Wednesday, Sept 22, 7:00 PM

We’re Back With A Bang!
(or a pop, anyway)

Event Summary 

Toronto Winetasters is delighted to announce our first in-person event since the start of the pandemic. Fittingly, we are starting off with a bang – a Champagne Dinner at Vintage Conservatory’s Yorkville Location.  To accommodate as many people as possible, we will offer the event on Wednesday, September 22, and a possible additional date of Tuesday, September 21. 

The evening will start with a mystery reception wine (but we will say it does have bubbles!) and then will continue with a four-course meal with a grower Champagne matched to each course.

Click here to register

The event will be held in a private room, with a seated capacity capped at 30 people per evening to enhance safety. To ensure compliance with COVID protocols, masks will be required when not seated.  In addition, members and guests will have to complete a short questionnaire and submit proof of completed vaccination before attending – details on the registration page.

As this is a private club, members may bring – at no additional cost-  additional wines from their own cellar to share with friends and to supplement the evening should they so wish.

Cost & Registration

As attendance is very limited for this premium event, only members may sign up. You can bring one guest. The cost for members is $215, including HST and gratuity; and the cost for guests is $265. (See below if you haven’t renewed your membership yet).

If we had you at Champagne, click here to register. Or, for more details of the event, read on!

Grower Champagnes

Our dinner features four ‘grower champagnes’. Today, many of the growers that formerly supplied the Grandes Marques for their blended wines have started to produce their own champagnes from grapes grown on their land. Not having to adhere to a specific brand style, these artisanal grower champagnes show a diverse range of styles and a wide spectrum of expressions. This individuality coupled with high quality has driven their increasing popularity.

Our dinner tonight features four such wines from four different producers that also showcase different styles.

The Food & The Wines

Champagne is the ultimate food wine, with great flexibility for pairing. Our dinner has been designed by Vintage Conservatory’s Yorkville Chef Sean to showcase these wonderful wines.

Menu

Beef Carpaccio, caper, cured egg yolk, parm aioli
Larmandier-Bernier Longitude Extra Brut 1er Cru
~~~
Seared Scallop, charred orange, confit tomato, basil breadcrumb
Bereche Reserve Brut
~~~
Fried chicken, smoked creme fraiche, caviar, haystack potato
R.H Coutier Tradition
~~~
AAA Guelph Beef Striploin, duck fat pommes pave, caramelized onion, red wine jus
Bernard Gaucher Prestige 2011 (disgorged 2021)

More information about the wines is below.

DIY At-Home Alternative

Closer to the event date, Groupe Soleil will provide a list of grower champagnes that you will be able to order to accompany the meal. If you are seeking grower champagne from the LCBO, the Vilmart & Cie Grand Cellier 1er Cru Brut Champagne VINTAGES#: 65110 is available at several GTA stores for $94.

Vintage Conservatory (VC)– Yorkville

The VC provides a secure, welcoming, and controlled setting for wine enthusiasts to share their passion for wine, wine education, and renowned private dining.

All members and their guests are required to sign in upon arrival and will be escorted to their reserved seating. Masks are mandatory when circulating and are worn by staff at all times. The club recently added high-quality HEPA Air filtration for added comfort.

https://www.vintageconservatory.com/yorkville

Membership Renewal

This is an event for paid-up Members. However, a member may bring one guest. In approximately eight days we will open up the event for more guests. If you haven’t renewed your membership click here to do so.

The Wines

Winetasters sourced the wines through Groupe Soleil, a boutique wine agency that has built an extensive list of grower champagnes. Attendees will be able to order wine. Since the availability of these wines is limited, details will be provided on the event date.

Larmandier-Bernier Longitude Extra Brut 1er Cru

Since the 19th century, the LARMANDIER family have been cultivating their vines in the premiers and grands crus of the Côte des Blancs, at the very heart of the Champagne vineyards. Chalk is the keystone of these great terroirs.
The wine: Lovely classy green-gold color shouts Chardonnay. Minerals, chalk, a hint of spices, and fine, fine tension in the mouth. Moreish and complete, a fine long wine. SF: Lively and energetic. The palate is spicy and firm with a soft white pepper backdrop. An accessible and ripe style, fresh and poised at the same time. TH: Slightly closed nose with grapefruit. Pretty high-pitched lemon pith notes coming through. It’s a little uncompromising and hard for general champagne drinkers maybe, but this is a winner for those who like it honed, dry and persistent. Drinking Window 2018 – 2025 . Vendor tasting notes.

Bereche Reserve Brut

Two of Champagne’s rising stars, Raphaël and Vincent Bérêche have been working alongside their father Jean-Pierre at their nine-hectare estate of Bérêche et Fils since 2004, and today they are putting an increasingly personal stamp on this thoughtfully-run domaine.

The Bérêche estate owns vines in several different sectors of Champagne, with the three primary areas being the immediate vicinity around Ludes and Craon de Ludes, the gravelly terroir of Ormes in the Petite Montagne, and the area around Mareuil-le-Port, on the left bank of the Vallée de la Marne.
The wine: The latest release of the NV Brut Réserve was disgorged in October 2019 with seven grams per liter dosage, and it’s based on the 2017 vintage. Exhibiting a glass bouquet of citrus oil, oyster shell, fresh peach and toasted nuts, it’s medium to full-bodied, racy and tensile, with lovely depth and concentration, fine energy and a long, penetrating finish. Score: 92 points — William Kelley, The Wine Advocate, 2020

R.H Coutier Tradition

The Coutier family has been in the village of Ambonnay since 1619, with fifth generation vigneron Antoine Coutier at the helm. While Ambonnay is thought of as Pinot Country, Coutier’s nine hectares are made up of 1/3 Chardonnay. Antoine’s grandfather took the daring step of planting Chardonnay in 1948 – unheard of at the time – and today Coutier is lauded as the premier grower of Chardonnay in the village.
The wine: Disgorged with 6 grams per liter of dosage. The nose shows a fuller cream richness with some toast, nuts, apples, and pear skins. The palate remains present and full with lemon, apples, pears, and a fun mix of cream and nuts. Vendor tasting notes.

Bernard Gaucher Prestige 2011

The vineyards are located in Aube, near Arconville, Urville, and Ailleville, in the heart of “la côte des Bar”. A part of the vineyards is their property and the other part is rented. They use two kinds of grapes: Pinot Noir but also Chardonnay.
The wine: Notes from a different vintage: The nose shows a cream, rustic cracker, green apple, light citrus, and mirabelle plum. The palate is focused and light with candied apples, cream, and yellow plum. Try this with grilled Eggplant Rollatini. Vendor Tasting notes