A conversation with Cellar Master Cédric Jacopin on discovering great Champagne.
New York, NY, January 31, 2023 – For serious wine drinkers, the conclusion of the end-of-year holiday season hardly means letting the bubbles run dry—in fact, quite the opposite. From classic winter pairings (oysters, seafood towers, gooey cheese dishes, and more) to simply celebrating the little things, Champagne and winter sipping go hand in hand. As many wine drinkers vow to sip more thoughtfully this New Year, we are excited to share the debut of a new Champagne brand, Champagne de Saint-Gall, to the US Market. To commemorate the launch, we chatted with Cellar Master Cédric Jacopin and learned five tips for discovering great Champagne in 2023.
Branch Out from Bigger Names
Big brands tend to get all the love, though from a quality perspective, most professionals generally set their sights on smaller estates. While there are certainly exceptions to this rule, artisanal wine brands often have a closer oversight of the winemaking process, from vineyard, to cellar, to bottling, meaning that quality control is generally easier to maintain. To put it simply, Jacopin cites the famous French saying, “Tout ce qui est petit est mignon!” – everything that’s small is cute! This year, rather than reaching for more familiar names, dive into something smaller—you never know what kind of hidden gems you may find.
Seek Out Terroir-Focused Properties
For those looking for site-specific wines that reflect the place from which they come, seeking out terroir-focused estates is key. Contrary to bigger brands, Jacopin explains that individualized Champagne brands often benefit from a more marked terroir effect. “For example, the Champagne de Saint-Gall cuvées have a real geographical identity and are very marked by the Premier and Grand Cru origin of their grapes,” he says, emphasizing the “exceptional terroir” that makes Champagne de Saint-Gall so unique.
Champagne de Saint-Gall uses an exclusive supply of fruit sourced from Premiers and Grands Crus vineyards from Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims to create its world-class cuvées, which are aged much longer than regional minimums (between three and five years on the lees versus 15 months) before release.
Learn the Benefits of Cooperatives
Additionally, regardless of size, Jacopin notes there are numerous benefits to working in a cooperative system, such as the one used at Champagne de Saint-Gall. “Beyond a small or a large brand, we favor the cooperative system, and therefore favor a societal and sustainable approach,” he explains. In a cooperative system, a number of regional growers combine forces and share tools, workspaces, and ideas with the ultimate goal of promoting the region’s wines.
According to the Comité Champagne, “sharing knowledge and cooperation are some examples of Champagne makers’ key guiding values.” The committee goes on to state that for many, a community spirit is more important than individual motivations, thus, “this decision to work together is evident throughout the production process, a cooperative venture in which the human dimension is always at the center.” In building a model focused on pooled resources and knowledge, the regional cooperative creates social and economic solidarity, while simultaneously offering an alternative outlet to which local growers can sell their fruit (as opposed to bigger houses).
Be the First to Know!
In addition to consulting with your local wine shop or sommelier, staying in the know about new releases and market debuts is key to discovering great wine brands, and Champagne is no exception. Deemed a “new generation” cooperative, Avize-based Champagne de Saint-Gall is a new-to-market brand that offers a high-quality wine at competitive pricing, perfect for all your 2023 celebration needs.
How to Best Enjoy Champagne de Saint-Gall
Jacopin states that as with non-sparkling wines, the intricacies of vintage and cuvée specifics must also be considered when enjoying Champagne. “The Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru is perfect as an aperitif accompanied by seafood, while the Cuvée Orpale pairs beautifully with poultry – perfect for Thanksgiving!” he explains. Of all de Saint-Gall’s cuvées, Jacopin describes the Tradition Premier Cru as the ‘guilty pleasure’ wine. “It’s the easy wine, meant to be opened as soon as you are in good company, no matter the time or day,” he says.
Above all, Jacopin shares that in addition to being an enjoyable wine year-round, Champagne remains the wine for special occasions and unforgettable celebrations—and after two years of living in the unknown, we’re taking every moment we get to celebrate the little things.
About Champagne de Saint-Gall
Champagne de Saint-Gall is the flagship Chardonnay-focused label of Union Champagne, a “new-generation” cooperative. The group’s most valuable asset is the team behind the wine: over 2,300 laborers, winegrowers, winemakers, and oenologists who bring generations of expertise with the united goal of perpetuating the quintessential art of fine Champagne. Originating from a world-class terroir, de Saint-Gall covers over 1,400 hectares of highly sought-after Premiers and Grands Crus vineyards. By combining integrated viticulture, a meticulous approach to each plot, and the most advanced winemaking methods, Champagne de Saint-Gall has reinvented the art of winemaking to achieve a balance between craftsmanship and technology.
For more information about Champagne de Saint-Gall, please visit www.de-saint-gall.com/en/.
