One of the toughest stories I’ve ever had to report (wink/wink) is covering the holiday Champagne Gala at Binny’s in Elmwood Park. As anyone who really knows me can attest, after years of living in Hollywood, the Bay Area and abroad, I’ve acquired a taste for the sparkling beverages; and no place do I enjoy plying my trade than at our neighborhood Binny’s.
On Thursday, Nov. 20, I did just that as I often do during the holiday season, hitting Binny’s armed with pen, paper and flute. The first person I ran into was Ron Spears, a loquacious, local distributor who features Jennifer Brezon Fluteau’s delicious champagnes. I’ve written previous columns where I mentioned Oak Park-born Jennifer. Her mother, Alice Brezon, was an elementary school teacher at Beye School. Jennifer explained to me that she and her mom were close to Betty Wilson, a former District 97 educator, whose daughter Dorrie is fluent in French.
Dorrie now lives in Belgium after years of living in France. Jennifer moved to France a couple of decades ago, later marrying Thierry Fluteau whose family has made delectable bubbly for four generations. Tasting Jennifer’s champagne is always an enjoyable experience-it’s a superb special occasion drink.
At the Binny’s event, I was re-introduced to Fluteau Carte Blanche Brut, a $31 champagne with a quiet elegance and lovely black fruit flavor. I also enjoyed Fluteau Carte Rubis Brut, an effervescent Pinot Noir a couple dollars more and a personal favorite with its salmon hue and crisp finish. Spears introduced me to other sparklers he distributes from three nearby villages in the famous Champagne region of France. There was Vesselle Cuvee Reserve, what Spears called “a champagne with shoulders.” It costs $31. There was Michel Arnoud Brut Reserve, a buttery bubbly with an opulent grace that goes well with truffles. It sells for $37. And for the budget-conscious there was Lisennes Cremant de Bordeau, which at $17 is a bargain. It’s two-thirds Pinot Noir and one-third Chardonnay.
I met another wine distributor a couple of tables down named Nils Johnson from the Chicago Wine Merchants. Unlike Spears who only represents French vineyards, Johnson only represents American ones. He is intimately acquainted with Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino, areas I once scoured for great buys and tastes.
He realized I’m as interested in great stories as phenomenal flavors and hit the mark discussing the “daughter and mama” sparklers from the Roederer family. He began with the Roederer Estate Brut, a 60 percent Chardonnay and 40 percent Pinot Noir at $22 from Northern California. It’s smooth and creamy with honeysuckle flavors. Then we proceeded to the $43 Louis Roederer Brut Premiere, subtle in its approach with persistent dough, honey and apple in a soft structure. It was truly magnificent. We also tasted the Scharffenger Brut with its pear, spice, orange, and apple flavors and $19 affordable price.
Then there was the $30 Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc-100 percent Chardonnay and 100 percent stylish and refined. A couple dollars cheaper was the “daughter,” Iron Horse Brut, slight acidity and fruity. At $33 was the “mama,” called Iron Horse Wedding Cuvee. It has tangy citrus flavors, impressive purity and vivid structure.
We agreed that American sparklers often give you a lot more bang for your buck. That said, at a neighboring table, I tasted $10 Italian sparklers that surprised me-Rotari Brut and Mionetto Prosecco Brut-and $9 Spanish sparkers-Frexinet Cordon Negro Brut and Carta Nevada Semi Seco.
I left with a case of Segura Viudas Aria, another inflation-fighter from Spain around the same price that I thought had a fresher, fruitier, more festive taste that goes even better with lots of holiday dishes.
At my yuletide family event, purists hardly ever show up-unlike at Binny’s where aficionados were seen rinsing their glasses with water before sipping the next brand, some flashing their own crystal, and one man spitting sprits in an ice bucket, two inches away from my Gloria Ferrer Brut-filled glass, relatives will instead be toasting to how well my chilled sparkling wines go with hot Kenyan curry chicken, Louisiana gumbo, roasted meats and cool conversation about our new Yes-we-can president.
Speaking of which, I recently received the following Trans-Atlantic e-mail from Jennifer Fluteau:
“Interesting that you asked about the inauguration; one of my fantasies after Barack Obama was elected was to be able to serve our champagne in the White House. In my dream, I would recommend our Carte Blanche, 100% Pinot Noir, a fresh and full-bodied champagne with lots of character-perfect for a new and optimistic administration!”
Cheers.