I tried their range this week and it confirmed some of my reservations, but also opened my eyes to a few stunning wines. Starting with the Joseph Perrier Cuvee Royale Brut NV, a blend of 35% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir and 30% Pinot Meunier, this wine has a bright, salty lemon aroma with some lime and white pepper. A nice mousse with lots of fresh, seaside elements with a underripe pear flavour. It is a nice wine, but a little underwhelming. 86pts
I moved onto a pair of Chardonnay champagnes, starting with the Joseph Perrier Cuvee Royal Blanc de Blancs NV. A fresh bright citrus nose greeted me, with minerally notes - a classic Blanc de Blancs aroma. More of the sea salt and citrus flavours with a nice balance of graphite and grapefruit pith. A good wine. 90pts
The next wine was the 2004 Joseph Perrier Blanc de Blancs. It is the second vintage Blanc de Blancs that Joseph Perrier has released, and it shows lovely light oyster shell aroma with delicious lime and a touch of bread dough coming off the nose. The palate has lemon and grapefruit flavours, good balance of acid and a supremely clean finish. A very good champagne. 92pts
I felt that the high percentage of Pinot Meunier in the NV spoils it a bit, and was pleased when the 2002 Joseph Perrier Vintage came my way. With only nine percent of the dreaded grape, this wine is rich and toasty in comparison to the NV, with brioche and butter coming off the lemon and crisp apple aromas. The palate is delicious with lemon pith, rind and then some richer, almost under ripe tropical fruit flavours. A good wine, noticeable as Chardonnay dominant. 90pts
I've never understood Cuvee Josephine, and the 2004 vintage is no exception. A musky aroma, with redcurrant aromas and then some ripe pear and a touch of baked bread. The palate has a bit high acid, yet feels slightly flabby with a soft, mushy mousse. It reminded me of the texture of Angel Delight, I just don't get this as it doesn't show well against the company's own wines let alone other prestige cuvees. 85pts
A pair of Rose wines was next, with the Pinot Noir (75%) and Chardonnay (25%) Cuvee Royale Brut Rose NV showing a hint of rosewater on the nose with some of the fresh oysters and lemon, reminiscent of the Blanc de Blancs. The palate has a lovely texture, some red apple and a little bit of raspberry as well. A nice balance of flavours and textures. 89pts. Basically, the 2002 Joseph Perrier Vintage Rose is just a more complex and elegant version of the non-vintage with similar aromas. The palate has a bitter element that is lovely with some cranberry flavours and a lovely balance. A really tasty rose champagne. 92pts
Finally, with the same grape makeup of the non vintage, the Joseph Perrier Cuvee Royale Demi-Sec NV has some spice, pepper and a little honeysuckle coming off the nose. The palate has a touch of sweet pear with some honey, spice and a touch of marmalade. It then dries up o the finish and the acid balances out the sweetness. 88pts
There are some good wines coming from this Champagne house. They make excellent Blanc de Blancs and Rose wines, but they fall down when they start playing with Pinot Meunier. Their vintage is good, but it was 2002 so it should be, and my experiences of previous vintages haven't been impressive so this could be a flash in the pan, and their Non Vintage and Prestige Cuvee both fall way short of the competition. I would focus on their Chardonnay wines as these have poise, balance and can compete on quality and price with a number of dedicated Blanc de Blancs producers.
Comments
Except for Joseph Perrier, on one of those occassions we had something to celebrate in a restaurant and they had JP as house brand. We ordered a Magnum bottle and as i was drinking it I enjoyed it to such an extent that I had to remember the name to stock up on some...