Flatiron Wines & Spirits SF

Voirin-Jumel is a small family grower with vines in Cramant and Chouilly, way up at the northern tip of the Côte. The V. 1 is their “calling card” wine – an introduction, as they see it, to the universe of Côte des Blancs Chardonnay. 

The Chardonnay (the wine is all Chardonnay) comes from Grand Cru sites, and you get the mineral signature on both the nose and the pallet, interwoven with the bright citrus and floral hint of the Chardonnay in this cool northern climate. 

But it isn’t just chalk and other high tones. There’s a distinct richness in the midpalate, an almost decadent contrast to the more linear elements, which is a signature of Chardonnay from these villages (especially Cramant), where many of the vineyards face south, not east, and get warmer mid-day sun. 

The Voirin-Jumel family makes many choices to accentuate this special expression of the Côte des Blancs. For this bottling they use a gentle 5 g/L of dosage — well within the extra brut window of 3-6 g/L — but happy to practice a tradition that long predates today’s focus on zero dosage wines. Make no mistake though, this is just a subtle touch that brings out the terroir’s more luxurious side as a  complement to the bright acidity and cooling minerality.The blending of vintages is at least as important. The family combines three vintages for every release of this bottling, not just to make the wine more complete); it also allows them to find just the balance they want for this unique expression of the marriage of variety to terroir. In this case 40% of the blend is from 2019 and 2020, which bring sunny Chardonnay accents to the cooler, leaner 2021 backbone. 

We love to drink Champagne with food, and the V.1 is lovely with a whole range, from shellfish to lighter meats to creamy dishes (chicken thighs braised in cast iron with morels sounds particularly good to us!). 

But you don’t have to fuss over pairings to enjoy this bottle. The family themselves treat it as their perfect aperitif wine, something to sip on while you cook dinner (or wait for your delivery). So open a bottle, maybe with a salty snack of potato chips, and whet your appetite while you wonder at the balance of chalky definition and ethereal Chardonnay decadence.