De Saint Gall Cuvée Orpale, a precious Champagne to discover

One of my most memorable visits to Champagne was in 2012 for the European finals of a contest organized by CIVC (an umbrella group that brings together all Champagne producers) and which was a month after I became Ambassador for Champagne in Italy. In the three days before the final stage we visited many Maisons and Récoltant but I will never forget how surprised I was when our small van pulled up in the enormous parking lot of the Union Champagne. This is not a ‘cooperative’ in the Italian sense as exemplified by Terlano. The celebrated Grand Cru village of Avize, with an annex in Le Mesnil, hosts a cathedral to Champagne production where expertice and order leave you speechless every step of the way.

Union Champagne was founded in 1966 by four cooperative associations: Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Vertus and Cumières, which have some of the most important Cru in Cote des Blancs. Initially, their production center was the one of Union des Propriétaires Récoltant in le Mesnil-sur-Oger but they moved it to Avize when they acquired the structures of Maison Giesler and expanded the cooperative.

In 1972, Union Champagne had 2,150 vigneron as members, owners of vineyard plots of less than a hectare who together accounted for 1,260 hectares of vineyards of which 760 were in the Grand Cru villages of Avize, Cramant, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Ambonnay, Bouzy and Ay and 370 hectares in the best Premier Cru villages including Vertus, Cumières, Villers-Marmery and Bèrgeres-Lès-Vertus. Together this represented almost ¼ of the grapes produced from the 17 Grand Cru villages that were above all sold to the great Maisons, which after each harvest send their chef de caves to personally taste and select thevins claire that were kept in the Union’s immense rooms in countless stainless steel and cement vats where they are made.

The original nucleus of six cooperatives in 1966 today has expanded to 12 pressing centers situated in the best terroir of the Champagne region which send their products to a single, modern winery in Avize, where vinification takes place separately according to parcel and cru and where almost 1,000hl of vins de réserve are stored and everything is done under the meticulous guidance of the Directeur OenologieCédric Jacopin. Aside from producing base wines, since 1984 Union Champagne has been producing its own brand of Champagne, De Saint Gall, the grapes for which are primarily from the Cotes des Blancs with a small addition of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier from cooperatives in Montagne de Reims.

The symbol of Chardonnay excellence produced by the cooperative is a unique vintage wine, one that is little known but is today available in Italy thanks to Heres. It is Orpale, a cuvée de prestige that has been produced in only five great years – 1990, 1995, 1996, 1998 and 2002 – which in Britain has just been praised for years even by the hyper-critical Richard Julin.

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