90 years of queen elizabeth : she will drink at Crémant

You will have understood it as you read on this blog : I am a lover of the Beaujolais region and its wines. This relationship started very early at home and I'm always surprised when I hear a friend say to me "anyway, Beaujolais is picrate ". Yet the news seems to prove me right. This wine seems indeed royal !

Queen Elizabeth II will be celebrating her 90 years with a bottle of Crémant - and paf the Champagne ! —. This crémant de bourgogne is produced in Blacé in Beaujolais. to get there, the winemaker Laurent Metge-Toppin was particularly daring. He simply wrote to the Queen Mother to offer her to taste her wine for her jubilee of 2012. Elizabeth II then selected 3 wines from his property. The year, she will drink again the Crémant de Bourgogne Côtes du Beaujolais.

Le Beaujolais, a region with great potential

The winegrower again contacted the sovereign for his 90 years : "I wrote a letter to the queen a few weeks ago to offer her my wine for her birthday. I received an affirmative response from the palace quickly. I have to send several hundred bottles by the end of May to London, but first, the palace must still approve a logo. There is a protocol to follow. ".

This is a vintage wine, produced from a Chardonnay grape and harvested by hand. Confidential production : a plot of just one hectare in the heart of one of the highest Beaujolais vineyards.

The entourage of the Queen has yet to validate the small medallion that will be affixed to the 600 bottles served in Windsor in May. This symbol, the winegrower can add it to all the bottles of the royal cuvée ! A great recognition for the region and for Laurent Metge-Toppin.

Beaujolais lacks communication

Of course, Laurent Metge-Toppin owes this success to the high quality of his wine, but also has his perfect mastery of communication since the man was previously a wine broker and international consultant in oenology, before taking over the family estate.

According to him, communication is a major problem for the Beaujolais region. “Beaujolais wines are very good, but suffer from a poor image. We must therefore put the emphasis on communication and send a positive message to the winegrowers who are doing a tremendous job of diversification. Beaujolais has enormous potential, it is a very beautiful region with an exceptional terroir. "

For this reason, Laurent Metge-Toppin has decided to get closer to the Burgundy region to better export its wines. "Beaujolais belongs, historically in Greater Burgundy. This is why my wine is a Crémant de Bourgogne Côtes du Beaujolais ".

Let's talk about the estate selected by Queen Elizabeth

Over 500 altitude meters, the Château de l'Hestranges rises on the slopes overlooking the Saône Valley. The domain extends over more than 28 hectares.

The domain of 28 hectares consists of 9 hectares located in the Beaujolais Villages appellation. The rest is occupied only by meadows. The black Gamay with white juice is planted on a granite soil with a sandy composition, which is perfect for good drainage. Located between 300 to 550 meters of altitude on sloping slopes facing south-east, the vines benefit from an exceptional microclimate at the end of summer, with hot days and cool nights, ideal conditions for a good ripening of the grapes.

In 2000, Laurent Metge-Toppin decides to plant Chardonnay on the slopes facing east. Today, the domain only has 2,8 hectares of white grapes to produce 26’000 bottles of Bourgogne Chardonnay and Crémant de Bourgogne.

This small estate uses natural fertilizers, weedkillers and treatments against vine diseases strictly adapted to the needs to best respect the environment.

Is Queen Elizabeth's Crémant Good ?

The cuvée 2015 was tasted by Gilbert and Gaillard and awarded the rating of 85/100. Here is the description they make of it : « Robe or clair. Complex nose, floral on smoky background, almond flavors, white fruits. A beautiful hold in the mouth thanks to a silky effervescence, freshness and crisp chardonnay flavors. The material is ample. To open on white meat. "

And the best of all, This is because this crémant is really accessible since the tasters Gilbert and Gaillard indicate a price of 9,50 €. It just goes to show that you can be Queen of England and prefer quality over price !

Jean-Nicolas Mouretin