineapple on the tailend together with minerals

 

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