Bibendum Grower Champagne Trade Tasting at Monopole, Sydney

The Revolution Continues!

BIBENDUM Australia  kicked off their seasonal Grower Champagne Offer with a grand tasting at Monopole last month. I was fortunate enough to join them to  taste 35 wines from six of Champagne’s elite growers, including the latest addition to our portfolio, Bérêche et Fils.

This correspondent found the whole experience quite a revelation,.. as these Non-Commercial exquisite wines easily surpass more commercial Bubbly in their intensity and finesse!

The event was held at Sydney’s MONOPOLE Restaurant and Wine Bar.

Monopole, brought to you by Chef Brent Savage and sommelier Nick Hildebrandt, is a French restaurant. Diners can expect a menu of classic French dishes, with an even greater focus on French wine, aperitifs and digestifs. Located in Sydney’s CBD, the space is refined, fun and vibrant. The wines and broader beverages are heavily French, and the menu is brought to life through contemporary cooking techniques.

Unfussy and not bound to tradition, there is plenty to enjoy here.

It was  worth noting that the tastings were not  limited to each grower’s entry-level wines. In most cases, attendees were privileged to  try the single-site vintage wines and, in the case of Laherte-Frères, Aurélien’s rare limited-edition bottlings.

Attendees got to taste the  Egly-Ouriet’s celebrated single-vineyard Blanc de Noirs Vieilles Vignes alongside this grower’s first Chardonnay-based cuvée from Bisseuil in the Montagne de Reims. Then, one was able to compare the villages of Cramant, Avize and Vertus through the lens of Larmandier-Bernier, a grower dubbed the “Ayatollah of quality” by Pol Roger’s Laurent d’Harcourt.

In the words of the Bibendum connoisseurs, the small village of Chavot on the outskirts of Epernay, Aurélien Laherte is showcasing some of the most exciting winemaking in Champagne today. Alongside his classic cuvées, Aurélien is working wonders with heirloom varieties such as Petit Meslier, and there’s a new zero-sulphur cuvée, too. Across the board, the results are thrilling.

Those new to the wines of Bérêche should be prepared to be blown away! As Bibendum advised its clients  in their  recent offer, Vincent and Raphaël’s striking transformation of their family estate has seen them emerge as genuine superstars in France and the USA.

“We could wax lyrical about every Champagne they craft, but at the value end of the spectrum, don’t miss their intense yet linear Brut Réserve Vieilles Vignes—a wine Antonio Galloni has called “a real rock star.””

“It’s worth remembering that the pricing of top grower Champagne tends to reflect something very real and tangible. These wines occupy a realm entirely apart from most Champagne, offering textures and structures that are resonant and memorable. Raphaël Bérêche recently told us that he employs one vigneron for each hectare of vines his domaine farms. It’s the kind of ratio that you would find at a top Burgundy estate. Tasting his vibrant and intensely flavoured wines, you can only admire his exacting methodology.”