Champagne Taste On A Cremant Budget!

I Love Veuve

It’s Popular. It’s on every restaurant wine list. I CAN’T AFFORD IT…. but I can afford this VEUVE… Veuve Ambal one of the prestigious producers in Burgundy, France of Sparkling Wine made in the Method Traditionelle  is not a Champagne but a Cremant De Bourgogne.

What The Heck Is A Cremant

Crémant is a wine word that you see on some sparkling wine labels. … Crémant is a word that describes a certain type of French sparkling wine. Crémant wines are not made all over France but only made in certain officially designated areas.

 

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As you can see by the map, these are the areas in France that make sparkling wines in the same method as Champagne. There is a lot made in Loire valley but my personal favorite is Bourgogne, that uses the grapes that Champagne uses/  The biggest production area is in the Macconais around Macon-Villages. Crémant de Bourgogne is the appellation used to describe the sparkling wines produced in Burgundy, which can be either white or rosé but not red, as these are known as Bourgogne Mousseux.. They can use 100% Chardonnay, or 100% Pinot Noir or blends of Pinot Noir, Gamay for Rose or Pinot Noir, Chardonnay or Aligote for White. Let’s take a look at the history of the wine I am going to review today.

Veuve Ambal Since 1898

Anne Marie Ninot (in the Middle) was born in Rully in 1859 in the heart of the Burgundy wine-growing regions. 20 years later she was married to a Parisian banker, Antoine Emile Ambal.  She will follow him in Paris and they will have two children. Charles Roux (on the left) ran the company until his death in 1988 where he gave the business over to his grandson on the right. Eric Piffaut, Charles Roux’s grandson, joined the business family in 1980 and became CEO in 1988. A Visionary, he provides the company with wine estates, contributes to increase appellation’s notoriety. Thanks to him, today Veuve Ambal is the 1st producer and the 1st brand of Crémant de Bourgogne.  Eric’s Son Aurélien joined Veuve Ambal in 2010. He represents the 6th generation of the family and carries the dynamism from his great-great-grandmother Marie Ambal. … What a history!! Let’s taste some Bubbles!

Veuve Ambal Brut Prestige

Cremant De Bourgogne Review

The Brut Prestige is Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Cremant De Bourgogne has almost stricter rules than Champagne and yet 1/2 the price. The grapes are all manually harvested with the utmost care and then gently pressed in the Cellars. As I mentioned it goes through the same method of a secondary fermentation in the bottle just like Champagne for 3 years before they get the yeast out and add the doseage ( The extra vinified juice to fill up the bottle before corking) IMPORTANT NOTE: This is labeled as a BRUT but they added 10 grams of sugar per liter at this final step and that is normal for CREMANT but a little on the EXTRA DRY side (Less Dry) if it were made in Champagne.

Let’s Break It Down

Beautiful straw yellow color with very fine bubbles as you can even see in a still photo. If you love that fresh out of the oven Brioche Bread you will love the bouquet of this Cremant. I pick up mostly Chardonnay aromas on the nose of apples and pears and some roasted nuts. On the palate, the elegance of Chardonnay with Granny Smith Apples, Pears, a juiciness on the mid palate and the Pinot Noir holds it all together for a nice balance and fresh white grapefruit, lime squeeze and a hint of Honey on the end. A very Fresh, Mouthwatering Style. I do wish the dosage was less than 10 grams per liter however this isn’t Prosecco (No Secondary Fermentation) this isn’t Cava (Yes Secondary Fermentation but made with totally different grapes and clearly THIS IS NOT CHAMPAGNE. With all that said, it’s delicious bubbles with Finesse and a great value driven Sparkler from Burgundy that I will score 88 Points out of 100.

The Summary

It doesn’t take the smartest of consumers to figure out that if they love Bubbles made in the Method Of Champagne but for everyday or every week consumption this Veuve Ambal Brut Prestige Cremant De Bourgogne Chardonnay and Pinot Noir not only expresses the Terroir of Burgundy, But the Balance of My Average Joe Bank Account.  $19.99… Not my Bank Account (Close however) is the price of this Cremant. I just think Marie Ambal would be proud of her great great grandson. It is definitely an affordable, well made, Sparkling Wine to make a lot of people happy.