Pommery

L'Assiette Champenoise: A Bubbly Hideaway

by Zack O'Malley Greenburg (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wine

L'Assiette Champegnoise in Reims, France

The city of Reims, France, has long been known as the center of the country's storied Champagne region. These days, a noisy construction project snarls traffic and plays havoc with downtown hotels and restaurants meaning there's never been a better time for visiting oenophiles to stay at L'Assiette Champegnoise, a quaint hotel on the outskirts.

Reims is home to all five of last month's Luxist Award nominees in the best sparkling wine/champagne category Krug , Dom Perignon, Pommery, Louis Roederer and Veuve Clicquot. L'Assiette Champegnoise is mere minutes by car from the headquarters of these houses and others.

Built on an old Norman estate, L'Assiette consistently ranks among the best hotels in the area. Cruise through the main gate and the first thing you will see are the twin chimneys rising from the main building, a turreted chateau brimming with old world charm. Behind it lie the hotels 55 rooms and four acres of greenery. The back yard, shaded by century-old trees and strewn with overstuffed chair-pillows, makes for an ideal place to relax with a good book and a flute of champagne from the intimate bar in the lobby.

Visitors needn't venture into Reims for dinner, as the best restaurant in the area is on-site: a two-star Michelin restaurant helmed by chef Arnaud Lallement. In good weather, the aperitif is served outside on the deck; in any case, the intimate dining room and its large windows bring diners closer to nature. For those who would prefer an even more local experience, the restaurant offers room service as well.

Old-fashioned appeal doesn't mean an aversion to modern amenities: each room at L'Assiette offers a television, a telephone, and wireless internet. For such an elegant and conveniently located hotel, the prices are reasonable, starting at 165 Euros per night. The champagne, however, is not included.

Tags: Champagne, Dom Perignon, France, hotel, LAssiette Champegnoise, luxist-awards, Pommery, Reims, Veuve Clicquot

World's Best Champagne

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Luxist readers from around the world have nominated their favorite makers of champagne and sparkling wines. Here's the list of the top five that made the list of the world's best:

Cristal
For a champagne founded in the same year as the United States of America, Louis Roederer's Cristal has changed remarkably little over the years compared to the country across the pond.

Founded in 1776 as Dubois Pere & Fils, the company was renamed after the founder's nephew, Louis Roederer, who took over in 1833 and renamed the champagne house after himself. One of Roederer's greatest moves was expanding the brand into Russia. The champagne enjoyed years of success among well-heeled Russians, and Tsar Nicholas II eventually requested a special champagne to be made for the Imperial Court of Russia. The result was Cristal, a sweet and delicious wine that broke with tradition – instead of being packaged in a dark bottle like, say, Dom Perignon – Cristal came in crystal-clear bottles, hence the name. As legend has it, the transparency was a feature designed so that Tsar Nicholas could tell if somebody was trying to poison his bubbly.

Gallery: Louis Roederer's Cristal Champagne

Dom Perignon
France's King Louis XIV, called The Sun King because everything revolved around him, had an uncanny connection to the champagne that eventually found its way into his court. In 1694, Dom Perignon, the monk who developed the regal wine, had a goal to create the best wine in the world. Sure enough, Dom Perignon became the most expensive wine sold in France that year. The 1921 vintage became the first prestige cuvée ever, with an initial batch sold in 1936. It has been served at all manner of glamorous occasions, including the Shah of Iran's 1959 wedding, as well as Prince Charles and Princess Diana's nuptials in 1981. Since Dom Perignon is a vintage champagne, it's not made in years considered to be weak.

Gallery: Dom Perignon

Tags: awards-main, Champagne, Cristiano Ronaldo, dom perignon, krug, louis roederer, luxist-awards, Pommery, Veuve Clicquot

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Pommery: Known for its Remarkable Vintages

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

The ingredients of a top champagne include the growth of the finest grapes, the time of the most dedicated laborers and the hard work of the best oenologists. Perhaps most of all, any great wine needs a great cellar in which to mature, and Pommery's was one of the first – part of the reason the house has earned a Luxist nomination in the best sparkling wine/champagne category.

Pommery's roots can be traced back to 1836, when Narcisse Greno first envisioned the champagne. Two decades later, he teamed with Alexandre Louis Pommery; when the latter died in 1858, his widow took over the business and ten years later constructed the Pommery chateau.

Gallery: Pommery

Louise Pommery's greatest contribution to the champagne house, however, was the acquisition of a network of crayeres, the subterranean limestone-chalk networks built underneath Reims by the Romans during their rule over Gaul. It was here that the most remarkable vintages of Pommery gained their character; today, more than 20 million bottles are maturing 30 meters below the surface, kept at a constant temperature of 10 degrees Celsius.

Pommery's fame extends far beyond the chilly earth beneath Reims. In 2002, the house was purchased by wine producer Vranken Monopol. Never far from its past, the Pommery chateau still stands in Reims, where it welcomes some 120,000 visitors per year.

Vote for the winemaker that you think is the best of breed. The voting period ends on June 30th, with winners announced on July 1, 2010.

Tags: awards-main, Champagne, luxist-awards, Pommery

Pommery Springtime Brut Rosé - Champagne for Brunch Lovers

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Springtime is a good time for champagne.

Spring is here, and one by one, restaurants are opening their doors and setting up their outside tables. New Yorkers can be seen strolling the streets on the weekends looking for that perfect sidewalk cafe, or seated, leaning in over fresh eggs and fish with lemon.

Just in time for the brunch surge of 2010, Pommery has released their Springtime Brut Rosé, a sequel to their Wintertime Champagne, which we so enjoyed. This delightful addition to the world's first collection of seasonsal champagnes has a fruity bouquet of tart red berries and mellow kiwi and a flavor that would pair perfectly with your Benedict, Florentine, or Norwegian eggs. The pale pink color is subtle and elegant, and the effervescence is exceptional -- a perfect wakeup for your sleepy Sunday senses.

If you're interested in the nitty-gritty details, the champagne is 60 percent Pinot Noir, 25 percent Chardonnay and 15 percent Meunier, and a blend of 40 percent Grand Cru villages, 30 percent Premier Cru villages and 30 percent other crus. It's aged for 20 months.

Pommery Springtime Brut Rosé is a perfect gift for Easter or Mother's Day, or for those 5 million bridal showers coming up. You can get a bottle at the discounted price of $35.99 from 67 Wines and Liquors (the suggested retail price is $65).

Tags: champagne, pommery, springtime

Pommery Wintertime - Seasonal Champagne is Better

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Nothing says luxury like seasonal champagne. After a successful run with Falltime last year in France, The House of Pommery has now brought Wintertime to America, a blanc de noirs champagne with special attention to the foods, lifestyles and activities of winter.

The champagne is straw gold in color, rich and full of red fruits and quince -- and bubbles. It's a 75 percent pinot noir, 25 percent pinot meunier blend from the Montagne de Reims and Little Montagne de Reims, and Vallee de la Marne and Vallee de l'Ardre. It's aged 30 months and its unusually hearty flavor is suggested for pairing with chicken breast or veal.

Pommery Wintertime Champagne is available from Sherry-Lehmann for $59.95, and you can find it by the glass at New York City's Crosby Street Hotel and SD26.

Tags: champagne, crosby street hotel, CrosbyStreetHotel, pommery